Do you remember when politics was the domain of good chaps and a time when politicians could be trusted to stick to the rules? Ok, so maybe there was never quite such a rose-tinted age – but from lobbying scandals to accusations of minsters bullying their staff, standards in politics seem to have been slipping in recent years.
So this week the Expert Factor team take a deep dive into standards and ethics in public life – and how they are meant to be uphold. Why have standards been on the slide? Have the good chaps left the political scene for good? What could Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer do to fix the problem? And do the voters really care?
Participants
Paul Johnson
Paul has been the Director of the IFS since 2011. He is also currently visiting professor in the Department of Economics at University College London.
Anand Menon
Anand is director of the UK in a Changing Europe a unique initiative funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council that aims to make the findings of social scientific research available and accessible to all non-academic audiences interested in Brexit, the Brexit process and its implications.
Hannah White
Hannah has extensive knowledge of Westminster and Whitehall based on two decades of experience. Before joining the IfG in 2015, she ran the Committee on Standards in Public Life in the Cabinet Office, and was a senior clerk in the House of Commons.
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