Britain has long prided itself on a political culture of accountability — a democracy where those who seek power must answer for how they use it. Parliament, a free press and an independent electoral commission form the architecture of that accountability. Yet the question of where public scrutiny ends and private life begins has never been fully resolved, and it is a tension that has returned sharply to the centre of British political debate.
Politicians expect their privacy to be upheld, even when the nature of their job makes it impossible for them to live a normal life free from the scrutiny of the media. They enjoy the privilege of free publicity, and whatever they do or fail to do automatically becomes news. That is the ultimate price of public office.
