Accountability and Standards
MPs have no statutory job description or contract of employment, and so how each MP chooses to carry out their role will vary. MPs are not employed by the House of Commons and there is no manager to whom one can complain if you are unhappy with your MP’s political views or the way they have voted. Instead, MPs are accountable to local electors and are dependent on their votes in order to be re-elected.
MPs carry out their parliamentary work in public, so that constituents can check how their MP has voted and what they have said in the House of Commons. As public office-holders, MPs are also subject to scrutiny by the media and others.
As well as this, strict rules and conventions do apply to MPs as they carry out their work and these are detailed below.
Some of these rules are enforceable by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards (PCS) and the Standards Committee, who together oversee the standards in the House of Commons.
Other rules are enforced by external bodies including the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), IPSA’s Compliance Officer and the Electoral Commission.
- The MPs’ Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules sets out the core principles for holding public office and the personal income and interests that MPs must register or declare. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards may investigate if these rules are not followed.
- The Behaviour Code sets out the standards of conduct expected on the Parliamentary estate. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards may investigate if these rules are not followed.
- The rules for MPs’ conduct in the chamber and committees, including the conventions that should be observed by MPs when taking part in debates. These rules may be enforced by the Speaker.
- The rules on expenses claims that MPs must follow when claiming back the costs of staffing and running their offices. The Compliance Officer for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority can enforce these rules.
- The rules for handling constituents’ personal information may be enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
- The rules for election candidates and the registration of party donations are enforced by the Electoral Commission.
Guidance for people wishing to make a formal allegation against an MP is provided by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards at: PCS: How to make an allegation . This includes information about alternative routes that it may be possible to pursue.