Council of Europe urges UK to finalize anti-corruption measures

oh The Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) report on the UK’s progress in implementing recommendations made five years ago concluded that only seven out of 12 recommendations had been satisfactorily implemented.

Four of the 12 recommendations have been partially implemented, including the lack of more information about meetings of ministers and advisers with third parties, including lobbyists, and a recommendation to expand their registration, according to the document.

The only recommendation to be implemented refers to the existing mechanism to investigate and reduce the risk of conflicts of interest and corruption by former ministers and advisers.

GRECO suggested that the law, mandate and powers of the body that evaluates the appointment of former ministers and senior civil servants should be strengthened to allow people who violate the rules on accepting jobs in the private sector after leaving office.

Recently, the Parliamentary Advisory Commission on Business Appointments (Acoba) accused former Prime Minister Boris Johnson of breaching parliamentary rules by contacting the Daily Mail columnist contract with just 30 minutes’ notice.

The cabinet code states that MPs must ensure that no new roles are announced before the committee gives its opinion, but the committee has no power to punish violations.

GRECO has requested the UK authorities to report as soon as possible after 30 June 2024 on progress in implementing the outstanding recommendations.

The Council of Europe was created in 1949 to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law and currently comprises 46 member states, including all the countries that make up the European Union (EU).

The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, but remains in the Council of Europe.

GRECO aims to improve members’ capacity to fight corruption, monitor compliance with anti-corruption regulations and help identify weaknesses in states’ national policies.

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