12
Ministerial Code's 'Parliament first' principle needs modernisation to reflect changed media environment.
Conclusion
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. It may well be the case that this section of the Code needs to be modernised to reflect the ‘Parliament first’ principle while also recognising that governments must seek to communicate their policies effectively to the public they serve. (Conclusion, Paragraph 40)
Source
Report
4th Report - Ministerial Statements and the Ministerial Code
09 Jan 2026
HC 1036
Timeline
Recommendation age
0.4 yrs
Report published
09 Jan 2026