← Back to House of Commons Debates
Reporting Ministerial Gifts and Hospitality
14 October 2024
Lead MP
Ellie Reeves
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Employment
Other Contributors: 28
At a Glance
Ellie Reeves raised concerns about reporting ministerial gifts and hospitality in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Ellie Reeves updated the House on actions to enhance transparency regarding ministerial gifts and hospitality. She emphasised that transparency is crucial for restoring public faith in politics. Under the previous government, rules for declaring hospitality by ministers were less transparent compared to MPs. The current disparity will be addressed, with a new register of Ministers' gifts and hospitality being established similar to the parliamentary regime for gifts and hospitality. These arrangements aim to close the loophole where Labour Front Benchers had stricter reporting requirements than Tory Ministers. The Prime Minister intends to issue an updated version of the ministerial code soon, outlining expectations for conduct.
John Glen
Con
Salisbury
Question
Glen questioned the credibility of Ellie Reeves' statement, inquiring about specific gifts and hospitality that can now be accepted by ministers. He also raised concerns over the scale of benefits received by politicians and their impact on conflict of interest.
Minister reply
Reeves defended her stance, emphasising that this government is committed to rebuilding trust in politics. She highlighted past scandals under the Conservative administration, such as VIP lanes for covid contracts, and emphasised the need for transparency.
Clive Efford
Lab
Eltham and Chislehurst
Question
Efford criticised Conservatives for their hypocrisy in criticising the government's transparency measures. He pointed out that under previous governments, ministers were subject to less transparency than Back-Bench MPs.
Minister reply
Reeves agreed with Efford, noting that when Owen Paterson broke rules, Conservative members voted instead to rip up those very rules.
Sarah Olney
Lib Dem
Richmond Park
Question
Olney expressed shock at the actions of Conservative MPs and urged for a full register of interests similar to that published by MPs. She also asked about retrospectively publishing interests from previous governments.
Minister reply
Reeves acknowledged Olney's points, confirming plans to align ministerial schemes with those for MPs in terms of declaring value.
Neil Coyle
Lab
Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Question
Coyle questioned whether the government’s ethics and integrity commission would address issues such as the appointment of relatives of individuals who provided lavish hospitality to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson against security services' advice.
Minister reply
Reeves affirmed Coyle's point, noting efforts towards reforming the House of Lords and improving transparency in the appointment process.
Gavin Williamson
Con
Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
Question
On the tickets that were given away for free, there is a lot of concern among constituents about the way that the Government seem to have been involved in compromising the operational independence of the police. I appreciate that the Minister cannot set out the Attorney General’s advice, but can she explain to the House why the Attorney General was asked to give advice, and what question the Attorney General was asked to answer?
Minister reply
Policing is an operational matter for the police, and so not something that I can comment on directly.
Rachel Blake
Lab Co-op
Cities of London and Westminster
Question
Does the Minister agree that if the Opposition really wanted to make progress with standards in public life, they would reflect on their own record, including the VIP lane, partygate and their determination to lose by-elections as a result of the conduct of Members of Parliament from their party? Does she also agree that we are making progress on this issue through our plans?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for those important points. The actions of the Conservative party have led to the erosion of trust in politics, and that is the issue that Labour Members now seek to clear up.
Richard Holden
Con
Basildon and Billericay
Question
Thank you to Opposition Members for their support for those on the Government Front Bench today. [Hon. Members: “We’re the Government now.”] The Government have been totally tone deaf in their response to the situation, which was revealed not as a result of the Government’s transparency—[Interruption.]
Minister reply
I am not sure about the right hon. Gentleman’s specific point, but at the heart of this is our aim to increase transparency in the reporting process. There is a disparity between what MPs declare and what Ministers declare. The Tories did nothing to fix that in 14 years in government, and that is what we now seek to change.
Matt Western
Lab
Warwick and Leamington
Question
I must have missed a trick, because it seems like just a couple of years ago, there was this sort of behaviour from Conservative Members on an industrial scale. Prime Minister Johnson received a £58,000 donation to turn his flat into some sort of crack den or party central, and then he was offered £150,000 by the same person to build a treehouse for his son. I welcome what the Minister says. Does she agree that the approach and the principles that she is setting out are totally different from what went before?
