The UK has remained at a record low in Transparency International (TI)’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). People at the top of big business including from the World Economic Forum were among those who gave their views on UK government corruption.
Britain’s score has stayed at 71 for two years running, making it the lowest ranking since comparable results began in 2012. That’s 71 out of 100, meaning the UK is the twentieth least corrupt country on the leaderboard, conveying the global scale of the problem even as business leaders perceive it.
Donations and corruption
TI pointed out that super rich donations are a corrupting influence on UK democracy.
Indeed, since Keir Starmer became Labour Party leader in April 2020 the party has accepted 11 donations of £1m or more from an individual or corporation. In turn, those 11 donations total a startling £23.6m from just a handful of people.
When it comes to the Conservative Party, the toxic influence is even more so. Over that same period, the Conservatives accepted a total of £43.5m from just seven individuals or corporations. That includes £20m from Frank Hester who has provided healthcare software to the NHS for profit. Hester also said Diane Abbott MP ‘should be shot’, while remarking on her Black ethnicity.
With such examples in mind, the transparency campaigners recommend that political donations should be capped at a maximum of £10,000 per year, while “strengthening” the Electoral Commission.
Lobbying
Another solution TI argues for is increased transparency over lobbying.
At Labour’s September conference, there were countless lobbyists sponsoring and speaking at events. In fact, trade minister Douglas Alexander made the Starmer agenda clear when he said the government needs “constant dialogue with wealth creators”, sat next to Barclays executive. Another way to view such people is ‘wealth extractors’. Banks create new money when they issue loans, which are then paid back with interest. That’s a transfer of money from everyday people to the already rich.
Correspondingly, Labour isn’t regulating lobbying in government. In fact, it’s doing worse than the Tories. Of 12 recommendations for government transparency and the lobbying register on Spotlight on Corruption’s ‘scorecard‘, the Tories fully met three, while Labour has fully met just one proposal.
Neither party committed to including so-called ‘informal’ lobbying arrangements in the transparency releases, meaning friendly influence remains off the books. And consultant lobbyists do not even have to declare the subject matter of their lobbying at present.
House of Lords corruption
TI further said the UK needs to “end cronyism” in the House of Lords.
A bill, currently at the committee stage in the Lords, will abolish the 92 remaining seats for those who inherit the power from their families. While a monarchy will remain, this would be a step forward in sorting out backwards policies in Britain.
Still, prime ministers can appoint as many peers to the second chamber as they like during a premiership. Liz Truss was prime minister for just 49 days yet appointed 32 people to the House of Lords who then sit there for life. Prime Ministers can also ignore the watchdog that vets the appointments, meaning the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) has no teeth.
The UK clearly has a lot to fix.
Featured image via the Canary
