Public has 'disturbingly' low trust in ministers

TRUST in government ministers has fallen to a fresh low, Britain's sleaze watchdog warned today.

Only 22 per cent of people think all or most ministers tell the truth, compared with 27 per cent in 2006 and 28 per cent in 2004, according to a survey for the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Just 38 per cent believe the majority of ministers do not use their power for personal gain - a figure which stood at 49 per cent two years ago and 47 per cent in 2004. One in five now believes all or most ministers are in touch with what the general public think, compared with at least 27 per cent in earlier years.

Voters also believe that ministers are now more likely to take bribes, not to set a good example for others in their private lives, are less competent in their jobs and do not use public money as wisely.

Committee chairman Sir Christopher Kelly, unveiling the 2008 study of public attitudes towards conduct in public life, said: "Some of the findings are distinctively disturbing." He refused to criticise Business Secretary Lord Mandelson over his links to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska.

But he argued the controversy over the former EU Trade Commissioner, and shadow chancellor George Osborne, visiting the oligarch's yacht this summer, further made the case for state funding of political parties. Gordon Brown and David Cameron, though, had to show the "courage" needed to reach a deal on using taxpayers' cash to pay for political parties, he added, stressing that Labour had to be willing to weaken its union links.

Sir Christopher also accused MPs of "shooting themselves in the foot" by failing to reform their expenses system including a £23,000-a-year second home allowance. Part of the survey was carried out during the furore over then Tory MP Derek Conway being censured by the Commons authorities for paying his son Freddie with public funds to work as a researcher while he was at university in Newcastle.

Respondents cited "MPs paying family members" as the top issue they had in mind when answering the questions.

Sir Christopher is to meet Commons Leader Harriet Harman to discuss the decision by MPs largely to reject a proposed shake-up of their expenses and allowances. He signalled his committee was prepare d to launch its own probe into the perks. He stressed that 41 per cent of people thought standards in public life had fallen in recent years.

The study also found 94 per cent of people have trust in GPs, 27 per cent in government ministers, 26 per cent in MPs and 21 per cent in estate agents.