Minister reply
I repeat that we want to make the rules more transparent. We have clearly set out how we intend to get transparency on gifts and hospitality, which has been lacking for too long.
Caroline Johnson
Con
Sleaford and North Hykeham
Question
Government guidelines for the self-employed are very clear: “You cannot claim for everyday clothing (even if you wear it for work).” Yet we have heard that Cabinet Ministers declared clothing donations as donations in kind for undertaking parliamentary duties and, further, “to support the Shadow Chancellor’s office.” Does the Minister think that these were transparent donations, or were they designed to deceive?
Minister reply
No Member sets out to deceive the House, and donations have been made in the right way. There is no suggestion that donations have not been declared properly or transparently. We are seeking to align the rules for Ministers with the rules for MPs, but I do not think there has been any suggestion that declarations have not been properly made.
Josh Simons
Lab
Makerfield
Question
If the newspapers are to be believed, several Members on the sparsely populated Conservative Benches are considering standing down if the Government’s reforms to clamp down on second jobs are delivered. Will the Minister confirm her commitment to delivering these reforms to restore standards in public life, despite the sad possible loss of Conservative Members?
Minister reply
Of course the Modernisation Committee will look incredibly closely at the issue of second jobs.
Brendan O'Hara
SNP
Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber
Question
In June 2022, the now Deputy Prime Minister said: “Honesty matters, integrity matters and decency matters. We should be ambitious for high standards, and we should all be accountable”.—[Official Report, 7 June 2022; Vol. 715, c. 680.] Labour promised change, but the truth is that this is not that different from the sleaze that went before. What the public see is the Labour party saying, “It is our turn now.” The parties are acting like peas in a pod. Can the Minister tell us why, having showered an assortment of gifts on the Prime Minister and other Cabinet colleagues, Lord Alli was given a triple-A pass to Downing Street? Who requested that the pass be given, and exactly what was the pass used for?
Minister reply
I agree with those words from the Deputy Prime Minister. What I do not accept is the suggestion of equivalence with those on the Conservative Benches, when the former Prime Minister was fined for breaking lockdown rules. While people up and down the country were sticking to the rules, often at great personal sacrifice, those in No. 10 were partying and breaking the rules, and at the same time their friends and donors were given fast-track routes for their covid contracts, so I do not accept that there is equivalence. Everything has been properly declared and we want to make the rules around transparency even greater.
Mark Ferguson
Lab
Gateshead Central and Whickham
Question
Will the Minister remind Members of this House which Prime Minister was rewarded with a holiday to Mustique? As hon. Members may remember, there was a lot of mystique about Mustique at the time. I will give the Conservatives a hint: it was not a Member on the Labour side of the House.
Minister reply
As I recall, it was former Prime Minister Boris Johnson who benefited from that holiday to Mustique.
Luke Evans
Con
Hinckley and Bosworth
Question
The Prime Minister has said he has been transparent, broken no rules and followed all ordinances, yet he has paid back £6,000 out of that £100,000. Can the Minister tell us why he has chosen to do that, which rules he was following, which guidance he means and which other member of the Cabinet will also be paying back money for tickets?
Minister reply
That is a personal matter for the Prime Minister, but we have made it clear, and the Prime Minister has made it clear, that we are going to make the rules around transparency more aligned with those for MPs and reform the code, with a clear set of guidance in relation to the receipt of gifts and hospitality. In the meantime, the Prime Minister has paid back a number of items while the new code is being finalised.
Hendon
Question
If brass neck were an Olympic sport, the Conservatives would all be gold medallists. They presided over a carnival of corruption. Does the Minister agree that it was their partying in Downing Street, their contracts for their mates and their constant failure to deliver that undermined trust in government, and will she join me in calling on them to apologise for their years of mismanagement?
