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Downward spiral

John Bowers
€18.50
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A01=John Bowers
Author_John Bowers
Boris Johnson
Category=JPHC
Category=JPZ
David Cameron
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eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
ethical buoyancy
ethical regulation
good chaps
Greensill scandal
Keir Starmer
Lady Hale
Nolan Committee
partygate
PPE scandal
public standards
Rachel Reeves
restoring trust
seven principles of public life
Sue Gray report
Tony Blair
Tory sleaze
trust in government
wallpapergate

Product details

  • ISBN 9781526197245
  • Weight: 292g
  • Dimensions: 129 x 198mm
  • Publication Date: 07 Apr 2026
  • Publisher: Manchester University Press
  • Publication City/Country: GB
  • Product Form: Paperback
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Description

A forensic examination of ethical failure in the British government.
Boris Johnson’s premiership was marked by scandals that deeply undermined public trust, from dubious PPE procurement to the ‘partygate’ revelations. How did this downward spiral take hold, and what would it take to reverse it?
John Bowers KC offers a rigorous analysis of the erosion of ethical standards before, during and after the Johnson government. Drawing on interviews with insiders, he shows how accountability mechanisms were sidelined and how a culture of favouritism flourished, rooted in the assumption that those in power could be relied upon to regulate themselves.
Although the Labour victory of July 2024 brought political change, the underlying system remains vulnerable. Downward Spiral sets out concrete proposals for a more transparent and accountable alternative.
About John Bowers
John Bowers KC is Principal of Brasenose College, University of Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1979 and took silk in 1998. Described as ‘an employment law rock star’, he is the author of fifteen books, including Bowers on Employment Law, The Law of Industrial Action and Trade Union Recognition and Whistleblowing. He is a former chair of Bar Disciplinary Summary Tribunals and a member of the Bar Council’s Race Relations Committee. Since 2005 he has been a Bencher of Middle Temple.

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