The revelations about the process by which Peter Mandelson was appointed to serve as Ambassador to the United States of America have once again raised questions about the suitability of the UK’s standards regime. Peter Riddell argues that ministers must be proactive, seeking to future proof the system through legislation, rather than reactively asking for reviews and tinkering with the rules when flaws in the system are exposed.
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Monitor 92, published today, provides an analysis of constitutional events over the last four months. In this post, which replicates the issue’s lead article, Alan Renwick and Meg Russell argue that the government continues to make small strides in areas such as constitutional standards and electoral reform, where instead bold action to renew the health of democracy is badly needed.
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The government has publicly committed to removing Lord (Peter) Mandelson’s peerage following additional revelations about his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Robert Hazell considers potential mechanisms for achieving this, and argues that if it is to be done by legislation, then the government should consider carefully how wide its scope should be, what criteria should trigger the removal process, and whether its provisions should be retrospective.
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Monitor 91, published today, provides an analysis of constitutional events over the last four months, a period in which the government has announced numerous electoral reforms, created a new standards body, introduced a bill to increase public accountability, and continued progress on legislation to enhance devolution in England. However, in this post, which replicates the lead article from today’s new issue of Monitor, Meg Russell and Alan Renwick argue that many of the reforms fail to go far enough. They say that the government could be seeking to lead, and to set the tone on constitutional standards, but changes instead feel timid and reluctant in the face of serious threats.
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On 13 October the government launched the new Ethics and Integrity Commission, which supersedes the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL). This solution was first proposed by Sir Peter Riddell and Professor Robert Hazell in their Constitution Unit report Trust in Public Life: Restoring the Role of Constitutional Watchdogs. They welcome the creation of the new body, but say that it will need stronger membership, more staff and resources, and a statutory foundation.
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