
Keir Starmer to replace post-ministerial jobs watchdog with tougher regime
As part of a standards overhaul that ministers hope will help improve public faith in the system, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) will be scrapped and a tougher regime introduced.
Under the changes, which come into force from October and which the Guardian first reported last month, former ministers and senior officials found to have seriously breached the rules will be asked to repay any severance payment received.
There is currently no obligation for them to follow the guidance issued by Acoba to ensure there are no conflicts of interest or that lobbying does not take place, and the body has no ability to issue punishments.
Boris Johnson, the Conservative former prime minister, breached the rules on taking jobs after government on three separate occasions without facing a proper sanction, leading to calls to beef up Acoba's powers.
Eligibility for ministerial severance payments will also be restricted, with those who leave office following a serious breach of the ministerial code or having served less than six months forgoing them entirely.
A new independent ethics and integrity commission (EIC) will be set up to oversee standards. It will incorporate the existing Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL), set up by John Major in 1994 to advise prime ministers, and will be led by former military chief Doug Chalmers.
The new body's wider remit will include a new obligation to report annually to the prime minister on the overall health of the standards system, and will engage regularly with public sector bodies to help them develop clear codes of conduct with effective oversight arrangements.
It will also be expected to report in a 'reasonable timeframe' on cases after criticism that the CSPL's previous recommendations were often ignored, although there were no details of how long that might be.
The EIC will have a role in improving public understanding of the ethics system. It will be responsible for convening and coordinating the different ethics bodies, formalising cooperation and the sharing of best practice.
However, the Commons and Lords standards commissioners, the independent complaints and grievance scheme (ICGS), the independent parliamentary standards authority (IPSA) and the Electoral Commission will all remain in place.
The EIC was first promised by Labour in 2021, with Starmer suggesting it would help draw a line under an era of 'Tory sleaze', and was included in the party's general election manifesto last year. However, there were concerns the plans had been kicked into the long grass.
Pat McFadden, the powerful Cabinet Office minister, said: 'This overhaul will mean there are stronger rules, fewer quangos and clearer lines of accountability. The Committee on Standards in Public Life has played an important role in the past three decades. These changes give it a new mandate for the future.
'But whatever the institutional landscape, the public will in the end judge politicians and government by how they do their jobs and how they fulfil the principles of public service.'
Under the plans, Acoba's functions will now be split between the prime minister's adviser on ministerial standards and the civil service commission (CSC), which has also been asked to consider how the rules could be strengthened.
The CSC will also undertake regular audits of how individual government departments oversee the application of the rules for former civil servants.
Boris Johnson was among several senior Conservative politicians who was found to have breached Acoba rules but faced no sanction.
In August 2018, after he had quit as foreign secretary, he returned to his £275,000-a-year Daily Telegraph column despite former cabinet ministers being banned from taking up new jobs for three months after leaving office.
He committed a further unambiguous breach of the rules when he failed to get permission from the ministerial appointments watchdog before taking a job as a Daily Mail columnist in June 2023, for which he was reportedly paid a 'very high six-figure sum'.
He was sanctioned for a third time in April 2024, for failing to seek permission from the post-ministerial jobs watchdog before taking a role as a consultant to a hedge fund, on whose behalf he met the Venezuelan president.
The severance plans are designed to restore public faith in the system after Tory ministers received thousands of pounds in payoffs after serving for just weeks in office under Johnson and Liz Truss.
Under the new rules, ministers who serve less than six months will forgo severance payments entirely, and those who return to office within three months of leaving will forgo their salary until the end of that three-month period.
Currently, ministers are entitled to a payoff equivalent to three months' salary when they leave office for any reason and regardless of how long they've been in the job – even if it is just a few days.
Brandon Lewis was entitled to £16,876 after spending 49 days as justice secretary under Truss's premiership, while Shailesh Vara and Greg Clark were eligible for the same for their own brief stints in office during that period.
Ministers have already issued a new ministerial code, given the prime minister's ethics adviser the power to initiate an inquiry without the PM's permission, and required political parties to provide public citations to say why an individual has been nominated to the House of Lords.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Metro
16 minutes ago
- Metro
What's stopping Keir Starmer from recognising Palestine as a state?
