Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough called for the Ministerial Code to be made binding this week as the Mandelson Scandal unfurls. The call came as part of an Urgent Question in Parliament regarding the Government’s approach to redacting or withholding documents.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones, insisted that the Government had adopted a “normal approach” to redacting files, after the committee reviewing the documents. Mr Gordon however slammed the fact there was no timetable documents’ release and the lack of subsequent accountability measures.
The MP said in his speech:
This while grubby saga highlights why the Ministerial Code and responsibility in Government is something the public don’t seem to think actually count for anything anymore.
Mr Gordon called for it to be made legally binding. The Code currently acts as a set of conventions or guidelines for ministers and lacks any legal basis. It instead relying on political discretion with the Prime Minister being the ultimate judge of breaches.
Tom said:
This is one of those times where I really worry about the state of trust between people and the Government.
We should seriously consider making the Ministerial Code binding so there are actually consequences in these situations.
You can find the full exchange here:
