As a momentous year in UK politics draws to a close, dominated by Labour’s return to power after 14 years on the opposition benches, the Government has finally started laying the foundations for much-needed reform to our political institutions.

Six months since taking office we’re starting to what a Labour approach to standards and political integrity looks like and seeing steps taken to restore trust in our political system. And while there is still much to do, progress is beginning to show.

Earlier this week, the Government’s new Modernisation Committee closed its initial call for evidence to help shape its priorities for the current parliamentary term. The Committee – created to drive forward reforms to Parliament and chaired by Leader of the House, Lucy Powell – presents an opportunity to forge cross-party support and make lasting changes to how politics operates in the UK. In our submission we highlighted several areas for prioritisation which fall under the committee’s strategic aims of ‘driving up standards’ and ‘reforming Parliamentary procedures to make the House of Commons more effective’.

The first key area the Committee should focus on, unsurprisingly, is an issue that has already generated some negative headlines for the new Government - the rules around gifts and hospitality for politicians. This is an area we’ve already seen some progress on in recent months. Following the media stories earlier this year around gifts and hospitality for Ministers, the Government has already strengthened transparency requirements for Ministers by requiring them to report the value of any hospitality they received like tickets to gigs or sporting events. The Government’s ministerial code also outlined new advice for ministers on the acceptance of gifts. Despite these changes, the rules for other MPs not on the ministerial benches have yet to be changed. With Ministers required to ensure that no gifts or hospitality be received that “might reasonably be seen to compromise their judgement”, it is high time to subject all politicians to this threshold and create uniformity across our Parliament.

Secondly, there needs to be a focus on reforming the rules on MPs’ second jobs. The Government took commendable action recently by closing some loopholes that allowed MPs to ‘advise on current affairs’ or ‘how Parliament works’ as part of their second jobs. Despite these changes, however, it is still possible for MPs to take consultancy or non-executive director roles, opening the door for potential conflicts of interest—whether deliberate or unintentional. MPs play a crucial role in scrutinising legislation and shaping policies that directly affect industries such as property, media, and law firms – while still being able to take paid roles in these sectors. This overlap could pose a significant conflict of interest and the risk of MPs acting in the interest of their second employer, rather than the public good.

A recent case, where former MP Owen Patterson was found in breach of lobbying rules while working as a consultant for private companies, highlights the risks associated with MPs having outside business interests. While in this instance, Owen Patterson’s behaviour was deemed against the rules, it demonstrates the risk created by allowing MPs to work for private companies. Rather than trying to list every possible job that could be a conflict of interest (which would be an impossible task), it’s clear that the time has come to ban all second jobs—except those essential to maintaining professional qualifications or contributing to public service.

Fundamentally, though, this moment in the political cycle offers a rare opportunity to rebuild trust in our political system. Whether it’s about second jobs or gifts and hospitality, what the public is really asking for is assurance that their politicians are making decisions that serve the common good, not their own private interests. That’s why we believe the time is right to enhance transparency to expose potential conflicts, with a view to stopping scandals from happening in the first place.

It’s time for the Government to take the next step and commit to publishing information on potential conflicts of interest that is both transparent and easy to understand. We’re calling for the proactive, meaningful declaration of parliamentarians’ interests whenever they speak in Parliament. It does not have be a lengthy account of their interest but a quick, snappy summary and is not something that need disrupt proceedings. For instance, ‘I’m employed by a pharmaceutical company’ or ‘I’m a landlord of 15 properties’ provides sufficient detail to recognise any possible conflict. Whilst this information is already collected, it’s buried in obscure registers that are difficult to access. By declaring their interests upfront, parliamentarians can show the public that they have nothing to hide and that decisions are being taken in the interest of their constituents.  

The new Modernisation Committee shows a worthy ambition from the new Government to introduce reforms with the buy-in of both sides of the house. With sufficient effort to tackle the deep-seated issues of trust in our politics, this just might help build consensus for the meaningful change needed to address the public’s plea for a democracy that truly works for them.