Keir Starmer is to scrap the independent watchdog overseeing post-ministerial jobs, replacing it with a tougher regime that will, for the first time, impose financial penalties on those who breach rules after leaving government.
From October, former ministers and senior officials found to have seriously breached the rules will be asked to repay severance payments. Eligibility for such payments will be restricted, with those leaving after a serious breach of the ministerial code or after serving less than six months losing them entirely.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), long criticised as toothless, will be abolished. Its functions will be split between the prime minister's adviser on ministerial standards and the Civil Service Commission, which will also audit how departments apply rules for former civil servants.
A new independent ethics and integrity commission (EIC) will be established, incorporating the Committee on Standards in Public Life and led by former military chief Doug Chalmers. It will report annually to the prime minister on the health of the standards system and coordinate other ethics bodies.
The overhaul follows repeated breaches by former prime minister Boris Johnson, who three times flouted Acoba rules without sanction, including taking a Daily Telegraph column and later a Daily Mail role without permission. Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said the changes would mean "stronger rules, fewer quangos and clearer lines of accountability."
The EIC was first promised by Labour in 2021 and featured in the party's manifesto. Existing bodies such as the parliamentary standards commissioner, IPSA and the Electoral Commission will remain.
