Press release

Intimidation of Parliamentary candidates: Committee announces short review

The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life will be conducting a short review of the issue of intimidation experienced by Parliamentary candidates, and the broader implications of this for other holders of public office, following a request from the Prime Minister.

From:
Committee on Standards in Public Life
Published
12 July 2017
CSPL Sign

The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life will be conducting a short review of the issue of intimidation experienced by Parliamentary candidates, and the broader implications of this for other holders of public office, following a request from the Prime Minister.

Lord Bew, Chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life, said:

As an independent Committee, we will consider this issue on a non-partisan basis. Members of Parliament and candidates from a range of political backgrounds have been subjected to intimidation. It is important to shed light on these experiences to inform efforts to better protect those affected and at the same time maintain healthy, robust debate and legitimate scrutiny from the public and the press.

In particular, we will want to examine how social media tends to amplify, intensify, and escalate some of the long-standing issues which the Committee has been concerned about.

How those in public life and candidates for public office are treated inevitably has implications for standards in public life more broadly, including how public office holders relate to members of the public.

We will announce our methodology for this review later this month. We would welcome contributions from anybody interested in this issue. The Committee is keen to encourage further debate and consideration of these important issues. Further information on how to contribute will be on our website.

Notes to Editors

  1. You can read more about this issue on our blog. You can follow the Committee on Twitter @PublicStandards or e-mail public@public-standards.gov.uk.

  2. The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards across the whole of public life in the UK. It monitors and reports on issues relating to the standards of conduct of all public office holders.

  3. The Committee has an independent Chair. Its membership is comprised of four independent members and a representative from each of the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democratic parties.

  4. Read more about the Committee’s work in Setting the Standard, its Strategic Plan, Annual Report and Forward Plan.

Published 12 July 2017

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