Bill 4019 2nd Reading Lords

Public Office (Accountability) Bill

A Bill to Impose a duty on public authorities and public officials to act with candour, transparency and frankness; to make provision for the enforcement of that duty in their dealings with inquiries and investigations; to require public authorities to promote and take steps to maintain ethical conduct within all parts of the authority; to create an offence in relation to public authorities and public officials who mislead the public; to create further offences in relation to the misconduct of persons who hold public office and to abolish the common law offence of misconduct in public office; to make provision enabling persons to participate at inquiries and investigations where the conduct of public authorities may be in issue; and for connected purposes.

Introduced by
Mr David Lammy · Labour · Tottenham
Originating house
Commons
Introduced
16 September 2025
Last updated
2 October 2026

What this bill does

Currently at 2nd Reading in the Lords.

Creates new rules to make public officials tell the truth and face punishment if they do not.

This Bill would put a legal duty of candour on public bodies and officials when dealing with inquiries and investigations, and would let that duty be extended to some other people with public responsibilities. It would also require public authorities to publish ethical codes, create new criminal offences for serious dishonesty and abuse of office, and replace the old common-law misconduct offence. The current version is the bill as introduced on 2025-09-16, with special rules for intelligence services and powers to issue guidance and directions.

  • Impose a statutory duty of candour and assistance on public authorities and public officials in dealings with inquiries and investigations, including notifying relevant matters, providing information, correcting errors, and giving position statements.
  • Allow the duty to be extended to some non-public bodies or people who carried out public responsibilities, such as certain service providers.
  • Create a criminal offence for failing to comply with the duty of candour where the failure is meant to obstruct an inquiry or investigation, or the person is reckless as to that result.
  • Require public authorities to publish and keep under review codes of ethical conduct, including standards of behaviour, disciplinary consequences, and protected disclosure arrangements.
  • Create offences for seriously improper acts that intentionally or recklessly mislead the public, and for seriously improper misuse of public office for benefit or harm.
  • Give a national authority power to issue guidance, with public bodies required to have regard to it.
  • Set special rules for intelligence services so that some notification duties do not apply where secrecy or security information would be exposed.
  • Provide transitional and interpretation rules, plus powers for inquiry leaders to set requirements, directions, and exceptions.

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Progress

  1. 1st reading · Commons
  2. 2nd reading · Commons
  3. Programme motion · Commons
  4. Money resolution · Commons
  5. Committee stage · Commons
  6. Carry-over motion · Commons
  7. Bill reintroduced · Commons
  8. Report stage · Commons
  9. 3rd reading · Commons
  10. Carry-over motion · Commons
  11. 1st reading · Lords
  12. 2nd reading · Lords
  13. Committee stage · Lords