Are our democracies safe from corruption?

By an Intern at Unlock Democracy

The start of Trump’s second term as president has marked an unprecedented turn of US democracy. The ‘land of the free’ has seen a strong whiff of anarchy, autocracy and nationalism enter the White House in the form of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance. From their intentions to make Canada the 51st state of America, to wanting to snatch Greenland from Denmark, via repeated breaches of the constitution, America’s democracy is in a unique and dangerous position. 

The most recent example of this unstable democracy is the economic turmoil following “Liberation Day” on the 2nd of April. Trump’s announcement of huge tariffs caused the stock markets to plummet and kickstarted a trade war with China. He later U-turned and paused some of the most brutal tariffs for ninety days.

But before this dramatic change in policy, Trump posted on social media that it was a ‘GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!’, presumably meaning that stock markets would surge following his change in policy. This correct prediction saw many of his closest allies make large sums of money in a very short period of time. Trump proudly boasted on a viral social media clip that financial investor Charles Schwab made ‘2.5 million’ and NASCAR team owner Roger Penske made ‘900 million’- he ended the exchange by exclaiming that ‘That’s not bad!’. 

Now corruption is added to the ripening stench coming from the Oval office. 

This blatant act of market manipulation is a striking example of how the most powerful individual in the United States (and, debatably, the most influential figure on the global stage) is exploiting and distorting the democratic mandate given to him by the American people. Rather than using this immense authority to serve the public interest or uphold the integrity of the economic system, he weaponises it for personal and political gain, undermining both the democratic process and the foundational principles of fair market practices. 

At first glance, these events may seem very distant from the current state of democracy in the UK. However, events closer to home illustrate some of the same underlying issues that are dominating American politics, albeit on a smaller scale. Some politicians in the UK have taken up lobbying roles (or offered their lobbying services) where they were able to exploit and leverage insider knowledge, high profile contacts, and political experience for personal gain. 

A particularly noticeable example was the Owen Paterson scandal.  Paterson was found to have broken Parliament’s lobbying rules by using his position as an MP to benefit two firms that he was working for. He paid the price and left parliament.

Most recently, another case of our public officials potentially abusing their position involved betting on the timing of the general election.  This time a former Conservative MP, other senior political figures, and one police officer have been charged with exploiting their positions of power (and the privileged information that comes with it) to place bets on the date of the last general election. 

The risk of the misuse of power and position is not only present in the Commons, but in the Lords too. From contacting the Treasury on behalf of a crypto firm, to benefiting their own son’s company, too many peers have not lived up to the standards the public would expect of them. Some peers seem to act in accordance with their own set of rules, reinforcing the impression that it is one rule for them and another rule for everyone else. Not to mention the cronyism that helps many Peers to secure their seats in the first place, with successive Prime Ministers using their patronage power to appoint rich donors to the Lords who, subsequently, are notable only for their lack of attendance or participation.

These incidents have severely undermined the integrity of UK politics and continue to feed into the overall mistrust that the public currently has in British politicians. The public’s trust and faith in the integrity of MPs has been plummeting in recent years.  This has shown through 45% of people (in June 2024) believing that, regardless of the party in charge, party politics will always trump national interest. This record high figure, combined with the fact that 4 in 5 Britons are dissatisfied with how they are governed, demonstrates a severe and declining trust in politicians.

This then begs the question: is the UK headed in the same direction as the US with the stock of politicians so low that nobody cares about how they behave or the corrupt practices glorified? 

To prevent the UK from going down the same path as the US, the Government should uphold their manifesto promise of introducing an Ethics & Integrity Commission. With its own independent Chair, this commission would ensure probity in government. As well as this, the Government should honour another manifesto promise: to reform the House of Lords. While it is a step in the right direction to remove hereditary peers, complete reform of the House is the only way to put an end to cronyism. Pending that wider reform, steps must be taken to give the House of Lords Appointments Commission the final say on who is fit to be a peer and to limit the size of a now obese House of Lords.

With the decline in democracy in the US, and the UK at risk of heading in the same direction, urgent reform of Britain's democracy is needed now more than ever. These proposals could kickstart the process.

By an Intern at Unlock Democracy.