Scrutiny of ministerial ethics and standards of conduct in the UK: diluted accountability?

Citation

Kippin S & Robert P (2024) Scrutiny of ministerial ethics and standards of conduct in the UK: diluted accountability?. Public Money and Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2024.2350438

Abstract
Concerns about the conduct of UK politicians abound. This article assesses the country’s key standards and ethics bodies against fundamental benchmarks of accountability, and argues that their disparate and uncoordinated nature hinders independent scrutiny, and has created a system of accountability characterised by vacuums, varied performance and diluted effectiveness. The key arguments for systemic reform, particularly as they pertain to ministerial standards, are summarised in this article.

Keywords
Accountability; codes of conduct; Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL); Parliamentary oversight; Parliamentary standards; UK parliament

Notes
Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Online

Journal
Public Money and Management

People

Dr Sean Kippin

Lecturer in Public Policy, Politics