When the stairs are swept in half

On September 5, the British political world was rocked by the news of the resignation of Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister and second-in-command of the ruling Labour Party. The reason? An ethics committee determined that she had improperly evaded paying property taxes on a beach apartment. Under UK law, a second home is taxed more than a taxpayer's primary residence, a charge she avoided paying.

Beyond the act itself, the resignation of Rayner , who also served as housing minister in Prime Minister Keir Starmer 's cabinet, underlines a fundamental principle of British parliamentary democracy: accountability is ruthless and applies to everyone, even when the error seems minor compared to larger scandals.

This fact forces us to look at our own reality. In Mexico, the fight against corruption is a flagship of the ruling movement, which has promised to "sweep the stairs from top to bottom." However, practice is far from rhetoric. While it is to be celebrated that law enforcement authorities are taking action against naval commanders and customs officials for allowing the entry of smuggled fuel, known as "fiscal huachicol," the action feels incomplete. If the stairs are swept from top to bottom, why does it seem like here they are only being swept from the middle down?

In this case, it's necessary to ask whether the corruption under investigation stemmed from a well-connected vice admiral or reached higher up. And also, obviously, how much weight has the US pressure to punish the practice of fuel theft been exerting? The promise to clean up the country from the top collides with a reality where investigations and accusations of corruption focus almost exclusively on figures from the past or the opposition. Files are rarely opened against key figures from the ruling party. And this is particularly noticeable in cases that merit, at the very least, public scrutiny.

A clear example is the situation of Senator Adán Augusto López Hernández . As governor of Tabasco, he appointed Hernán Bermúdez Requena , who was later accused of leading the criminal group La Barredora. Despite the seriousness of the accusation, López Hernández has not even been called to testify in the case, nor has Bermúdez Requena been arrested.

The contrast becomes even more acute when considering the case of Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña . The legislator publicly admitted to being in the process of acquiring a house in Tepoztlán, Morelos, a municipality with a communal property status that makes it impossible to obtain a private deed or obtain credit. Furthermore, the property is reportedly located in an ecological reserve zone, a fact that, if true, would implicate multiple irregularities. Despite this, Fernández Noroña has not even been internally criticized for his own declaration, in a movement that promotes austerity, that he does not have to be austere.

It's ironic that, in the United Kingdom, a tax error by the deputy prime minister is enough to force her resignation, while in Mexico, top figures face no investigation for much more serious scandals. Angela Rayner 's case demonstrates that, in a functioning democracy, the highest office is no shield of protection. Her position did not guarantee her impunity, and the ethic of service prevailed over her political power.

Mexican citizens deserve to see that the commitment to "sweep the stairs from top to bottom" is not just a slogan. The fight against corruption must be equal, regardless of whether those involved are past or present, the opposition or the ruling party. The credibility of the justice system and the political class is at stake. Otherwise, we will continue to see how, in other parts of the world, the rule of law sets an example that in Mexico seems distant and unattainable.