The scandal of MP’s expenses blew up in October 1994, during John Major's Premiership . The Committee for Standards in Public Life was a response to that scandal. Lord Nolan, the Chair of the Committee devised the seven principles of public life in 1995. The CSPL was established with the following terms of reference:
“To examine current concerns about standards of conduct of all holders of public office, including arrangements relating to financial and commercial activities, and make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements which might be required to ensure the highest standards of propriety in public life.”
The Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership are not law. They are not directly enforced. However, they form part of many codes of conduct. For example, the ministerial code says that Ministers are expected to observe the seven principles of public life. The House of Commons code of conduct says that MPs are expected to follow the principles in the carrying out of their parliamentary duties.
Prime Ministers tend to retain overall responsibility for the ethical behaviour of their Government.
The Prime Minister's primary ethical adviser is Sir Laurie Magnus, a former banker and head of Historic England. He advises the Prime Minister on the Ministerial Code, investigates potential breaches, and oversees the lists of ministers' interests.
The Speaker is the servant of the House and can only operate within the powers which the House has granted him. This includes keeping order during debates, including PMQs. The Speaker can remind the House of the purpose and expected form of questions and answers, and to exhort Members and Ministers to bear this in mind. But Ministers, like other Members, take responsibility for their own remarks.
During the Boris Johnson years people frustrated with debates in the House of Commons often criticised the Speaker for failing to hold politicians to account over allegedly dishonest remarks.
But the MPs who have held this office have been clear over the years that it is not their job to police the accuracy of debates.
The current speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, issued a strongly worded call for MPs to correct the record voluntarily if they make inaccurate statements in the Commons. But he also stressed that it is not his role to judge whether a statement is true or false, saying: “The Speaker cannot be dragged into arguments about whether a statement is inaccurate or not. This is a matter of political debate.”
Supports the Prime Minister, working to ensure the effective running of the government. They are also the corporate headquarters for the government, in partnership with HM Treasury.
The Privileges Committee acts separately from the Standards Committee. From 1995, when the Commons Standards system was established, there was a single Standards and Privileges Committee, but the two were split in January 2013 to allow non-MP members, known as lay members, to be appointed to the Standards Committee.
Privileges deals with issues of privilege (the special protections afforded to the House of Commons to enable it to do its job) and looks into allegations these privileges have been impeded – offences known as contempts of parliament.
The Standards Committee deals with the MPs’ code of conduct – adjudicating and determining sanctions for any cases of misconduct referred to it by the independent parliamentary commissioner for standards – and oversees the Commons standards system.
The Commons Select Committee on Standards is appointed by the House of Commons to oversee the work of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. The Committee cannot take on complaints about Members of Parliament. Such complaints should be directed to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
The committee is made up of:
● The chair, currently Alberto Costa MP
● An equal balance of 14 voting members (seven MPs and seven lay members). The Chair does not vote, which gives the lay members effective decision-making power.
The Committee on Standards is conducting an inquiry into the Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules to run alongside fthe Parliamentary Commissioner's current review.
The Code of Conduct for MPs sets out the standards of behaviour expected of all Members of the House of Commons, applying in all aspects of their public life. The Code also contains the rules concerning the additional income, gifts and personal interests that must be declared by MPs and published in the Register of Members' Interests.
Alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct for Members can be investigated by the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. If the Commissioner considers there has been a breach of the Code, they can, in less serious cases where the Member agrees, use the “rectification” process, or otherwise refer the matter to the Committee on Standards, who can recommend a range of sanctions, or not, depending on the facts of the case and severity of the breach.
This is the first stage in a multi-stage process of preparing a new text of the Code, and the associated Guide to the Rules, for approval by the House, which incorporates the Commissioner’s own review of the Code and Guide.
Daniel Greenberg CB was appointed as Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in January 2023. He is responsible for monitoring the operation of the House of Commons Code of Conduct and Registers (including the investigation of alleged breaches).
Greenburg is a lawyer specialising in legislation and the legislative process.
The Commissioner's main duties are:
This Officer’s remit does not extend to the House of Lord’s, who also have a Commissioner. Complaints about the misuse of the scheme for parliamentary expenses are a matter for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. They have a Compliance Officer, see https://www.parliamentarycompliance.org.uk Details of all cases and of the Register of Financial Interests are all available online, see UK Parliament.
The Committee of Privileges is appointed to consider specific matters relating to privileges referred to it by the House. Alberto Costa MP is the Chair of the Committee.
Members: Paula Barker (Labour), Gill Furniss (Labour), Anna Sabine (Lib Dem), Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative), Gareth Snell (Labour), and Michael Wheeler (Labour) [1]
The remit and powers of the Committee of Privileges are set out in Standing Order No 148A. The Committee is appointed to “consider specific matters relating to privileges referred to it by the House”.
The Committee has the power to appoint sub-committees. Both the Committee and its sub- committees have the usual select committee powers “to send for persons, papers and records”;
to sit while the House is adjourned and to appoint specialist advisers. Like the Committee on Standards, it has the explicit power to appoint legal advisers.
The Committee also has the power “to order the attendance of any Member before the committee and to require that specific documents or records in the possession of a Member relating to its inquiries be laid before the committee or any sub-committee”.
The EIC was launched in October 2025, replacing the Committee on Standards and Public Life. It promotes the highest standards in public life, reports to the Prime Minister on matters concerning ethical standards, and advises public authorities on the development of clear codes of conduct with effective oversight arrangements. The Commission is not a regulator and has no remit to investigate individual cases.
CSPL is an advisory non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Cabinet Office. The committee is made up of:
It is chaired by Doug Chalmers and has three political members and for independent members.
This body is mainly aimed at assisting all current and former members of the parliamentary community who feel that they have experienced bullying, harassment and/or sexual misconduct and want to make a complaint or want advice and support.
The ICGS is also here to help members of the Parliamentary community who are aware of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct and want guidance and advice.
It is the first of its kind in any Parliament in the world and is intended to tackle inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.
Thea Walton is the ICGS Director.
NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization based in Washington DC that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions, processes, norms and values to secure a better quality of life for all. NDI envisions a world where democracy and freedom prevail, with dignity for all.