Keir Starmer faces huge criticism over ethics watchdog delay

Downing Street is under increasing pressure for its failure to deliver on a key ethics pledge nearly a year after the general election,.

According to The Guardian,  as of Tuesday, June 3, 2025, a formal inquiry has now been launched by Parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC).

This is to investigate the lack of progress in establishing an independent ethics watchdog.

The Labour Party had made the creation of an independent ethics and integrity commission one of its central manifesto promises.

Keir Starmer pledged the body would have its own independent chair and be tasked with ensuring high standards of probity in government.

The goal was to restore public trust in politics and enforce stricter rules around ministerial conduct.

These include preventing ministers from lobbying for companies they previously regulated, with proper sanctions for rule-breakers.

However, despite this commitment, there has been little visible advancement since Labour took power.

When Starmer assumed office last year, there was no prepared plan or structure for the proposed ethics commission.

Since then, ministers have scarcely mentioned it.

The government did revise the ministerial code last year to allow the independent adviser on ministerial standards to begin investigations without needing the prime minister’s consent.

Observers say it was a step towards greater accountability.

However, broader changes to the ethics regime remain absent.

One area where this inaction is especially noticeable is the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which oversees post-government employment.

The body currently lacks a permanent chair following the departure of Eric Pickles.

Its temporary chair, in place until December, is an executive from the banking and energy sectors with a background in human resources.

This raised questions about whether sufficient authority and independence are in place.

Government sources insist the commission is still in development.

However, they also argue that the public is more concerned about concrete outcomes regarding misconduct than about bureaucratic frameworks.

They point to recent disciplinary actions as evidence that the government is already upholding high standards.

For instance, Tulip Siddiq resigned as a Treasury minister in January.

This was reportedly due to controversy over her ties to her aunt, the former Bangladeshi prime minister who now faces corruption allegations.

Though Siddiq denied any wrongdoing, the government acknowledged the situation had become a distraction.

In another case, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh stepped down in November.

Her resignation came after failing to disclose a spent conviction for fraud, something that breached the ministerial code.

No 10 reportedly instructed her to resign after this omission came to light.

Despite these actions, the government has sidestepped direct questions in Parliament about progress on the ethics commission.

Since April, ministers have twice declined to provide clear updates.

When asked again, Cabinet Office Minister Abena Oppong-Asare stated that the government was taking steps to improve transparency and public trust.

She cited the new ministerial code, strengthened powers for the independent adviser, and a new monthly public register of gifts and hospitality received by ministers.

Another Cabinet Office Minister, Georgia Gould, echoed the message that the government was committed to improving standards.

Although she did not specifically mention the new ethics commission or give a timeline for its introduction.

Simon Hoare, a former Conservative minister and member of PACAC, voiced disappointment over the lack of visible progress.

He emphasized that an ethical and accountable government should not shy away from robust oversight.

“Significant commitments have been made to overhaul the ethics regime, but we are yet to see much evidence of progress from the Cabinet Office,” he said.

The inquiry, he added, will push the government to ensure these reforms are properly implemented and reviewed by Parliament.

The committee said the inquiry aims to determine what progress has been made in establishing the ethics commission.

It claimed it also aimed to explore how to rebuild public trust in government.

It will consider the effectiveness of existing standards bodies and whether a more cohesive structure is needed.

Currently, multiple institutions handle ethics issues in a fragmented manner.

The multiple institutions include:

• the parliamentary commissioner for standards,
• the Electoral Commission,
• the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, Acoba, and the ministerial standards adviser.

The Cabinet Office is yet to make further comment.

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