Ministerial Statements and the Ministerial Code

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 12 Jun 2025 Parliament page
This inquiry will consider whether the Ministerial Code adequately sets out what the House should expect of Ministers making the most important announcements of government policy. We will ask whether those requirements are observed with sufficient rigour by Ministers. Additionally, we will consider the appropriate balance in deciding between a … Read more
2 Recommendations
27 Conclusions
1 Report
2 Oral sessions
3 Letters
2 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
9 Jan
2026
Report published
3 Sep
2025
Oral evidence
3 Sep
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
16 Jul
2025
Oral evidence
16 Jul
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
15 Jul
2025
Correspondence
8 Jul
2025
Correspondence
12 Jun
2025
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
3 Sep 2025
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Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP · Department for Transport Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP
16 Jul 2025
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Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP · Department for Transport Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP
Title HC No. Published Items Response
4th Report - Ministerial Statements and the Ministerial Code HC 1036 9 Jan 2026 29
Recommendations & Conclusions
29 results
1 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Ministerial Code reaffirmed as suitable for government policy announcement principles
The general principle in the Ministerial Code relating to important announcements of government policy has recently been reaffirmed when the Prime Minister republished the Code in October 2025. We concur that the Ministerial Code is a suitable document to contain … Read more
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2 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Uncertainty surrounds appetite for new House Protocol on ministerial statements
Ministerial accountability to Parliament is well established irrespective of its inclusion in the Ministerial Code. Nevertheless, it is uncertain whether there is a current appetite to replicate the principles in relation to ministerial statements in the form of a new … Read more
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3 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
General agreement on Ministerial Code expectations serves everyone's best interests
Even though the Ministerial Code is a government document, it is in everyone’s interest for there to be general agreement of the expectations flowing from its letter and spirit. (Conclusion, Paragraph 17)
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4 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Frequent accusations of Ministerial Code breaches create an undesirable situation
We believe the current situation where the Code sets a high bar for expectations which is regularly subject to accusations of being breached is undesirable. (Conclusion, Paragraph 18)
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5 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Ministerial Code fails to effectively encapsulate ministerial accountability to Parliament
We believe that as currently drafted the Ministerial Code does not encapsulate effectively the general principle governing the relationship between ministers and Parliament. The general principle would be better framed around general government and ministerial accountability to Parliament. Any direction … Read more
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6 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
House considered 'in session' outside recess, acknowledging ongoing government business
We consider the House to be ‘in session’ at all times outside of recess, prorogation and dissolution, not just when it is sitting. It is accepted that the business of government continues during recess and ministers will need to respond … Read more
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7 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Restrict major policy announcements when Parliament is not sitting to exceptional circumstances.
However, major planned policy announcements when the House is not in session should be restricted to those which are time sensitive or otherwise exceptional. Where it is necessary to make a major announcement when the House is in session but … Read more
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8 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Defining 'most important' policy announcements remains subjective for ministers.
The term ‘most important’ is inevitably subjective. However, it is the responsibility of ministers individually and the Government collectively to be aware of the expectations of Parliament and maintain the confidence of the House. We do not believe that it … Read more
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9 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Making major statements to media before Parliament constitutes a breach of principle.
In the context of the Code as currently drafted, making the most important statements in the first instance to Parliament means doing so before they are made to the media and not at the first available opportunity thereafter. Apart from … Read more
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10 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Replace 'should' with 'must' in the Ministerial Code's general principle on announcements.
We consider the word ‘should’ in the general principle to be ambiguous without good cause. Replacing it with the word ‘must’ would send a clear signal to Ministers and others about the expectations of the House and give confidence to … Read more
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11 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Government must balance legitimate policy 'trailing' with substantive media leaks to avoid breaches.
Careful regard needs to be given by government to the balance between a legitimate trailing of a statement and the deliberate or inadvertent provision of information to the media that is so substantive that it could be considered a breach … Read more
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12 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Ministerial Code's 'Parliament first' principle needs modernisation to reflect changed media environment.
However, the media environment has changed significantly in recent years, and the provisions on the need to make the most important statements of government policy to Parliament first have remained substantively the same since the Code was introduced in 1997. … Read more
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13 Recommendation
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Comply with the Ministerial Code or substantially re-write it in consultation with Parliament.
The responsibility for complying with the Code rests with the Government. The Government should either make every effort to comply with the Code, or to re-write it. Although it is the Prime Minister’s document, we expect that any substantial re-writing … Read more
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14 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
No exhaustive list exists for exceptions to major policy announcement principles.
It is not possible to have an exhaustive list of all the circumstances which could be considered an exception to the normal principles relating to the making of major policy announcements. We accept that there are various such circumstances, including … Read more
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15 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Require ministers to explain reasons for breaching 'Parliament first' principle at earliest opportunity.
