Matt Hancock, sleaze and public perceptions: what political standards survey revealed
The pandemic has eroded public trust in MPs’ ethical standards

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Boris Johnson, David Cameron and Matt Hancock are associated with sleaze in the minds of the public, according to a survey for the body that advises Downing Street on ethical standards.
The politicians were branded as “immediately associated with the word ‘sleaze’” and not in possession of “the core values expected from political leaders” in the view of the public. Those were the findings of a report on the survey conducted for the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL).
Participants in the poll of 1,590 people, conducted by Deltapoll on behalf of the committee, said the pandemic had exposed “poor behaviour” by politicians that would have otherwise “gone unnoticed”. This included breaches of lockdown rules and “cronyism” in the award of public procurement contracts to ministers’ friends, reported The Telegraph.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It said that the “erosion” of public trust in ministers and MPs to behave ethically had been “exacerbated by Covid”, with many “visibly angry as they recounted the strict pandemic rules they had to follow, which they believed were disregarded by various politicians who subsequently faced few or no consequences”.
One participant said: “When you mentioned sleaze I straight away thought about Matt Hancock… it seems like one rule for them and different ethical standards, morals and etiquette for everybody else. It’s all according to class, power and money.”
Another said that former prime minister Cameron came to mind when “thinking about corruption” after he faced questioning from parliamentary committees over his lobbying on behalf of financial services company Greensill Capital before it went bust.
In total, 41% of respondents felt ministers’ standards of conduct were quite low or very low, compared with 24% who felt they were quite or very high. For MPs, public perception of standards was even lower: 44% of the public felt that standards were quite or very low, and just 20% felt they were quite or very high.
The main report, Upholding Standards in Public Life, published on Monday, recommended tougher sanctions for politicians with “poor ethical standards”.
In his foreword, Lord Evans, the CSPL chairman and a former MI5 director general, said it had “become clear that a system of standards regulation which relies on convention is no longer satisfactory”.
The public would welcome a “greater adherence” to ethical rules and felt that “a strong regulatory body” that could sanction the government for rule breaches was currently “missing”, said the report. They also thought there were not enough sanctions in place when politicians did breach ethical standards rules.
The report called for a “greater independence in the regulation of the Ministerial Code” and asked the government to take a more “formal and professional approach to its own ethics obligations”.
In response, a Cabinet Office spokesperson said the government had “committed to continually reinforcing high standards of conduct in public life so the public can have trust and confidence in the operation of government at all levels”. They added that they would “carefully consider” the work of the committee and update parliament in due course.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 24 September 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week Staff Published
-
Crossword: September 24, 2023
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: September 24, 2023
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Rishi Sunak's green wedge issue win over the public?
Today's Big Question The PM draws dividing line with Labour on net zero ahead of the next general election
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Industry backlash as Sunak set to water down green pledges
Speed Read Automotive and energy bosses look for clarity after PM backs away from UK net zero goal
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
October by-elections: what's at stake for Labour, Lib Dems and Tories
Parties will contest two former safe Tory seats on 19 October, putting pressure on Rishi Sunak
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Jobs for the boys: does the UK need a minister for men?
Conservative MP calls for dedicated cabinet role to combat 'crisis' in men's mental health and education
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Potential fifth by-election headache for Rishi Sunak after Chris Pincher report
Speed Read Former Conservative whip faces suspension from the House of Commons over sexual misconduct
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
Covid inquiry: what we have heard so far
feature Public inquiry hears damning evidence from scientists amid finger-pointing from ministers and civil servants alike
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
The make-or-break by-elections facing Rishi Sunak
feature The resignation of Boris Johnson and his allies Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams spells trouble for PM
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Post-Partygate: time for a Cabinet reshuffle?
Talking Point Rishi Sunak may be ready to promote ‘younger faces’ after Boris Johnson drama
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published