UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he "certainly broke no rules" as questions continue to plague the government over parties during lockdown last Christmas. In the wake of the Christmas party scandal, we think it is timely to revisit our podcast on ministerial accountability.

Christmas parties row: Three gatherings to be investigated by top civil servant https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-59591610

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Some government ministers seem to constantly court controversy, while others manage to fly smoothly under the incompetence radar. Is this down to luck or judgement, and what is it realistic to expect from our politicians?

In this podcast, we examine ministerial accountability using Gavin Williamson as a case study. We consider whether it is realistic to expect a government minister to be infallible, and if so what level of fallibility is acceptable. We also delve into concepts of ministerial responsibility and honour, and try to understand when something is a minister’s fault.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

- The Crichel Down Affair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crichel_Down_affair
- List of political scandals in the United Kingdom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_scandals_in_the_United_Kingdom
- Institute for Government chart of ministerial resignations https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/charts/ministerial-resignations-outside-reshuffles-prime-minister
- Gordon Brown - Taking Responsibility https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CND6i2o7tTE&t=3s

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email [email protected]

Image: Chris McAndrew via Wikimedia Commons

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