Pledge
“We will establish a new independent Ethics and Integrity Commission, with its own independent Chair, to ensure probity in government”
Our verdict
The government has said it is committed to establishing a new independent ethics commission, but has not yet provided details on its proposed form or powers. MPs have raised concerns that there have been “no details” on progress towards this goal.
Labour’s manifesto pledged to “ensure ministers are held to the highest standards” by establishing “a new independent Ethics and Integrity Commission, with its own independent Chair, to ensure probity in government”.
All UK government ministers have to follow the UK government’s ministerial code, a series of rules which set out the “standards of conduct” expected of them in their role. This requires, among other things, that ministers “must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise” between their public and private interests, and should use government resources primarily for their official duties.
This non-statutory code reaffirms the expectation for ministers to adhere to the seven principles of public life—called the Nolan Principles—of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Breaches of the ministerial code are investigated by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, currently Sir Laurie Magnus. The role of the adviser includes providing advice to ministers on standards, investigating alleged breaches of the ministerial code, and advising the Prime Minister on conduct matters.
However, sanctions for ministers who breach the ministerial code are decided by the Prime Minister and can range from dismissal to lesser sanctions, such as requiring a public apology, or the removal of ministerial salary for a certain period of time.
Labour’s manifesto did not say exactly what form its proposed ethics commission would take, or what its powers would be. Therefore, it remains unclear how this proposed commission will fit into the current framework governing ministers’ conduct, what its specific roles and responsibilities would be, or when it will be set up.
An ethics commission was proposed by the Public Administration Select Committee in 2012, which recommended that a “politically neutral” person should oversee this commission and be made an Officer of Parliament, with their “own budget” and powers to employ their own staff to ensure independence from the government. It also recommended that the commissioner should have the power to investigate breaches of the ministerial code.
But when we asked the Cabinet Office in June 2025 whether its proposed commission would be in line with this recommendation, and for more information on what form its ethics and integrity commission would take, we didn’t receive further details.
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We are currently rating this pledge as “wait and see” because, while the government has said it remains committed to establishing the commission, some MPs have raised concerns they have not yet seen much evidence of progress towards this goal.
And, as we note in our blog on Labour’s first year, since July 2024 some 18 questions have been asked by MPs on the status of the commission, alongside a debate in the House of Lords, but further details have yet to be revealed.
In July 2024 the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, told the House of Commons that work had “begun” on the pledge, and said: “I will keep the House up to date as it develops”.
However, since then, ministers have not yet outlined a timeframe for its establishment or its form. In May 2025, Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould said the government remained committed to “establishing the right structures” to maintain ministerial standards, but didn’t give further detail on the proposed commission.
In June 2025 Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said ministers were “assessing all the options and we will update Parliament on decisions in due course”, while a Cabinet Office spokesperson told us the government hoped to set out more plans soon.
In the same month, MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee cited a perceived lack of progress on meeting this pledge, while setting up an inquiry into propriety and ethics within government.
The chair of the committee, Conservative MP Simon Hoare, said MPs were “yet to see much evidence of progress from the Cabinet Office” on reforming the ethics regime.
According to its terms of reference, the inquiry will investigate “what form would a new Ethics and Integrity Commission most effectively take” and “how effective” the current system of propriety and ethics bodies is.
As we develop this Government Tracker we’re keen to hear your feedback. We’ll be keeping the Tracker up to date and adding more pledges in the coming months.
Progress displayed publicly—so every single person in this country can judge our performance on actions, not words.
Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister – 24 September 2024