Blog – 13 October 2025

A new era for public standards

Announcing the government’s decision to set up the independent Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC), the then Minister for the Cabinet Office Pat McFadden said “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.”

He’s right. That is why it is important that we have common standards that are shared and understood – both by those who hold office and by those they serve.

Common standards

Lord Nolan’s seven Principles have been the basis for common standards across public life for 30 years. The words describing the Principles have evolved to reflect societal changes, but the Principles themselves have stood the test of time and reflect the standards the public expect.

The Principles are the personal responsibility for all those who serve the public – such as councillors, MPs, doctors, teachers, civil servants and companies delivering public services. But people don’t work in a vacuum. High standards must be built into the fabric of all organisations engaged in public service. They need to be lived and upheld by everyone making decisions on behalf of the public; they can’t be outsourced or left to regulators alone.

Building awareness

As I see it, the work of the new Commission is about helping to build stronger awareness of standards from the inside out – supporting and challenging the public sector to live up to the Nolan Principles and providing a more visible platform for discussions about standards, leadership and culture.

I took on this role because I care deeply about public service and the values that underpin it. From my own career in the military and more recently in academia, I know that standards require regular attention and wider discussion to ensure that values and actions are aligned.

Effective, proportionate and better understood

The Commission won’t have investigative powers or replace the work of individual standards regulators who will continue to consider individual cases. But through its reviews and convening role, it will play a major part in ensuring regulation is effective, proportionate and better understood. Standards regulation is not just about catching wrongdoing. High standards – applied well – makes for better decision-making. Tough decisions are an inevitable fact of working in the public sector where there are limited funds and numerous competing interests. High standards allow office holders to navigate the complexity and demonstrate how decisions – however unpopular – are being made in the right way and for the right reasons.

A more visible and strategic role for standards

The creation of the EIC does not mean there will never be standards failures. Anyone who thinks so, really doesn’t understand the challenge. There is no ‘silver bullet’ or ‘one size fits all’ for every circumstance. But the EIC creates a more visible and strategic role for standards.

Like its predecessor, the Committee on Standards in Public Life, the EIC will continue to act as a workshop for running repairs – but now with the responsibility of reporting annually to the Prime Minister on the health of the standards landscape. Think of it as an MOT for standards – that may sometimes come with advisories – to which the government has committed to responding within a reasonable timescale.

As the EIC, we will build and expand on the proven work of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. We will continue to draw on the experience and expertise of practitioners, academics and others to produce well-researched and evidence-based recommendations.

An important moment for standards

We know some aspects of our new Terms of Reference – such as the work on Codes of Conduct – will take time to develop and deliver. Nevertheless, 13 October marks an important moment for standards in this country. The new Commission comes into being, alongside other major reforms announced by government including major changes to the way the business appointments rules are administered and sanctions for Ministers found in breach of the rules.