The government has published a revised version of the code of conduct for ministers, beefing up sections on harassment and inappropriate behaviour and requiring overseas meetings to be properly recorded.

The update of the ministerial code follows the departure of several ministers who faced claims of improper behaviour, and the case of the former international development secretary Priti Patel, who held a series of unofficial meetings in Israel.

Theresa May’s spokesman said the code would be sent to ministers, who would need to confirm that they and their aides had read it.

A new preface to the code by May says: “We need to establish a new culture of respect at the centre of our public life: one in which everyone can feel confident that they are working in a safe and secure environment.”

In the general principles for ministers, the document says their working relationships with civil servants, ministerial and parliamentary colleagues and parliamentary staff, among others, “should be proper and appropriate”.

In a new section, the code continues: “Harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the ministerial code and will not be tolerated.”

This follows a wave of allegations against MPs and some ministers, which led to several departures. In November the then defence secretary, Michael Fallon, left the government after saying his behaviour towards women in the past had “fallen short”, following claims he had made unwanted advances.

Shortly before Christmas, May’s effective deputy Damian Green was sacked after admitting he lied about the presence of pornographic images on his House of Commons computer found during a police raid in 2008.

A Cabinet Office inquiry also looked into separate allegations, made by a Conservative activist, Kate Maltby, that Green had behaved improperly towards her, but was unable to reach a definitive conclusion.

Also in December, the junior trade minister Mark Garnier was allowed to stay in his job despite admitting he had asked his former assistant to buy a sex toy and called her “sugar tits”. An inquiry found there was a difference in interpretation as to whether offence had been meant.

Garnier was also cleared because the events in question happened before he was a minister. The Downing Street spokesman declined to say whether the revised code would allow potential action over incidents before people were appointed. Garnier lost his ministerial job in Tuesday’s reshuffle.

Another section of the code says that when holding meetings overseas with ministers or officials from foreign governments, or at meetings “where official business is likely to be discussed”, a private secretary or embassy official should be present.

If a minister is at a social event or on holiday and discusses official business without any such official there, “any significant content should be passed back to the department as soon as possible after the event”, it adds.

Patel resigned after it emerged she had met more than a dozen Israeli ministers, businesspeople and a senior lobbyist while on holiday in the country and had not properly informed No 10.



The new edition of the code is framed by the same seven principles of public life – selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership – but is less explicit on areas such as general behaviour towards others.