Martin Kettle identifies that the real challenge for the new Labour government is to demand that MPs absorb the Nolan principles into their bloodstream (Starmer wants us to believe we can trust politicians again. That’s huge – but he has to mean it, 4 July).
I left the Commons standards committee in 2022, but in the preceding six years I had adjudicated on several prominent cases, including Boris Johnson (three times); Ian Paisley Jr, which led to the first triggering of the Recall of MPs Act 2015; Keith Vaz, which resulted in the longest suspension of an MP in recent times (six months); and Owen Paterson, for an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules, which also sparked an attempt by the government to sideline lay members and restructure the standards system.
I had felt for some time that the code of conduct for MPs needed to be much more explicit in demonstrating a values-driven approach that is rooted in the Nolan principles and high standards of behaviour. Indeed, the standards committee spent nearly two years undertaking a formal inquiry on this issue. The inquiry’s conclusions had cross-party agreement within the committee, as well as endorsement from Lord Evans, the then chair of the committee on standards in public life, to propose an adherence to a set of Nolan principles recast to reflect the role of an MP that would perhaps help them to understand the ethos underlying each principle more easily. The committee proposed this approach in a report to the Commons. It was rejected by the Conservative government.
As Mr Kettle highlights, the Labour manifesto could hardly be clearer when it said that there needs to be a “reset in our public life” and “Labour will restore confidence in government”. One way is for the Labour government, as a matter of urgency, to revisit the report and implement its recommendations.
Dr Arun Midha
Former lay member, committee on standards, House of Commons
I would like to strongly endorse Polly Toynbee’s plea that now is the time to take money out of politics (Cleaning up our fetid politics is Keir Starmer’s toughest task yet. Here’s how he can do it, fast, 8 July). May I make a few suggestions. No business, bank or financial institution should be allowed to donate to political parties. Individuals should only be allowed to donate if they have been fully paid-up party members for at least the preceding 12 months, with the amount limited to, say, £10,000 per annum.
Auctioning access to ministers should be made illegal. All party accounts should be freely available to the general public, and all thinktanks and lobbying groups should disclose all their sources of support, however small.
I suggest that, at all elections with political parties on the ballot paper, each voter is given a money voucher that they can donate to any party on the ballot paper. Obviously, in a first-past-the-post system, this would not necessarily be the one they voted for.
This would have two huge beneficial effects. First, it would encourage voting, as there would be a real feeling of power and control over the democratic process. Second, it would make political parties focus more on groups that they largely ignore.
Both of these would have the benefit of reducing the money slopping around in politics and its inevitable corruption.
Dr Peter Estcourt
South Chailey, East Sussex