Trust in UK politics is at a low ebb, eroded by foolish behaviour. This matters to parliament, and it matters to our country
Our democracy has always been among the strongest and most settled in the world. It relies on respect for the laws made in parliament, on an independent judiciary, on acceptance of the conventions of public life, and on self-restraint by the powerful.
If any of that delicate balance goes astray – as it has, as it is – our democracy is undermined. Our government is culpable, in small but important ways, of failing to honour these conventions.
John Major was the prime minister of Britain from 1990 to 1997. This is an edited version of a speech, “In democracy we trust?”, given at the Institute for Government on 10 February 2022
