Posted on September 08, 2025

What Happens When Power Faces No Consequences?

Imagine if a CEO squandered hundreds of millions of pounds on a project that never launched. Imagine if they handed multi-million-pound contracts to personal contacts without scrutiny, then walked away with a promotion. In the private sector, they'd face legal action, shareholder revolt, and professional disgrace. In British politics, they face none of the above.

In the United Kingdom today, power is wielded without legal consequence. Ministers waste vast public sums, push through unworkable schemes, and mislead the nation—yet no one is prosecuted, fined, or held to account. This isn’t just negligence. It is systemic impunity. And it is morally unforgivable.

Rwanda, PPE, HS2: A Catalogue of Unpunished Failure

The Rwanda deportation scheme cost the taxpayer over £290 million. Not a single deportation flight ever took place. A Supreme Court ruling in November 2023 deemed the plan unlawful. The government responded by passing emergency legislation to circumvent the decision. Upon taking office in July 2024, Labour scrapped the entire scheme. No removals occurred. No minister resigned.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government issued over £10.5 billion in contracts without competitive tendering. The National Audit Office later revealed that politically connected companies were prioritised through a so-called “VIP lane”. One such example: PPE Medpro, linked to a Conservative peer, received £202 million for unusable equipment. No prosecutions followed.

HS2’s northern leg was cancelled in 2023 after more than £20 billion had already been spent. Communities were uprooted. Land was seized and left barren. The Public Accounts Committee condemned the financial waste. Still—no accountability. No consequences.

These are not anomalies. They are symptoms of a culture that rewards failure and shields those responsible.

How the System Shields the Powerful

In British law, ministers are politically accountable, not legally accountable. They answer to Parliament and voters, not courts. The Ministerial Code, which outlines standards of behaviour, is not legally binding. It is enforced at the discretion of the Prime Minister—often the very person who benefits from its breach.

There is no legal duty to govern competently. There are no criminal penalties for wasting public money unless fraud can be proven. And good faith is routinely used as a shield for negligence.

Oversight Without Enforcement

Britain’s oversight mechanisms are performative:

The National Audit Office (NAO) can investigate and report, but not enforce.

Select Committees can question ministers, but not compel truth or impose penalties.

The Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests reports to the Prime Minister, not the public.

The Electoral Commission cannot investigate government policy misuse.

These bodies expose wrongdoing but are powerless to act on it.

The Real Cost: Public Trust and Democratic Legitimacy

The cost of this culture is more than financial. It is political and moral. Trust in government is plummeting. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, only 27% of Britons now believe their government tells the truth.

When power is exercised without fear of consequence, democracy becomes performative. The social contract dissolves. Citizens grow cynical, disengaged, and disenfranchised.

This Is Not an Accident. It’s a Design.

The UK political system is not broken. It is built this way. A system of conventions rather than laws. Of self-regulation rather than enforcement. Of theatrical accountability without legal consequence.

Until that changes, those in power will continue to waste, mislead, and self-enrich with impunity.

What Can Be Done: A Call to Action

If you believe this is unacceptable, you are not alone. But outrage without action changes nothing. Here’s what we, as citizens, can and must do:

1. Demand legal reform: Write to your MP insisting that the Ministerial Code be made legally binding.

2. Support independent watchdogs: Organisations like Transparency International UK and Spotlight on Corruption need public backing and funding.

3. Vote for accountability: Support candidates who commit to enforceable anti-corruption frameworks.

4. Expose and document abuse: Citizen journalism, FOI requests, and digital transparency tools are vital.

5. Join or support constitutional reform movements: Groups such as Unlock Democracy and Compass are pushing for structural change.

This fight isn’t just about money. It’s about the future of democracy in Britain.

Conclusion: No More Free Passes for Power

The British public has been too patient, too trusting, for too long. We are governed by a system that treats accountability as optional and views public outrage as a storm to be weathered. That era must end.

Let this be the moment we stop accepting failure without consequence. Let it be the moment we demand that those who waste public resources, lie to the electorate, and shield themselves from scrutiny face the same law that binds the rest of us.

"Accountability should not be a favour granted by the powerful. It must be a legal certainty imposed by the governed."

The time for polite frustration is over. The time for systemic reform is now.