John Major did not beat about the bush. In a speech this week to an Institute for Government conference marking the 30th anniversary of the Nolan report on standards in public life, the former prime minister went straight to the heart of the matter. “For many decades,” he said, “Britain enjoyed a global reputation for being free of corruption and bad practice. That is less true today. It is in our national interest to regain that reputation.”

That is indisputably true. But it is not just the global reputation that matters. It is also, at least as significantly, the domestic one. Trust in British public life has diminished, is diminishing and urgently needs to be rebuilt. Confidence in politics and government to change lives is draining away. As Sir John said, the trend needs to be reversed before the damage is “beyond salvage”. That point may, indeed, have been reached........

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