Sir Keir Starmer is coming under a lot of pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood. He's under pressure from 221 MPs – more than a third of all the people who sit in the House of Commons – who collectively signed a letter urging recognition. He's under pressure from Jeremy Corbyn's newly announced left-wing party, which placed alleged UK complicity in the Gaza horror at the centre of its launch, and the significant number of supporters it has attracted. And he's under pressure from top Labour figures, ranging from London Mayor Sadiq Khan to members of his own cabinet, who are pushing him on the matter both publicly and privately. Those calls have grown in the past few days, as images of starving children have been beamed around the world and French President Emmanuel Macron has announced France will formally recognise Palestine as a state. But the Prime Minister has remained firm, insisting he will only press forward at the moment when the move would have the maximum impact. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. In a statement released on Thursday night, Starmer said: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' The UK is deeply entwined in the history of the region currently occupied by Israel and Palestine. In 1916, the British claimed control of the region called Palestine amid the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the following year, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said the UK would back a 'national home' for the Jewish people in the area. A little over three decades later, in 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of Israel. The UN admitted Israel as a member in 1949, but not Palestine. It was not until 1988 that Palestinian statehood was recognised by any UN member states, after the Palestinian National Council formally declared independence. Today, 147 of the UN's 193 member states recognise Palestine, including the vast majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and South America. The UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are among the nations that do not. In 2014, MPs in the House of Commons voted to 274 to 12 in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. But David Cameron's government responded with a line that remains familiar today – that recognition would wait until it was deemed most appropriate for the peace process. On the face of it, the British government appears to be closer than ever to announcing formal recognition of a Palestinian state. Among the high-profile cabinet members reportedly arguing in favour are Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The UK has also been closely aligning with France on the issue, as part of the E3 group of nations alongside Germany. However, both Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have insisted publicly that the move is only worth making when it would be most effective in the pursuit of peace. On Tuesday, Lammy told the BBC: 'We don't just want to recognise symbolically, we want to recognise as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time.' Labour's election manifesto last year said the party is 'committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.' More Trending The letter signed by 221 MPs, organised by Labour's Sarah Champion, said the announcement of recognition should come at a UN conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday. It said: 'British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. 'Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Will there be a bank holiday and trophy parade if England win Women's Euro 2025? MORE: Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans MORE: Trump warns 'there'll be no Europe left' before immediately hitting golf course


Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer makes surprise appearance at Euros final with wife Victoria
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is due to meet Donald Trump in Scotland tomorrow, has been spotted with his wife Victoria in the stadium crowds in Basel Keir Starmer has made a surprise appearance at the Euros final in Switzerland to support the Lionesses The Prime Minister, who is due to meet Donald Trump in Scotland tomorrow, has been spotted with his wife Victoria in the stadium crowds in Basel. He was seen watching the pitch with intense eyes as England's women's team kicked off the match a against Spain. Writing in today's Sunday Mirror, the Prime Minister spoke about his joy of taking his daughter to see the Lionesses in the semi-final of the last Euros tournament in 2022. He said it was a "special moment" seeing his daughter stay long after the final whistle to watch the team celebrate their win. The Lionesses went on to win the last Euros tournament, beating Germany in the final at Wembley Stadium in London. The PM this morning declared: "Let's bring it home again." Mr Starmer said: "Whatever happens tonight, this team have already written their names in the history books. They've shown the best of our national character. Not just their skill, grit and determination, but their calm-headedness. No matter the pressure they're under. "I will always remember taking my daughter to see the Lionesses in the semi-final of the last Euros, and I know she'll always remember it too. She stayed long after the final whistle, watching the team celebrate. It was a special moment for me – one that is repeated up and down the country every time they play. "Because football not just entertains but inspires. That's what this squad does. And it's why so many young women look up to them." The Prince of Wales and his daughter Princess Charlotte have also been pictured in Switzerland ahead of the Euros final as the royal family led the nation in wishing good luck to England's Lionesses. Shortly before kick-off, a picture of William and Charlotte was posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales's X account with the caption "let's go, Lionesses". Elsewhere, Mr Starmer is facing calls to grant an extra bank holiday if the Lionesses win the Euros 2025 final on Sunday. The Prime Minister previously backed calls for a "proper day of celebration" for the nation when England women's football team reached the final in the last Euros tournament in 2022, which was hosted by England. The then-Opposition Leader told the Mirror: 'The whole country will be roaring on the Lionesses in the final... They have already done us proud, but if they win it will be a truly historic achievement - one that should be marked with a proper day of celebration, where clubs can open and promote access for women and girls.' England went on to win the match against Germany but the Tory government did not grant a bank holiday for the nation to celebrate the historic victory. In its latest update, before the Lionesses roared to victory last week, Downing Street said it was "not aware of any plans" for an extra bank holiday. The PM's official spokesman said he didn't want to jinx it before the team had reached the final. Asked about the prospect of one, the PM's spokesman said on Tuesday: "I'm not aware of any plans for that but when it comes to backing the Lionesses, the PM is sending his best wishes ahead of the semi finals. We cannot get ahead of ourselves."