Where an exceptional circumstance does arise and a major policy is announced first elsewhere, a minister must, as a sign of respect towards Parliament, make a statement to the House at the earliest opportunity, which would include the reasons for … Read more
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16 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Speaker and Committee share longstanding concerns over government policy announcements to Parliament.
The Speaker has represented the dissatisfaction of the House, through statements made in the Chamber and when setting out the concerns of Members across the House when he wrote to us in May 2025. We share his concerns and note … Read more
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17 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Publication process for major policy documents consistently breaches Ministerial Code principles
It is our assessment that in none of these examples can we be satisfied that the general principle has been met by the publication of relevant documents associated with major policy announcements. It is not clear how Members of the … Read more
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18 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Ensure timely, transparent publication of documents, followed by oral statements for parliamentary scrutiny
In the examples cited, we do not agree that the publication of associated documents ahead of statements met the expectations of the general principle of the Code. However, subject to the Government making proper attempts to be open and transparent … Read more
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19 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Early publication of significant documents enhances parliamentary scrutiny and 'Parliament first' adherence
We believe that scrutiny is improved when Members have greater access to relevant information, and we recognise that publication of significant documents in advance of statements could meet the ‘Parliament first’ principle while allowing Members time to put together more … Read more
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20 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Concentration of statements and urgent questions limits time for other House business
Sitting time is finite and there will always be a tension between the various demands of the House. Statements and urgent questions play an important role in the effective scrutiny of government, but in concentration they can significantly affect the … Read more
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21 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Procedural options available to manage sitting times, but long-term changes are beyond inquiry
The House has regularly considered issues relating to sitting times and the prioritisation of business. The Government can propose, and the House can consider, procedural options to mitigate these issues in the short term, for example, notwithstanding Standing Orders or … Read more
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22 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Utilise Business of the House motions to protect non-government business from planned statements
We encourage the Government to always consider the potential for using Business of the House motions to protect non-government business in the House, particularly opposition business, from the impact of planned statements. (Recommendation, Paragraph 64) 37 Written ministerial statements Read more
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23 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Written ministerial statements significantly enhance transparency and government openness to Parliament
The introduction of written ministerial statements in 2002 has proved to be a considerable success in increasing transparency and making government more open to Parliament and the public. It is for the Government to make a judgement about the correct … Read more
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24 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Enhance use of written ministerial statements to inform Members of document publication
We encourage the Government to make more effective use of written ministerial statements to inform Members about the publication of documents related to major government announcements, even when those announcements may themselves be the subject of an oral statement. (Recommendation, … Read more
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25 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Sanctioning individual ministers for Ministerial Code breaches remains problematic due to shared responsibility
For most breaches under the Ministerial Code in relation to paragraph 9.1, it is difficult to conceive of the circumstances that would result in sanctions against an individual minister, given that the Code specifies the Prime Minister as being a … Read more
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26 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Government commitment to Ministerial Code best addresses breaches and parliamentary dissatisfaction
An active commitment from the Government to adhere to the Ministerial Code and the ‘Parliament first’ principle is the easiest and most optimal solution to address the dissatisfaction of Parliament and the subsequent question of what constitutes adequate sanctions for … Read more
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27 Recommendation
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Amend Ministerial Code to require Prime Minister to issue statements on standards breaches.
We recommend that an addition be made to Chapter 2 of the Ministerial Code to commit the Prime Minister to issuing a written statement upon reaching a final decision where he has determined a breach of the expected standards has … Read more
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28 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Urgent questions remain a vital and effective mechanism for holding ministers to account.
Urgent questions are the most effective and timely remedy currently available to Members to hold ministers to account in the absence of an oral statement. The Speaker holds important powers to protect the interests of 38 the House and, despite … Read more
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29 Conclusion
4th Report - Ministerial Statement…
Adhering to Ministerial Code principles would reduce need for urgent parliamentary questions.
By adhering to the general principle in the Ministerial Code and making the most important announcements of government policy in the first instance in Parliament, the need for Members to seek redress through the mechanism of the urgent question will … Read more
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Correspondence 3 letters
15 Jul 2025 From committee Letter to Sir Laurie Magnus CBE, Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards on Ministerial Statements and the Ministerial Code Inquiry, dated 12.6.25
Parliament page
8 Jul 2025 To committee Letter from Sir Laurie Magnus CBE, Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards on Ministerial Statements and the Ministerial Code Inquiry, dated 30.6.25
Parliament page
12 Jun 2025 To committee Letter from the Speaker of the House of Commons on Paragraph 9.1 of the Ministerial Code, dated 23.5.25
Parliament page