STORY
The Cabinet Office has accepted a recommendation from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee to amend the Ministerial Code. MPs had examined whether major Government announcements were being made to Parliament first, as required by convention.
The committee said the existing code did not adequately capture the relationship between ministers and Parliament. In its response, the Government accepted that the general principle should be rewritten to remove ambiguity over ministerial responsibilities during major announcements.
PACAC chair Simon Hoare said the current situation had been untenable and welcomed the Government’s willingness to adapt the code. The committee said it would monitor the changes to ensure Parliament continued to play a central role in the process.