Former government ministers will be fined or have their pensions docked if they breach tough new rules on lobbying, to be proposed by Labour this week.
In a major speech on cleaning up politics, Labour’s deputy leader and shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Angela Rayner, will spell out plans to end the “revolving door” culture that currently allows ministers to switch from government posts into lucrative lobbying roles related to their former ministerial responsibilities.
Under Labour’s proposals the party would change current rules and ban ministers from taking lobbying, advisory or portfolio-related jobs for at least five years after they leave government.
To administer this Labour would give its new integrity and ethics commission responsibility for examining cases involving former ministers moving to the private sector, to judge if their new posts involved any potential conflict of interest.
To enforce the new crackdown Labour is also considering a system of fines and other financial penalties if ex-ministers break the rules, including recouping a portion of any pension or severance payment paid when they leave government.
Before her speech to the Institute for Government, Rayner said: “Labour will stop the revolving door between government and the companies that ministers are supposed to regulate, banning ministers from lobbying for at least five years after they leave office, and with proper enforcement against those who break the rules.
“Labour recognises the standards system is broken and we have a plan to clean up politics. Our genuinely independent integrity and ethics commission will bring the alphabet soup of existing committees and bodies that oversee standards in government under a single body, removed from politicians. The commission will have powers to launch investigations, collect evidence and decide sanctions.
“We’ll deliver the tougher rules and proper enforcement mechanisms our democracy needs.”
