Committees

Standards Committee to hear evidence from policy experts and political press in Code of Conduct inquiry

4 December 2020

On Tuesday 8 December, the Committee on Standards will hear evidence from a number of expert witnesses including policy experts and political journalists as part of the ongoing inquiry into the Code of Conduct for MPs.

The hearing will comprise two panels:

Panel 1: political journalists

At 09.30am

  • Pippa Crerar, Political Editor, Daily Mirror and Chair, Parliamentary Press Gallery
  • Esther Webber, Red Box Reporter, The Times
  • David Walker, author and former journalist

Panel 2: policy experts

At 10.30am

  • Dr Hannah White, Deputy Director, Institute for Government
  • Alexandra Runswick, Senior Advocacy Manager, Transparency International UK

The evidence from both panels will contribute towards the first stage of a multi-stage review process, announced in September this year, in preparing a new text of the Code of Conduct, and the associated Guide to the Rules, for approval by the House.

The stages of the review process will include:

  • The public evidence sessions which will contribute to the Committee on Standards report
  • When the Committee publishes its report, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards will take up her own review of the Code
  • This process will be followed by a public consultation on a revised text of the Code
  • The Standards Committee will then propose a final revised text for recommendation to the House
  • The review process will also incorporate consideration of possible changes to the Guide to the Rules which will also need to be put before the House for its approval.

The most recent review of the Code was completed in 2015. For various reasons it was not possible to complete a review of the Code in the two recent short Parliaments, those of 2015-17 and 2017-19. However, the previous Commissioner, Kathryn Hudson, and subsequently an informal sub-committee of the Standards Committee both carried out valuable work which the present inquiry will take fully into account.

Further information

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