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Ministerial Code
26 April 2021
Lead MP
Michael Gove
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Standards & Ethics
Other Contributors: 38
At a Glance
Michael Gove raised concerns about ministerial code 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
The ministerial code, under the responsibility of the Prime Minister, is updated upon their assuming or returning to office. It outlines the behaviour expected from government officials and provides guidance on upholding public standards. The most recent update was in August 2019. Ministers are personally responsible for adhering to these codes and justifying their actions publicly. The role of an independent adviser, appointed by the Prime Minister, is critical in advising on ministers' interests and investigating breaches. Sir Alex Allan recently stepped down from this position; a new appointee will be chosen soon. In his absence, permanent secretaries have managed ministerial interests as per the code. The ministerial code remains an essential tool for upholding standards in public life.
Alison Thewliss
SNP
Glasgow Central
Question
The hon. Lady raised concerns about procurement of PPE, the Greensill scandal, and Sir James Dyson's involvement in ventilator production, among others.
Minister reply
Acknowledged that less than 0.5% of procured PPE did not meet standards, and every recommendation went through an independent eight-stage process. Rejected claims about Greensill, stating all efforts were rejected by the Treasury. Defended Sir James Dyson's involvement, noting his personal investment and positive public accounts committee assessment. Emphasised the PM's actions in instituting lockdowns and highlighted criticisms from Opposition MPs towards vaccine procurement and public relations efforts.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
Question
Suggested that more discussion of principles and values, alongside better management of conflicts of interest, could restore public confidence in propriety. Recommended changes based on the Committee on Standards in Public Life's letter to the PM.
Minister reply
Acknowledged the thoughtful points raised by his hon. Friend. Indicated willingness to consider recommendations from Lord Evans and others but stressed that transparency measures are already being implemented.
Rachel Reeves
Lab
Leeds West and Pudsey
Question
Mr Speaker: “There must be no bullying and no harassment; no leaking…No misuse of taxpayer money and no actual or perceived conflicts of interest.” Those words are from the Prime Minister’s foreword to the ministerial code. I do not know whether he believed them when he wrote them, but he is certainly trampling all over them today... Finally, will the Minister apologise for the stomach-churning comments that have come out today and announce an urgent public inquiry into the Government’s handling of the pandemic?
Minister reply
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her questions... Of course, the ventilators that this Government took part in procuring are now helping to save lives in India. The hon. Lady must look at the beam in her eye before criticising the mote in others’.
Question
May I pick up on the excellent point made by my hon. Friend the Chairman of the Liaison Committee about the powers of the next occupant of the position of the Prime Minister’s adviser on the ministerial code and encourage my right hon. Friend to go down that road?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes a very important point, and the work he has done to increase standards in public life has been applauded across parties and across this House... The Government and the new independent adviser on ministerial standards will want to reflect on Lord Evans’s recommendation and other points to make sure that we can have the maximum confidence in our system.
Question
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss) for securing this important urgent question... There is no point in the Minister’s sitting there, part bombast and part Teflon Don, hoping that the stench of cronyism will simply pass.
Minister reply
The right hon. Gentleman is always a skilled and gifted rhetorician, but as I pointed out in response to his colleague... If people want to see a story of obstruction, obfuscation, prevarication and a waste of taxpayers’ money, they can find it there.
Question
Constituents are sick and tired of this endless tittle-tattle. They just want their lives to go back normal, which is what this Government are helping them to achieve... When will we have an Opposition who care about the actual priorities and not who the Downing Street decorators are?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an important point. It does seem sometimes as though the Opposition and some critics are more concerned about the world of interiors than about the real world in which the rest of us live... But it is also right that those in this House who have the opportunity to scrutinise the way in which taxpayers’ money is spent look effectively at the delivery of public policy, rather than necessarily seeking to make partisan points.
Wera Hobhouse
Lib Dem
Bath
Question
The Minister just said that public scrutiny is always welcome... Will he urge the Prime Minister to go ahead with it without delay?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady makes the very fair point that we need, in due course, an independent public inquiry into dealing with the pandemic... There will be time for an independent public inquiry and there will be lessons to be learned; mistakes have been made.
Question
There is no doubt that the allegations made by the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss) are serious... With that in mind, will my right hon. Friend confirm that any donations and benefits given will be returned and made open and transparent through the regular processes?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an important point. All of us have a responsibility to declare political donations, and there is a clear means of doing so... I know that all donations received by all politicians in this House will be declared appropriately.
