THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From leading MP Chris Bryant, the inside story of misconduct in parliament – and how we can help solve it.

THE INSTANT TOP TWO SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From leading MP Chris Bryant, the inside story of misconduct in parliament – and how we can help solve it. *Updated at paperback with a new chapter* 'Takes a bulldozer to the crumbling edifice of parliamentary standards' JAMES O'BRIEN * 'Absolutely riveting' REVEREND RICHARD COLES * 'Lively, forensic, engrossing' OBSERVER * 'Vital' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL * 'Blisteringly topical' TELEGRAPH * 'Rollicking' i-PAPER * 'Unputdownable' CAROL VORDERMAN Having spent years as Chair of the Committees on Standards and Privileges, Chris Bryant has been in the thick of the battle over standards in parliament. Cronyism, nepotism, conflicts of interest, misconduct and lying: politicians are engaging in these activities more frequently than ever before, with dangerous results for our democracy. Taking us inside the Pugin-carpeted corridors of Westminster, from the prime minister’s office to the Strangers’ Bar, Code of Conduct examines how parliament has got into this mess and suggests how it might – at last – get its house in order.

"A lively, forensic, engrossing, sometimes entertaining, often disturbing and always unflinching interrogation of what’s gone wrong with our legislature" - OBSERVER

"A powerful examination of parliamentary conduct and the eroding of standards . . . Engaging, thoughtful, powerful and funny" - PoliticsHome

"An important book that could lead to much-needed change . . . His analysis is spot-on . . . Bryant is empathic and likeable. So many MPs are career politicians and struggle to relate to the rest of us – or can’t be bothered to. Bryant has done lots of jobs and has lived an incredibly varied life . . . Bryant’s book does not simply expose the shortcomings of parliament; it’s a manifesto for reform. It lays our everything he thinks must change . . . The more he shows his humility, the more I’m convinced he’s the right person for the job" - GUARDIAN

"Blisteringly topical . . . We still need ideas on how to clear up sleaze in general. And few placed are better placed to offer some than the man who’s written this book, Sir Chris Bryant . . . Bryant is admirably self-aware . . . And for another, he’s very readable. He has a fine fund of historic anecdotes: for example, the one about the 18th-century MP who, as punishment for forgery, was put in the pillory and pelted with “eggs, ordure and dead cats”. He has amusing stories from his own life in politics. And he can be dryly witty" - TELEGRAPH

"A manifesto for a better politics . . . Bryant’s account of what is rotten in the state of politics is neither lofty nor overmoralising, but remains gently steadfast in the belief that parliament in general and this one in particular has lost its way. Code of Conduct is an attempt to guide it back to something like the straight and narrow . . . Bryant brings with him more than two decades’ experience as a parliamentarian, a nonpartisan approach that helps him look beyond the failings of individuals to the system itself, and a raft of often small but practical suggestions for cleaning out the stables" - GUARDIAN

"A clean-up manual and rollicking parliamentary history" - i-NEWS

"How rotten is our democracy? Chris Bryant knows better than most what the answer should be to this . . . The book is mostly concerned with how standards have disintegrated significantly since [2001], especially in the past three years of Conservative psychodrama . . . What Bryant suggests is actually based on what happens in parliament, rather than a caricature" - OBSERVER

"A brave and important work book by a formidable parliamentarian. . . The proposals set out by Chris Bryant to clean up Parliament should be adopted by his party’s leader for its next manifesto . . . As chair of the Commons’ Committee of Standards and Privileges, Chris Bryant carries authority. And he has assembled his evidence with care and intellectual precision" - BYLINE TIMES

"An author intimately acquainted with the workings of Westminster and its disciplinary system . . . Bryant’s position means the book is peppered with behind-the-scenes anecdotes – he is an engaging storyteller, both in person and on the page – and his conclusions carry considerable authority" - INDEPENDENT