Business Appointment Rules

Ministers and civil servants leaving office are subject to rules regarding appointment in other sectors. These rules, known as the Business Appointment Rules, exist to prevent former civil servants and ministers being able to profit from their knowledge of and contacts within Whitehall, and to prevent any perception of wrongdoing. The rules are administered by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACoBA). 

ACoBA considers applications under the Business Appointment Rules about new jobs for former ministers, senior civil servants and other Crown servants. It is an advisory non‑departmental public body, sponsored by the Cabinet Office. The Membership includes political party nominees and independent members appointed by the Prime Minister. 

ACoBA has been described by its former Chair Lord Pickles as “dead in the water, next to useless, utterly pointless and in need of reform”, and as “toothless” by the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner

The government plans to change the rules and system that governs employment of ministers and senior civil servants after they leave government.

The government’s plans to close ACoBA in October 2025. Its functions will be transferred to the Civil Service Commission and the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards:

• The Civil Service Commission will take responsibility for providing advice to senior civil servants and special advisors. The Civil Service Commission currently provides independent advice on recruitment to the civil service. It will have power to provide advice to the Cabinet Office on changes to the business appointment rules for civil servants. It will also regularly audit departmental decisions on the application of the business appointment rules for grades below senior civil servant which are not currently covered by AcoBA’s remit.
• The Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards will take responsibility for providing advice to ministers on employment after they leave government. As mentioned above, ministers who are found in “serious breach” of the business appointment rules may be asked to repay any severance payment they received.

More information on these changes can be found in the Library briefing paper: Ethics and Integrity Commission.

This briefing will be updated more thoroughly to reflect changes to the business appointment rules system when they come into effect.