ABSTRACT
The Committee on Standards in Public Life was established in 1994 in response to rising concern about ‘sleaze’ in British politics. Disquiet over standards in public life is not a new concern. During the last century, it arose periodically and was based upon cases which were more serious than those which occurred in the 1990s. Each episode led to legislation or rules designed to remedy the individual problem and this led to patchy coverage, both in terms of scope and compliance (see Chronology). Despite this pragmatic approach to dealing with ‘sleaze’, the system broadly worked. In the 1990s, however, it became apparent that the previously more informal and piecemeal approaches were no longer effective and demand grew for a more coherent approach to standards in public life. The Committee (known sometimes as the Nolan, Neill or Wicks Committees, after their respective chairs) has had a prodigious work-rate. To date, it has produced seven substantial reports which have had a significant impact. It stands as the principal regulator of British political life. In this chapter, we examine why it was established, its key recommendations and the methods of regulation employed, and also attempt to evaluate how successful it has been.