Margaret Hodge
Lab
Barking
Question
Last week, the Government claimed that the Prime Minister funded the up-front costs of decorating the Downing Street flat himself. This afternoon, the Prime Minister did not deny that the up-front costs were met by Conservative party donors. How many more times will Ministers accept that their leader—our Prime Minister—has misled the public, the press and Parliament before they declare him unfit for office?
Minister reply
I have enormous respect for the right hon. Lady but I think she may wish to reflect on her specific allegation against the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister paid for the costs of renovation, and declarations are made about political donations which comply with the rules.
Jacob Young
Con
Basildon and Billericay
Question
Will my right hon. Friend confirm that this Conservative Government have taken more steps to reform and regulate lobbying and public procurement than any Labour Government did, and that at the last general election the Labour party said it intended to scrap the same lobbying law that it now wants to strengthen? Does that not show the hypocrisy of Captain Hindsight?
Minister reply
Yes, my hon. Friend is correct. This Government banned taxpayers’ money for quango lobbying and introduced a statutory registrar of lobbyists among other transparency measures.
Arfon
Question
At Prime Minister’s questions two weeks ago, the Prime Minister agreed with me that politicians “must not lie”. Does the Minister feel his answers today are sufficiently comprehensive and robust to lay matters to rest?
Minister reply
Yes.
Bob Stewart
Con
Beckenham
Question
I read through the ministerial code this morning; I could see nothing in there to make me think that the Prime Minister has done anything wrong. Why do we not leave it to the system to investigate this matter, rather than dance to the tune of a media frenzy?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend is correct. There are tried and tested procedures for ensuring Ministers behave appropriately.
Caroline Lucas
Green
Brighton, Pavilion
Question
Contrary to what one Minister said at the weekend, concerns about the Prime Minister and the ministerial code are not “tittle-tattle”. People care deeply about this. What should be done about systematic deliberate errors? If it is the Prime Minister himself who decides whether the ministerial code has been broken, should we really trust him to mark his own homework?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady makes important points. The public have a right to expect that those discharging Government duties do so in a way consistent with their values. We need to review mechanisms of scrutiny.
Craig Whittaker
Con
Calder Valley
Question
While these matters should always be open and transparent, one can only muse at what other world leaders think of the UK Prime Minister having to pay for his own refurbishment, additional tax for the benefit in kind and the running costs of the flat. Should our Prime Minister be paying anything personally when it is us—the taxpayer—who demand that they live above the shop?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an important point. Downing Street is a working building, and public funding is appropriate to ensure that it functions effectively.
Jack Brereton
Con
Bolton West
Question
Does my right hon. Friend agree that if the Leader of the Opposition was really serious about tackling corruption, he would start by cracking down on the Labour Government in Wales who handed out NHS contracts worth more than £650,000 to a Labour activist without any kind of competitive tendering process?
Minister reply
I am grateful for my hon. Friend bringing this case to attention. I will ensure that the Leader of the Opposition and others want to make sure all correct procedures have been followed.
Tan Dhesi
Lab
Slough
Question
Whether it is the Prime Minister’s luxury refurbishment or other things, day after day more sordid, sleazy details are unearthed about this incompetent Conservative Government. Tory donors have been profiteering at the British taxpayer’s expense. Why is the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster delaying the public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic?
Minister reply
Every PPE contract was awarded through an eight-stage process supervised by independent civil servants. There needs to be an inquiry in due course, but it should cover every aspect of the pandemic and we must take account of future challenges.
Felicity Buchan
Con
Wells
Question
Will my right hon. Friend confirm that all Ministers followed the ministerial code in their dealings with Greensill Capital?
Minister reply
Yes, when Lex Greensill and others made representations to Government, those were dealt with appropriately and efforts solicited were rejected.
Stephen Flynn
SNP
Aberdeen South
Question
Of course attached to the ministerial code are the seven principles of public life. Does the Minister not accept that a Prime Minister who does not put public health first is no Prime Minister at all?
Minister reply
Let me deal with this. I was in the meeting and the Prime Minister made decisions to trigger second and third lockdowns which were necessary.
Joy Morrissey
Con
Beaconsfield
Question
Does my right hon. Friend agree that people in glass houses should not throw stones? Does he also agree that there is an election next week and as the Labour party is behind in the polls, Labour Members have chosen to wheel out a mantra from 20 years ago that they thought worked then and perhaps works now? And if we are talking about wheeling out glass houses, may I mention the Member under criminal investigation for fraud, the Liverpool mayor arrested for fraud, and a past Labour Prime Minister who pocketed millions from advising big businesses and foreign Governments?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an important point—that we all have a responsibility to learn lessons, learn from the past, do our very best to make sure that we collectively maintain high standards in public life, acknowledge that there are human frailties in individuals who represent all the parties in this House and do our very best to learn from the past.
Justin Madders
Lab
Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
Question
Does the Minister know the identity of the person who gave the Prime Minister the money to pay for the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat? Either he does not know, in which case he should not be at the Dispatch Box saying there is no problem at all, or he does know, in which case he should just tell us what their name is. Can he do that now, please?
Minister reply
The person who paid for the renovations in the Downing Street flat was Boris Johnson.
Andrew Griffith
Con
Arundel and South Downs
Question
Does my right hon. Friend agree that this UK Government are almost painfully transparent by any yardstick, and that while sessions such as this may be an inevitable part of the disinfecting oxygen of publicity, it is a bit rich for the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss) to raise concerns when the SNP wants the UK to rejoin the EU, a body that has not had its audit signed off for decades?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an important point. Governments of all stripes can always do better, but I think it is fair to say that, over generations and across parties, there has been a determined effort by our Prime Ministers to do everything they can to make sure that our democracy stays healthy.
Andrew Slaughter
Lab
Hammersmith and Chiswick
Question
The Minister has a specific duty to ensure transparency in Government through the Freedom of Information Act. Is he concerned that Transparency International last year identified nine unremedied breaches of the ministerial code? Why is information withheld in Government FOI responses more often than not? And is he still running his FOI clearing house to delay and filter FOI responses?
Minister reply
The freedom of information clearing house, sadly, is not mine. It was set up under a Labour Government, so it is a Blairite inheritance. What it exists to do is make sure that freedom of information responses are effectively co-ordinated and that we do everything we can in order to make sure that we comply with the terms of that legislation.
Danny Kruger
Reform
East Wiltshire
Question
We need to get the system of regulation and accountability right. I echo the point made earlier by the Chair of the Liaison Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Harwich and North Essex (Sir Bernard Jenkin), that most of all we need a culture of values in public service to run through what Ministers, ex-Ministers and officials do. We will never write rules so perfect that people do not have to make judgments about who they see and what they do, but to shore that up, we really need a culture of transparency, so will my right hon. Friend confirm that the independent review into the Greensill affair will have full access to all the documents and all the decision makers involved?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes a very good point—two actually— about the importance of culture complementing rules, and also about the review being undertaken by Nigel Boardman, who will be given all the details he needs about any contact between individuals within Government and those acting on behalf of Greensill.
Toby Perkins
Lab
Chesterfield
Question
The Minister for the Cabinet Office says that he welcomes this urgent question today, and for once I believe him, because there is nothing he likes more than seeing the remaining shreds of the Prime Minister’s credibility for probity being blown into the wind. We know that he will look forward to an opportunity to finally get his own head down in that lavishly furnished apartment above No. 10 Downing Street, and that when we come to the next Conservative party leadership contest he will once again be persuaded to put his hat in the ring, but is he really saying that the way this Government have operated is acceptable and that this is really the way we should expect a Government to operate?
Minister reply
Yes.
Question
In the past 12 months, right hon. and hon. Members from both sides of the House have stood up and made sure that offers of support from local businesses have reached Ministers at the right time and in the right way, because that is how we have supported people across the country. Does my right hon. Friend agree that ensuring that those offers got to the right place at the right time has been an important part of getting PPE, ventilators and vaccines to people across the United Kingdom when they needed them most?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Government were operating—as all Governments were, to be fair—in difficult circumstances and with a clear demand that we do everything possible to source PPE.
Jamie Stone
Lib Dem
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Question
I wonder, does the Secretary of State agree that a version of the ministerial code should apply to the leaders of new political parties who might possibly be receiving payments from the arms of overseas Governments who do not hold dear to their heart the best interests of the United Kingdom?
Minister reply
I do not want to embarrass the hon. Gentleman too much by saying that almost every time he asks a question or makes a point in the House of Commons, I think how lucky his constituents are to have him as their Member of Parliament.
Andrew Bowie
Con
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Question
Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is only one party in this House that stands guilty of ignoring votes in a Parliament to which it is responsible, that withholds legal advice, that spends thousands of pounds trying to cover its back in a botched court case, and whose leader had been found guilty by a cross-party Committee of that Parliament of misleading that Parliament? It is not my party but the party of the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss), who asked this urgent question today: the Scottish National party—the real cosy, sleekit cabal that is running Scotland today.
Minister reply
I could not put it better myself. The surprising thing is: where are the SNP MPs now? Some people might think that turning up, reading out a question and then leaving before the debate has concluded is the perfect definition of a cynical political stunt, but I will leave that for other people to decide.
