Boris Johnson’s premiership was brought down by three Ps” – Paterson, Partygate, and Pincher  whammy scandals involving lobbying by a former minister, Downing Street carousing during Covid lockdowns and a government whip living up or down to his name. 

Veteran Kings Counsel, John Bowers, Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford reveals in Downward Spiral, even the most unwilling Brit back to those febrile weeks towards  the end of Johnson’s administration, when he seemed to be puling apart, the conventions of good behaviour that keep the air in Downing Street smelling healthy.  The scandals eroded trust in the British government, from questionable PPE tenders and public appointments to the “party gate” fiasco, every aspect of public life seemed tainted. How did this downward spiral begin, and what can be done to reverse it?  John Bowers examines the decline of the ethical standards  before, during and after the Johnson government and focuses on the institutions responsible for holding the government accountable, exposing how they have been bypassed by prime ministers determined to  impose their agenda.  Through interview with political insiders, Bowers provides analysis of scandals such as Partygatge, Greensill and the revolving door with the private sector. He shines a light on a culture of favouritism, where standards are upheld based on little more than the assumption those in power can be trusted to behave.

Rishi Sunak entered Number 10 on the promise of restoring integrity, but it is clear major problem still remains. Confronting the failings of the current system, Downward spiral present concert proposals for creating an alternative that is more transparent and accountable.

Bower’s examination of potential reforms  to address a “sense of decay and avoid the decline that could unhinge the British state. The nest and the brightest do not now go into politics or the civil service”.

Bower in conclusion  writes “ There is a feeling of mediocrity and mendacity about some of those who do and rise to the top.”

The UK system is awash with committees and watchdogs, but these myriad bodies  still seem to allow cases of conflict of interest, frequent in appropriate doling out of jobs to cronies and political sympathisers, or worse. The controversial public appointments, from friends of Carrie Johnson in advisory roles to eyebrow raising ennoblements to the House of Lords. Could a new structure avoid creating a new site of significant unelected power by making MPs beholden to legal challenge.

Statutory underpinning of the UK’s ethics codes would have the danger of dragging the courts into more political controversy, how would that be received and if we want draconian rules and a sanctions on outside interests for politicians. What is the right level of pay to compensate MP’s and ministers, given their salaries are so out of line with the private sector and other countries. Disapproval for egregious rule and convention breaking that marked Johnson years. 

Bowers concludes “Johnson, probably was a one-off but we need to protect the system as far as we can against any other such occupant of Number 10”.

Sir Alistair Graham, a former standards committee chair, is quoted cautioning “there has never been a golden age of standards”. 

Downward Spiral: Collapsing Public Standards and How to Restore Them by John Bowers, Manchester University Press £20, 368 pages.