The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
Lucy Letby ‘acts like Queen Bee in jail' and ‘gets hair & nails done in salon with killer pal Sara Sharif's step-mum'
BABY killer nurse Lucy Letby acts like the "Queen Bee" in prison due to the level of privileges she's afforded - angering other prisoners, it is claimed. The 35-year-old is serving 15 life sentences after being convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital. 5 5 5 Letby is reported to have struck up a bizarre friendship with Beinash Batool, who murdered her 10-year-old stepdaughter Sara Sharif. The ex-neo natal nurse is said to be chaperoned by prison guards wherever she goes, and special areas have to be cleared whenever she wants to visit - due to the high risk of her being attacked by fellow lags. The Sun reported last week how the evil pair play card game Uno for hours in their cushy jail unit after being given 'enhanced' privileges at HMP Bronzefield, Surrey. They also have "a lot of freedom" and can buy foods that others can't - often in the kitchen making cheese toasties together. Letby allegedly moans she's the "fattest I've ever been" due to her diet of junk food, including chocolate. Sources have since told The Mirror other female murderers in Houseblock Four are fed up with Letby and Batool - who is serving 33 years - getting special treatment. They say the government's Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme, which is designed to encourage good behaviour among prisoners, is being used by Letby who manipulates prison officers to get what she wants. The source said: "She turns on the tears at the drop of a hat, she gets all her visits in the family room which is really lovely even though she doesn't have children, it's meant to be for children and they've made it really nice. Her parents come to see her," our source said. "She walks around like she's Queen Bee, she stops other enhanced prisoners going to the library because she says 'I'm scared, I'm scared, I don't know what they'll do to me' but what about other people who are enhanced and want to use that library, they can't. "When she and Beinash go to the salon, the whole salon has to be shut down, because they are scared that other prisoners will attack them and obviously there are scissors and stuff there." The source said the pair go to the salon "at least once a month" and Letby is "always getting" her hair and nails done, adding the wing is "like an upside down world". Lucy Letby cops arrest 3 senior members of leadership team at hospital where killer nurse murdered 7 babies Letby and Batool, 31, have also reportedly been awarded "positive behaviour comments" by prison officers as part of the IEP scheme. This means they get extra perks like visiting the prison staff restaurant, called Vita Nova, which has two qualified chefs, and inmates can be trained barista and knife skills, it's claimed. And when Letby attends the likes of the salon or Vita Nova, it is closed to others to protect her, but she chooses to take Batool as her plus one guest, according to reports. One prisoner told The Mirror, there is "so much hatred for her" because she's "treated like she's Queen Bee". As reported by The Sun previously, the killer nurse works three different prison jobs and blows her wages on sweets and crisps. Letby has jobs as a laundry worker, earning £8 a week, a kitchen worker - another £8 a week - and a library worker. Lag sources say she's put on so much weight "you wouldn't recognise her". Unit 4 of 527-inmate Bronzefield, which is run by private firm Sodexo. Letby and Batool both have TVs with Freeview channels and a DVD player, along with books and films, which they can order from the library. Others on the unit include Sian Hedges, jailed for life in 2024 for killing 18-month-old son Alfie Phillips. Shamed prison officer Linda de Sousa Abreu, who romped with a lag, was also held there until her release last month. Letby — convicted of the murders of seven babies and attempted murders of seven more while a neonatal nurse — has regular legal meetings as she plans her appeal. Batool was sentenced last December for the murder of her tortured stepdaughter. Sara's dad, Urfan Sharif, is serving at least 40 years for murder after she was beaten to death at the couple's home in Woking, Surrey. 5 5