Ethical standards in government
Ethical standards underpin the working of government and are important for trust in politics and politicians.
How are ministerial standards upheld?
The government’s response to the Committee on Standards in Public Life
What are the main recommendations from the CSPL, Boardman and PACAC reports – and how do they compare with the government's response?
Independent adviser on ministerial interests
We explore the role of the independent adviser on ministerial interests, who advises the prime minister on the ministerial code.
Ministerial code
The ministerial code is a set of rules and principles which outlines the standards of conduct for government ministers. But what does is cover?
Cabinet manual
The cabinet manual is a document which sets out rules and procedures for the operation of government.
Recent and upcoming events on standards
Upholding standards in public life: A keynote speech by Lord Evans
Lord Evans, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, reflected on the UK's approach to standards in public life.
IfG at the Labour Party Conference 2023
The IfG was in Liverpool for a series of fringe events on the constitution, devolution, public services, AI and more.
Keynote speech: Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Deputy Leader
Angela Rayner joined us at the Institute to discuss Labour's plans for a new, independent Ethics and Integrity Commission.
Our views on standards in government
Rishi Sunak’s ethics plan won’t silence his critics
Tim Durrant assesses the government's response to key ethics reform proposals
Eric Pickles is right: the rules for post-government jobs do not work
Lord Pickles has written to the government to criticise the rules that ACOBA is responsible for overseeing.
Rishi Sunak’s response to Dominic Raab’s resignation won’t improve ministerial-civil service relations
Rishi Sunak has missed an opportunity to reinforce standards in government.
Pressure is growing on Sunak to properly reform standards
The prime minister needs to set out his plan for how he will tackle the issue that bedevilled his predecessor.
Rishi Sunak needs to sort out his government’s ministerial behaviour problem
A succession of unresolved allegations about poor ministerial behaviour shows that Rishi Sunak needs to sort things out.
Rishi Sunak needs to take action to show he is serious about integrity
The PM should act now to demonstrate his commitment to integrity, asserting his expectations of his ministers from a position of strength.
The row over Braverman’s future shouldn’t overshadow the problems it has exposed
Appointing an independent ethics adviser would help Rishi Sunak steady the ship.
Other codes of conduct
MPs’ code of conduct
The MPs’ code of conduct sets out the standards of behaviour expected of MPs when carrying out their work.
Civil Service Code
The Civil Service Code outlines the values and standards of behaviour that civil servants are expected to follow.
Special advisers’ code of conduct
The special advisers’ code of conduct sets out the rules and standards of conduct that special advisers to UK government ministers must abide by.