Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, has voted for a Labour Party Opposition Day Motion to tackle decaying standards in public life and strengthen transparency, integrity and improve accountability in our democratic institutions.
The Labour Party called on Conservative MPs to back the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, founded in 1994 by John Major, in response to the damaging sleaze revelations.
Karin Smyth spoke in the Opposition Day debate, raising the findings of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committees (PACAC) work on standards in public life. Her remarks highlighted the work of the committee in gathering evidence from influential people within the civil service and academia. She also focused on the Prime Minister’s changes to the opening remarks of the Ministerial Code.
PACAC continues to run a series of inquiries on propriety and ethics in the aftermath of the Greensill scandal as well as other issues that have arisen under the Conservative Government.
Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, said:
“At a time when the Prime Minister should be tendering his resignation following revelations of his lies to Parliament, he is instead debasing the principles of public life before our very eyes.
“This should have been an opportunity to introduce crucial reforms needed to strengthen standards in public life, as recommended by the Committee of Standards in Public Life, but instead the Prime Minister has chosen to undermine our institutions and procedures so they suit him. His priorities lie not with making Parliament a more transparent and accountable place, but to consolidate his position and save his own skin.
“We cannot allow this sleaze and scandal to continue. A Labour Government would clean up politics and restore standards in public life. For now, I shall continue to urge Conservative MPs to vote in favour of measures to strengthen standards so that we can repair the damage done to public trust.”