Tuesday, December 03, 2024
Facing a Trumpian disaster
The Guardian reports that a cap on political donations and wider powers for the House of Lords Appointments Commission to block unsuitable peer nominations are among 54 proposals laid out in a paper from the campaign group Unlock Democracy:
Campaigners acknowledged that Keir Starmer has made changes to the ministerial code, including tightening the rules on gifts after a row over freebies.
But they argued the prime minister was still able to ignore recommendations made by the independent adviser on ministerial interests “without explanation” while former ministers could continue to seek jobs outside government.
The Unlock Democracy paper also recommends the introduction of a clear job description for MPs against which constituents and the standards commissioner would be able to measure their performance.
The UK’s “over-reliance on conventions and norms” is a source of democratic vulnerability, the paper argues. It urges the government to give the House of Lords Appointments Commission the power to block peerage nominations to address perceptions of cronyism.
A substantial reduction in party campaign spending and a cap on political donations had also been recommended to reduce the ability of wealthy donors to “wield outsized, unaccountable influence”.
Other recommendations suggested to reverse “democratic backsliding” include:
* Cabinet ministers must be confirmed by MPs’ select committees and parliament should ratify new prime ministers before the new government can bring forward a king’s speech.
* Close loopholes that allow unincorporated associations to conceal the source of their political donations or overseas residents to donate to political parties
* A £200 per-item limit on freebies for MPs or ministers and a cap on earnings from second jobs at half an MP’s salary.
* Amend the MPs’ code of conduct and the Recall of MPs Act 2015 so they can be sanctioned for failing to fulfil their responsibilities.
Tom Brake, director of Unlock Democracy and formerly a Liberal Democrat minister, said: “Donald Trump’s return to the White House should set alarm bells ringing for all of us who value democracy. We cannot just assume something similar could never happen here.
“Public confidence in the integrity of the political system is dwindling. Meanwhile, concerns continue to grow about the accountability of the government to elected representatives, and the accountability of elected representatives to their voters.”
The proposed measures “have the merit of being low cost, big impact”, he said.
Although a Trumpian disaster is to be avoided, that should not be the only reason to introduce these reforms. They are commonsense. The system has been abused for too long. It is time to put a stop to it.
