LONDON, (Reuters) – Britain’s new government clamped down on ministers’ perks and lobbying on Friday, trying to clean up a political system whose reputation was tarnished by scandals over sleaze and lawmakers’ extravagant expenses.
All major parties were damaged last year when it emerged that members of parliament had claimed on expenses for items ranging from toilet paper to the cost of cleaning a moat.
“Our new government has a particular and historic responsibility: to rebuild confidence in our political system,” Prime Minister David Cameron, who heads a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition formed after the May 6 election, said.
“After the scandals of recent years, people have lost faith in politics and politicians. It is our duty to restore their trust,” he wrote in the foreword to a new, stricter code of conduct for ministers.
The election ended 13 years of Labour rule and brought to power Britain’s first coalition government since World War Two, made up of centre-right Conservatives and centre-left Lib Dems.
Faith in Britain’s political system was rocked under the Labour government by scandals over abuse of parliamentary privileges and concerns over ex-ministers working as lobbyists for private companies.
The expenses scandal led to a public backlash and forced scores of members to leave parliament at this month’s election.
In March, the then ruling Labour Party suspended three former cabinet ministers after they were secretly filmed claiming they could use their position to influence government policy for cash.
The revised ministerial code of conduct introduces a new restriction on lobbying, saying ministers will be barred from lobbying government for two years after leaving office.
Ministers who have use of an official residence, including the prime minister, will not be eligible for the accommodation allowance that members of parliament may claim.
