New watchdog takes over from Committee on Standards in Public Life to oversee ethical standards across public sector

The Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) takes over from the CSPL as the body in charge of promoting the highest standards in public life and will serve as "custodians" of the Seven Principles of Public Life, also known as the Nolan Principles.

The Government officially launched the EIC on Monday (13 October) after first announcing the move in July this year.

The commission's activities will include convening leaders of standards bodies in Government and Parliament to identify areas of common concern, and engaging and informing the wider public on the values, rules and oversight mechanisms that govern standards in public life.

It will also have a role in relation to the Government's Hillsborough Law Bill, which requires all public bodies to establish a professional duty of candour for staff, to be set out within a wider code of ethics based on the Nolan Principles.

As its first piece of work, the Prime Minister has asked the commission to report on how public bodies can develop, distribute and enforce such codes so that they effect meaningful cultural change, ensuring public officials act with honesty, integrity and candour at all times.

On the publication of its report and on the Hilsborough Law receiving Royal Assent, the commission will act as a Centre of Excellence on public sector codes of conduct, providing guidance and best practice to help all public bodies put ethics and integrity at the heart of public service delivery.

Elsewhere, the commission will also publish an annual report on the overall health of standards in public life, as well as thematic reports on any areas of public life where the commission believes standards arrangements need strengthening.

The EIC's chair, Doug Chalmers, said the new commission's aims include "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".

In a blog on the EIC's launch, he wrote: "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."

Chalmers later added: "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."

In a letter to the chair of the EIC, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "The Committee on Standards in Public Life played a vital role for 30 years in ensuring our standards systems were fit for purpose.

“Today, with the Committee's transition into the Ethics and Integrity Commission, I am ensuring that British public life will continue to benefit from a strong, authoritative voice on ethical standards for the next 30 years. Thank you again for your continued leadership on these matters, and I look forward to hearing from you soon."

Adam Carey