A forensic analysis of ethical failures in the British government.
Boris Johnson's tenure as prime minister was marked by a series of scandals that severely eroded trust in the government. From questionable PPE tenders to the 'partygate' fiasco, every aspect of public life seemed tainted. How did this downward spiral begin, and what can be done to reverse it?
John Bowers KC presents a fearless examination of the decline in ethical standards before, during and after the Johnson government. Through interviews with insiders, he reveals how the institutions responsible for holding the government to account have been bypassed, and shines a light on a culture of favouritism, where standards are upheld based on little more than the assumption those in power can be trusted to behave.
The Labour victory in July 2024 marked a changing of the guard, but the system remains vulnerable to abuse. Downward spiral presents concrete proposals for creating an alternative that is more transparent and accountable.
Table of Contents:
Prologue
Part I: Setting the scene
1 Introduction: falling standards (and masonry)
2 A basic history of standards in public life
3 Boris Johnson and the downward spiral
Part II: The ethical regulators
4 The Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests: bullying, wallpaper, parties
5 The public appointments system and Commissioner for Public Appointments: unmerited jobs and cultural cleansing?
6 The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments: revolving doors and dogs with rubber teeth
7 Appointments to the House of Lords: ermined disgraces
8 Party funding and the Electoral Commission: how to get the party started
9 The Committee on Standards in Public Life and National Audit Office: two success stories
10 The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists and the vast lobbying industry
11 The Civil Service Commission: a few issues of decline and a few insidious features
Part III: Cross-cutting issues
12 MPs for hire: second jobs in the spotlight
13 Anatomy of a recent scandal: PPE
14 Greensill: 'no rules were broken'
Part IV: Conclusion
15 Conventions, the rule of law and declining standards: what happens when good chaps do not behave
16 Conclusion: new timber to replace the rotten wood
Appendix. Controversial public appointment cases (and two non-reappointment issues)
Index
About the Author :
John Bowers KC is Principal of Brasenose College, University of Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1979 and took silk in 1998. Described as 'an employment law rock star', he is the author of fifteen books, including Bowers on Employment Law, The Law of Industrial Action and Trade Union Recognition and Whistleblowing. He is a former chair of Bar Disciplinary Summary Tribunals and a member of the Bar Council's Race Relations Committee. Since 2005 he has been a Bencher of Middle Temple.
Review :
‘With a forensic eye and an abundance of jaw-dropping detail, John Bowers paints a picture of the pit into which British public life sank during the age of Boris Johnson. But this is about more than the moral indecencies of one individual. Bowers makes a compelling case that it is the system itself that needs an overhaul, so that no future prime minister can trample on basic standards with such impunity.’
Jonathan Freedland, Guardian columnist
‘A forensic, scathing dissection of the multiple weaknesses of our democratic order that successive Tory governments exploited shamelessly. This is a must-read and an indispensable manual for those who would reform a political system whose ethical foundations have fallen so low.’
Will Hutton, author of How Good We Can Be
'The eminent KC John Bowers believes that our constitutional architecture is no longer fit for purpose. Downward spiral is a devastating analysis of the breakdown of ethical standards in public life. He proposes wide-ranging reforms to restore trust in our institutions. This is a book that should be read by every concerned citizen.'
Sir Vernon Bogdanor, Professor of Government, King's College London
‘This sadly much needed book tells a shocking tale of the undermining of parliament, the civil service, ethical codes and good governance. It also sets out an agenda for reinstating integrity and standards in public life. It should be a go-to text for anyone who cares about restoring government’s ethical behaviour.’
Baroness Hayter
‘With too many cheques and not enough balances in the system, it’s time for a new ethical settlement. John Bowers identifies the depths to which our public standards have sunk and suggests a way forwards. Essential reading, especially for those in power or who aspire to power.’
Baroness Royall
'John Bowers has written a very timely book that exposes the damage being done to society by a ruling class that governs without recourse to standards in public life. Downward spiral is a wake-up call to all those who care about the future of a fair and accountable political system.'
Robert Verkaik, author of Posh Boys: How English Public Schools Ruin Britain
‘John Bowers has written a measured, comprehensive and utterly devastating account of the Johnson government’s degradation of British public life. Everyone who wishes to restore honour and integrity to the way we are governed should read this outstanding account of how we entered a spiral of decline – and how we can clamber out of it.’
Sir Ivor Crewe, author of The Blunders of Our Governments
'A fast-paced, hard-hitting and readable book about policing ethics in public life.'
Marina Wheeler, The New Statesman
'An excellent case for fixing the "sense of decay" affecting parliament with detailed and robust reforms’
Miranda Green, Financial Times
'This excellent book serves as a timely reminder, as we approach a general election, of how much we have normalised misbehaviour and accepted the lack of integrity among some politicians – a trend that seemed to reach its zenith under the Conservative leadership of Boris Johnson.'
Jason Stockwood, fellow at Oxford University and chairman of Grimsby Town FC
'Beautifully written and a fascinating read.'
Christopher Jeans KC
'Bowers’ brilliant book is a moral fable and a warning.’
Mike Bennett, The MJ
'Bowers has written a compendious account of the incidents that eroded trust from 2019 to 2022, when Boris Johnson was prime minister — and they didn’t end there. Though the author has interviewed a number of key figures, his book does not claim to be an insider’s account: we recognise and immediately remember the scandals he records. But setting them out, page after page, reminds us of just how many breaches of trust there were. Bowers provides a sense of perspective that is hard to reach while events relentlessly unfold.'
Joshua Rozenberg KC
'Downward spiral powerfully reminds us of the recent decline in the standards of British political leadership and the manifest breaches of the Nolan Principles. From first hand interviews with senior politicians and civil servants, Bowers diagnoses the problems but importantly sets out credible solutions and a way forward: to enhance the authority of current regulators and establish an overarching ethics commission with powers to require better behaviour from our politicians.'
David Isaac, Former Chair of EHRC and Stonewall
‘Bowers focuses on practical solutions and this is what makes this book such a revelation – there are obvious means for how to fix the problems that have led to the breakdown in public trust in politics and Bowers presents them in a clear, concise, and uncomplicated way.’
Will Barber-Taylor, The Social Review
'Downward Spiral is a book which defies categories. Eminent KC John Bowers has written a four-in-one: a trenchant, wry contemporary history of ethical failures in the UK governmental sphere, a polemic for regulation to protect the British Constitution from abuse and a philippic on recent former prime ministers. In this election year, it’s also an eloquent manifesto for specific reforms.'
Rupert McNeil, Civil Service World
'Bitterly amusing'
Bernard Richards, Oxford Magazine
'Provides an excellent blueprint for the future redrafting of the regulatory landscape and is to be applauded.'
Christopher Murray, Barford News
