Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether non-executive board members have to declare (a) past and (b) current membership of a political party; and what guidance he has issued to Departments on that subject.

Guidance on the declaration of interest process for Non-Executive Board Members, including political activity, was updated and published on 28 November 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-executive-board-member-declaration-of-interests-process/non-executive-board-member-declaration-of-interests-process#context

The Governance Code on Public appointments makes clear that political activity should not affect any judgement of merit nor be a bar to appointment for a candidate being considered for a public appointment. The Governance Code already requires, for successful candidates, public disclosure where candidates, in the last five years, have been employed by a political party, held a significant office in a party, have stood as a candidate for a party in an election, have publicly spoken on behalf of a political party, or have made significant donations or loans to a party.