The Cabinet Office has launched an overhaul of standards on appointment and vetting processes for government roles – timed to coincide with the transparency release of papers relating to sacked US ambassador Peter Mandelson.
As part of the process, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will review national security vetting processes in light of the Mandelson case. Meanwhile, the new Ethics and Integrity Commission has been tasked with tightening financial disclosures, lobbying and business appointment rules.
The Cabinet Office said that while the government has already taken action to raise standards – including publishing a new ministerial code, establishing the EIC, strengthening the powers of the independent adviser on ministerial standards, and reforming the business appointments system – the latest drive would go further.
“The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is supporting the strengthening of the due diligence and security vetting processes for politically appointed heads of mission,” it said. “This includes introducing individual due diligence-specific interviews with proposed candidates and ensuring politically appointed ambassadors will have to undergo security vetting before they are appointed.”
Lord Mandelson, a Labour Party grandee who was a political appointment as ambassador to Washington, DC, was sacked in September after further revelations about his relationship with multimillionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein emerged.
A transparency release of paperwork related to his appointment and sacking – published yesterday – showed Mandelson’s installation came despite concerns about the reputational risk he posed.
As part of the standards overhaul, PM Keir Starmer has written to the EIC, asking it to review current arrangements relating to financial disclosures for ministers and senior officials, transparency around lobbying and the business appointment rules.
The Cabinet Office said government would “swiftly respond to any recommendations to bolster standards in public life”.
In his letter to EIC chair Doug Chalmers, Starmer directly referenced the Mandelson affair.
“You will have seen the chief secretary to the prime minister announce to parliament details on further action that the government will take to rebuild trust in public life, in light of the revelations of the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,” he said.
“While the specifics of that case are now a matter for the police, this scandal has rightfully led many to reflect on our systems, infrastructure and processes for upholding standards more broadly.”
Starmer listed a range of measures the government has already taken but said he believed there is more that can be done.
“I believe that we should continue to go further to strengthen standards in public life,” he said. “In particular, we should look again at how ministers declare and publish their financial interests; at how the government ensures transparency around lobbying; and at how we ensure the rules that govern post-employment activity are fit for purpose, in respect of managing potentially improper access to, and influence within, government.”
Starmer said the EIC review should look at whether current arrangements for the declaration and publication of financial interests for ministers and senior government officials are sufficient and whether regular published financial disclosure forms or other additional transparency should be introduced.
The EIC has also been asked to look at whether current arrangements for transparency around lobbying are sufficient, including the government's publication of monthly and quarterly integrity data and the Register of Consultant Lobbying.
A further area of work is exploring whether the current business appointment rules for post-government jobs are sufficient for managing potentially improper access to – and influence within – government.
Starmer asked the EIC to report to him and chief secretary to the PM Darren Jones by May.