Minister reply
Of course, the Conservatives created and presided over this loophole in the rules. They broke the rules during covid lockdown and gave fast-track passes to their friends and donors for covid contracts, so we will not take lectures from them on this.
Andrew Murrison
Con
South West Wiltshire
Question
Does the Minister agree that the use of police outriders, whistles and sirens to facilitate the ferrying of the favoured few around capital cities characterises the capital cities of less enlightened realms and not—until this point—our own? Does she also agree that the special escort group needs to be used sparingly, and not to ferry entertainers around, regardless of the number of free tickets dispensed to senior members of the Government?
Minister reply
As I said in a previous answer, that is an operational matter for the police and not something I can comment on further.
Lewis Atkinson
Lab
Sunderland Central
Question
On the Prime Minister’s first day in office, he prioritised meeting the independent adviser on ministerial standards. Does the Minister agree that that stands in stark contrast to the approach of the previous Government, which saw two independent advisers on ministerial standards resigning and the post sitting vacant for six months?
Minister reply
The Prime Minister has it made clear, both in those meetings and in what he has said, that cleaning up and restoring trust in politics is incredibly important. I know that the Modernisation Committee is looking at a number of measures. We have also set out how we intend the ministerial code of conduct to strengthen things. I think that is incredibly important, particularly in restoring the trust that has been eroded so much over these past 14 years.
Joshua Reynolds
Lib Dem
Maidenhead
Question
After years of Conservative sleaze and scandal, we need to reset MPs’ and Ministers’ relationship with standards in public life. Therefore, will the Minister commit to enshrining the ministerial code in law?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments. There are no plans to do that at this stage.
Hitchin
Question
I am sure that many Members will share my disbelief and that of my constituents at reports in The Times today that as many as one in 10 Conservative Members are considering standing down early because of the closing down of loopholes on second jobs. Regardless of political affiliation, one of our most important responsibilities is making sure we build and maintain our constituents’ trust in politics. Whether it is by tightening up the rules on second jobs or making sure we clamp down on some of the loopholes on Ministers’ declarations that we had under the last Government, will the Government remain resolute in ensuring that when we come to this House, we do so to serve our constituents and not ourselves?
Minister reply
As I said in answer to a previous question, the Modernisation Committee is looking at the matter very closely. Being a Member of Parliament is a huge privilege and an honour. It is a full-time job, and then some. It is important, and it is also important that we look closely at the appropriateness of second jobs for Members of Parliament.
Bradley Thomas
Con
Bromsgrove
Question
Why has the Prime Minister paid back some gifts that he has received since he became Prime Minister but not those he received as Leader of the Opposition? Is there a different standard for Government Ministers and for the Opposition?
Minister reply
I refer the hon. Gentleman to my previous answer.
Shaun Davies
Lab
Telford
Question
Is this not another example of this Labour Government having to clear up the Conservatives’ mess? They voted against suspending Owen Paterson from this House when wrongdoing was demonstrated. Does the Minister agree that both candidates for the leadership of the Conservative party should declare their full hospitality over the past 12 months or more?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for that interesting suggestion. It is right that we look at all those things. He referred to Owen Paterson. After that, it felt like lessons had not been learned, because soon afterwards Scott Benton had to stand down from Parliament for breaching lobbying rules as well. It seems like there was something of a pattern.
Gregory Stafford
Con
Farnham and Bordon
Question
Does the Minister not agree that this is about not just transparency but hypocrisy? When my constituents, because of Labour’s scrapping of the winter fuel payments, have to choose between heating their homes and clothing themselves, they can see the hypocrisy of the Prime Minister in getting tens of thousands of pounds for clothing and glasses. When they have to decide whether to send their children to an independent school for special educational needs and disabilities because the Labour party is going to add VAT to school fees, while the Prime Minister can rent out a flat costing tens of thousands of pounds for his children, they smell hypocrisy.
Minister reply
Let me say something about hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is when people in Downing Street, including the former Prime Minister, were partying during lockdown as my constituents and people up and down the country were making the greatest sacrifices, with fathers not being at the birth of their children and people not being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. I will not take lectures on hypocrisy from the Conservatives.
