The House Opinion Article | Our whole political culture must change

4 min read11 min

Corruption, abuse and sexual assault are not new in public life – but neither are they hardwired into it.

Questions come thick and fast about why it keeps happening, and why it wasn’t enough for women to come forward to say that it was the first time. Unspoken tribalism abounds that ‘our’ people must have explanations for their behaviour, and no political party in the UK is immune – there are problematic people in them all. Unless we overhaul the operating systems of British politics, there will be more victims and more Jeffrey Epsteins.

It will take more than individual resignations or convictions to fix this. Prevention, not deterrent, is the way forward. Many will rightly call for electoral reform, whether it is a more proportional voting system, citizens’ assemblies or an elected upper house. Yet, ultimately, change will only truly start when the old boys – and girls – network is no longer the way you get your foot in the door.

That means creating a system with checks and balances from the get-go – from how selections take place, to scrutiny of public appointments and funding, and freeing all to raise concerns when needed. This isn’t anti-politics – its pro professionalism.

There is honour and effectiveness in finding those who share your values and agreeing to work together. That, at its best, is what a political party represents. But, at its worst, it becomes a straitjacket in which all bind themselves for fear they will never be promoted otherwise.

Legislation should be brought in to require time-limited and cost-limited hybrid selection processes, involving not just local party members and their leadership, but the public, too, so that politics opens up to a wider group of candidates. The perception that money drives decision-making is not without cause. Whether cash for access, cash for questions, lobbyists or donations, each has contributed to a corrosion of confidence in the integrity of public services and democracy. Without state funding, the need for donation caps is self-evident. Never again should it be possible to hide the source of money by giving via a third party, or give funds so large that they dominate the debate.

Change doesn’t just need to happen before you make it into Westminster. As with congressional hearings, select committees and parliament should have call-in and veto powers over public roles. It’s hard to see Peter Mandelson evading his connection to Epstein, or David Cameron to Greensill, when questioned on a cross-party basis in public. Whether they are ambassadors, BBC director generals or peers, if any unelected applicant had to account for themselves directly, those whose only qualification was their party donations would face an uphill struggle.

The capacity of collective responsibility to slip into collective silence about bullying or abuse means whipping must also be reformed. The threat of or actual withdrawal of the whip indeterminately, or without any process of appeal, so determining whether an individual can stand for office, must end. Other countries allow MPs to directly elect their party management, rebalancing power to ensure they act in the best interests of the whole political movement.   

None of these measures individually is enough to transform the toxicity strangling our politics. However, collectively they reflect an agenda for cultural change.

To dismiss this as a few ‘bad apples’, or to be pessimistic about ever stopping, would be equally fatal to democracy. Getting any reform whatsoever, and so breaking up the power bases that have allowed corruption and abuse to flourish, will also be agonisingly hard. We have already repeatedly attempted independent processes and systems, only to see them be degraded and sidelined. Above all, we need to act before the next generation in our political movements learn the value of joining a boys club.

We may be the mother of all parliaments, but it’s time to be honest about our flaws and have the mother of all rows if we want a politics which we don’t just trust, but can finally be proud of governing our nation. 

Stella Creasy is Labour MP for Walthamstow