What is sleaze?

In British politics, ‘Sleaze’ is a common term used to describe accusations of misconduct, misbehavior and corruption. ‘Sleaze’ first entered the political lexicon in the 1990s, as the Major Government struggled with myriad scandals around ‘cash for questions’, as well as the personal conduct of Conservative politicians.

The Labour opposition has made accusations of ‘sleaze’ against the Conservative Government, particularly following questions around donations to the Conservative Party, procurement decisions and the breaking of lobbying rules.

See:

https://ukandeu.ac.uk/podcasts/brexit-and-beyond-podcast-with-elizabeth-david-barrett/

https://ukandeu.ac.uk/will-sleaze-unravel-the-2019-conservative-voter-coalition/

https://ukandeu.ac.uk/explainers/parliamentary-standards-and-mps-behaviour/