On 19 February 2026 Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly known as Prince Andrew) was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was held for nearly 12 hours at Aylesham Police Station and questioned by police in relation to … [Read more...] about Misconduct in Public Office: In Need of Reform?
The starting gun on the next general election has yet to be fired, but party apparatchiks have already spent years fighting a hidden campaign: not over votes, but cold, hard cash. As party HQs woo the wealthy, party members across the country have … [Read more...] about Reforming Party Funding: No Silver Bullets
Media reports claim that Boris Johnson attempted to use his influence to land his then girlfriend, now wife, top jobs.[1] Is this corrupt? Assessing whether something is 'corrupt' is notoriously hard, usually due to obfuscation, a lack of … [Read more...] about ‘Carriegate’: should we conclude the Prime Minister is corrupt?
When an updated version of the Ministerial Code was published last month, most of the headlines focused on the idea that the under-pressure Prime Minister had watered down the Code in order to save his own skin. As constitutional observers were quick … [Read more...] about Upholding standards in public life: the presidential and ‘pragmatic populist’ challenges
Professor Liz David-Barrett delivered the keynote speech at The Constitution Society's conference 'Executive Power and the UK Constitution'. Is the UK sliding into state capture? This is the question that I will seek to address. I will first … [Read more...] about Is the UK sliding into state capture?
We can divide departures of prime ministers into two broad categories. The first type comes after a General Election, when a party (or group of parties) other than that of the outgoing premier becomes able to command the confidence of the House of … [Read more...] about Removing a Prime Minister
The word corruption has not often been used in UK politics over the past two decades, but the Owen Paterson affair has brought it fully into play. Chris Bryant, Chair of the Parliamentary Standards Committee described Mr Paterson's lobbying as … [Read more...] about Is Britain ‘politically corrupt’?
Despite the deeply concerning details, the questions raised by the Greensill saga and the renovation of the Downing Street Flat are nothing new; concerns about the integrity of politicians and public officials flare up with depressing regularity. … [Read more...] about The faces of political integrity