Question
The Minister is trying to say that there is absolutely nothing to see here over contracts for cronies, shady deals for decorating, text messages for tax breaks and peerages for donations. If that is the case, are not the public entitled to see this examined in a full, independent public inquiry? If not, what is he afraid of?
Minister reply
As I am sure the hon. Gentleman is aware, there are a number of issues that might appropriately be the subject of a full, independent public inquiry—we can all think of appropriate issues—but I would say that, in response to the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss), I ran through the points about PPE and I explained why James Dyson had done so much to ensure that ventilators could be available to all.
Question
In January 2020, the Government were a party to the “New Decade, New Approach” agreement, which restored devolution to Northern Ireland. That agreement included a commitment to a panel of commissioners for ministerial standards. More recently, the Northern Ireland Assembly has given that role to the Assembly’s Commissioner for Standards. Why are the Government prepared to support that much more rigorous approach to ministerial standards in Stormont but not in Whitehall?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. I applaud the cross-party working that Stormont has exhibited in ensuring that the Executive and Ministers work well.
Steve Double
Con
St Austell and Newquay
Question
I have spent the last few days knocking on doors across mid-Cornwall, where residents raised issues such as vaccine roll-out, economic recovery, and lifting restrictions. Nobody mentioned the Prime Minister’s flat refurbishment arrangements. Will my right hon. Friend assure me that the Government will remain focused on matters important to the people?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is correct. Today I had meetings about the vaccine roll-out; ensuring our justice system operates more efficiently post-pandemic; dealing with NHS backlogs due to elective operations being put aside because of the pandemic; and restoring educational opportunities for young people scarred by the pandemic. These issues are far more important than refurbishing a flat.
Angela Eagle
Lab
Wallasey
Question
Dominic Cummings has described the Prime Minister’s plans to get Tory donors to pay for the lavish refurbishment of the Downing Street flat as unethical, foolish and illegal. Either Dominic Cummings is a liar or the Prime Minister is not being entirely straightforward with the House or the country. Which is it?
Minister reply
As someone once said in a different context, ‘recollections may vary’.
James Cartlidge
Con
South Suffolk
Question
While my hon. Friend was answering questions from the hon. Member for Leeds West about the ministerial code and Government Ministers, several of her Front-Bench colleagues are under the direct employ of prominent lobbying companies. Should we also look at rules governing shadow spokesmen if we examine the ministerial code?
Minister reply
That seems to be an important point and one for the House to consider.
Question
The Minister made a virtue of the Prime Minister having paid for the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat, which was confirmed last Friday. Will the Minister clarify whether the Prime Minister paid the original invoices or reimbursed donors who allegedly donated money to this fund or to the Conservative party?
Minister reply
As I pointed out earlier, the Prime Minister paid for the renovation of the flat. All donations to the Prime Minister, any other Member of Parliament, or indeed to political parties will be declared appropriately and properly.
Bob Blackman
Con
Harrow East
Question
Does my right hon. Friend find it ironic that people who are attacking the Government today for procurement processes were attacking them last year for their slowness in achieving supplies of PPE and other equipment? Is it not right that Ministers and civil servants worked through the night to make sure we got through this pandemic safely?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes a very fair point. It was legitimate for Opposition Members to criticise us for slow procurement of PPE, as the hon. Member for Leeds West encouraged faster procurement.
Wes Streeting
Lab
Ilford North
Question
The delay in locking down the country led to a higher toll in lives and livelihoods. Did the Prime Minister say 'Let the bodies pile high in their thousands'? Can he be categorical that this did not happen, and prior to arriving at the House today, received assurances from the Prime Minister?
Minister reply
Totally. I pointed out earlier in response to another question that I never heard the Prime Minister say such a thing. We wrestled with an incredibly difficult decision regarding lockdowns.
Question
According to Opinium for The Observer, 53% of people in Scotland think that the Prime Minister is corrupt due to covid contracts for cronies, peerages for pals, and tax breaks over texts. Will the Minister ensure a public inquiry happens and recognise that people in Scotland have a right to decide their own future?
Minister reply
I think we are grateful for that party election broadcast. The most important thing is to stress that on each detailed question raised by the hon. Member for Glasgow Central, I explained the position.
Rachel Hopkins
Lab
Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Question
There has been a growing divergence between what Ministers say in public and their true intentions shared privately. The public deserves to know what the Prime Minister said to Ed Woodward of Manchester United before the European super league was announced, as it seems he supported the plans. Can the Government publish all details relating to that meeting?
Minister reply
It is clear from what the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said in the wake of the suggestion that they were wholly opposed to the venture. My understanding is that the conversation with Ed Woodward related to opening up sporting events.
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