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As Britain’s Conservatives struggle to avoid an electoral catastrophe, for many undecided voters, the escalating scandal over electoral bets It will be the last straw. Four Conservatives, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s advisers, two of them election candidates, are understood to be being investigated by the Gambling Commission for allegedly placing bets on the timing of the general election. The regulator is reportedly investigating further. Many members of the public will see this as yet another example of the erosion of trust in political ethics under successive UK governments, especially those of recent years.
Days before the gambling affair broke, a survey found that public trust in the government was low. low recording. The National Center for Social Research found that 45 percent of people Trust “almost never” administrations of any hue put the interest of the nation before that of their party. About 58 percent would “almost never” trust politicians to tell the truth in a pinch.
Some caveats are needed. Many of those who enter politics today are still motivated by a commitment to service, and UK politics remains far less corrupt than that of many peer countries, which are also experiencing sharp declines in trust in the “elites.” policies. Furthermore, despite recent impressions, ethical issues go back decades and are not limited to either the Conservatives or Westminster.
“Sleaze” dogged the final days of the last extended Conservative government in the 1990s. Tony Blair of the Labor Party in 2006 became the first sitting prime minister to be questioned by police over a “cash-for-hire” scandal. of noble titles”, although no charges were filed. And after widespread misuse of expenses by MPs was exposed in 2009, the percentage of Britons who doubted the veracity of politicians was even higher than today.
In Scotland, the finances of the ruling Scottish National Party have been investigated by police, and its former CEO accused of alleged embezzlement. The first minister of Wales, the Labor Vaughan Gething, has been embroiled in controversy for accepting a donation from a company whose owner was convicted of dumping waste.
However, the erosion of trust in political ethics has been compounded by several factors under Conservative governments since 2016. Many see the Brexit campaign as the moment when the manipulation of truth in UK politics transformed in the use of blatant falsehoods, exemplified by the claim about Boris Johnson’s message that leaving the EU would save “£350 million a week” in funding the NHS. In this election, Sunak weaponized a false claim that Labor would increase taxes on families by £2,000, although Labor made some questionable counterclaims about Tory tax plans.
A second was a tendency after Johnson became prime minister in 2019 to treat the rules as if they only applied to others, including a willingness to trample on national or international law in the confusing efforts to reach a withdrawal agreement. The EU. The revelation of Downing Street parties held during the Covid lockdown left voters feeling disrespected by the government and ultimately ended Johnson’s tenure. A third factor has been a sense of diminished competence of the government and the political system to meet voters’ priorities.
Restoring a stable and effective government could begin to rebuild trust. But concerted efforts will be needed, for example, to make party financing and the system of granting political honors and seats in the House of Lords more transparent. Tighter controls on MPs’ second jobs and their businesses are still required and lobbying activities after they leave parliament. If Labor wins the election, repairing what the NCSR called Britain’s “broken politics” will be one of the most difficult – but most important – tasks it will face.