Phil Brickell
Lab
Bolton West
Question
Does the Minister agree that it is shameful that the Conservatives left the role of the Prime Minister’s UK anti-corruption champion vacant for two years?
Minister reply
Is it any wonder, given the sort of things that went on over the past 14 years? The former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had to apologise to the Commons for failing to declare more than £50,000 in outside income. There was also that £15,000 trip to a luxury villa on Mustique. No wonder they could not keep their ethics advisers in place when that sort of behaviour was going on at the heart of Government.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
There is a duty on all Members and Ministers to ensure transparency regarding gifts received. Does the Minister agree that more work needs to be done to clarify the rules around the declaration of hospitality and gifts to ensure that the rules are equal and fair for all, regardless of parliamentary status?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Member for his helpful contribution. That is exactly what we seek to do through these changes.
Gareth Snell
Lab Co-op
Stoke-on-Trent Central
Question
I welcome the conversion of the Conservative party to transparency and ethics. Whether it was wallpaper or weddings, or Pincher, Paterson or Benton, Conservative Members were sadly silent when they thought that one of their own should get away with things. May I suggest that my hon. Friend retrospectively apply the new rules to the last 12 months of every serving Member who was a Minister? They should have to declare every piece of hospitality and gift that they received as Ministers, so that we can see exactly what their own record was compared with our cleanliness.
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for his observations. That is certainly something that I can take back to be looked at.
Andrew Lewin
Lab
Welwyn Hatfield
Question
I listened with interest to the shadow Minister, the right hon. Member for Salisbury (John Glen), talk about integrity in politics. My mind went back to a defining image from the last Parliament: Her late Majesty saying goodbye to the Duke of Edinburgh in April 2021, abiding by every single rule, as she always did. We found out later that the previous night there had been parties in Downing Street. Does my hon. Friend agree that there is absolutely no comparison between this Government, who are clearing up the mess, and the one that went before us?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for his important comments. I do not think that the public will forget that image of the Queen sitting on her own. The idea that there is any equivalence between the rule breaking during covid, and the fast track for VIPs, and us now trying to sort things out by making the process more transparent is frankly indefensible from Conservative Members.
Joe Powell
Lab
Kensington and Bayswater
Question
The shadow Minister may remember that he failed personally to support the suspension of Owen Paterson after he was found guilty of lobbying and being paid thousands of pounds to raise questions in Parliament. Does the Minister agree that today’s conversion to standards and integrity rings completely hollow?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for his contribution. I had a look recently at the record of Conservative MPs in that vote to rip up the rules on standards, in effect, to get Owen Paterson off the hook. Overwhelmingly, those on the Opposition Front Bench voted to rip up the rules on standards.
Tom Hayes
Lab
Bournemouth East
Question
Later today, we will debate a Bill to protect entertainment events from terrorism. It comes in the aftermath of the terrible terrorist attack on an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. In more recent months, Taylor Swift has had to cancel a concert, owing to the risk to her life and the lives of concert-goers. Does the Minister agree that when we debate the Bill, it is important that we take the politics out of the debate, recognise the real risk to life, proceed with due caution, properly talk about the loss of life in Manchester, and aim to avoid any future loss of life at entertainment events?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for that incredibly important point. The Bill will put Martyn’s law on the statute book, for which victims of the awful Manchester Arena terror attack have campaigned long and hard, and I hope that it will be debated in the tone and spirit that my hon. Friend set out.
Shadow Comment
John Glen
Shadow Comment
John Glen criticised Ellie Reeves and questioned the credibility of her statement. He highlighted a series of scandals involving Labour Ministers and queried whether ministers can continue to accept lavish gifts without conflict. Glen also inquired about the specifics of ministerial donations, declarations by political staff, and ongoing discussions with Lord Alli regarding public appointments.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About House of Commons Debates
House of Commons debates take place in the main chamber of the House of Commons. These debates cover a wide range of topics including government policy, legislation, and current affairs. MPs from all parties can participate, question ministers, and hold the government accountable for its decisions.