The Constitution Unit

Conference 2023: Panel 5 Constitutional Standards

Episode Summary

What are the key problems in the current system of standards, and what reforms could most successfully address them?

Episode Notes

The issue of ensuring high standards of behaviour in public life remains high-profile following the Johnson and Truss premierships. Rishi Sunak pledged to lead a government of ‘integrity, professionalism, and accountability’ when he first became Prime Minister, while Labour has proposed an extensive overhaul to the UK’s system of standards regulation. What are the key problems in the current system, and what reforms could most successfully address them?

Speakers

Lord (David) Anderson of Ipswich – Crossbench peer, and former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation

Dr Hannah White – Director of the Institute for Government

Jeremy Wright MP – Conservative MP for Kenilworth and Southam, former Attorney General and former member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life

Chair: Professor Meg Russell FBA – Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL