Scrutiny of ministerial ethics and standards of conduct in the UK: diluted accountability?

Concerns about the conduct of UK politicians abound. This article assesses the country’s key standards and ethics bodies against fundamental benchmarks of accountability, and argues that their disparate and uncoordinated nature hinders independent scrutiny, and has created a system of accountability characterised by vacuums, varied performance and diluted effectiveness. The key arguments for systemic reform, particularly as they pertain to ministerial standards, are summarised in this article.