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Former Ministers: Conduct

Asked by Mike WoodConservativeCabinet OfficeTabled Answered 19 June 2026UIN 7436

The question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there are mechanisms to review the conduct of a Minister in office after they have left that office, including where the Government may wish to reclaim Ministerial exit payments.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of all those who are serving in Government. The Business Appointment Rules and the Radcliffe Rules continue to apply to former ministers after they leave office, as per section 11 of the Ministerial Code.

As per section 2.1 of the Ministerial Code, the Prime Minister is the ultimate judge of the standards of behaviour expected of a minister and the appropriate consequences of a breach of those standards.

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