John Bowers talks to Jonathan Phillips

Employment and human rights lawyer John Bowers looks at the decline in ethical standards before, during and after the Johnson government and asks how it came about and what can be done to reverse it.

Bowers looks at the public institutions responsible for holding the government to account and explains how they have been bypassed by prime ministers determined to impose their agenda. And he uses interviews with political insiders to throw light on scandals such as partygate and Greensill and on the culture of favouritism. Bowers says that while Sunak entered number 10 on a promise of restoring integrity, much remains to be done.

Bowers is principal of Brasenose College and a lawyer mainly practising in the areas of employment law and human rights. He has been described as ‘an employment law rock star’. He has acted in many of the major industrial disputes of recent decades including the 1984 Miners Strike, the 1989 Docks Dispute and the News International Wapping dispute. He has written 15 books including Bowers on Employment Law, The Law of Industrial Action and Trade Union Recognition and Whistleblowing. Here he talks to retired civil servant and former permanent secretary of the Northern Ireland Office Sir Jonathan Phillips.