Who is the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards?

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an independent officer who investigates allegations that MPs have breached the House of Commons’ Code of Conduct. Following investigation, if they think the allegation represents a breach of standards, they can either put such cases before the Committee on Standards  (in more serious cases) or allow the MP to rectify the breach (in minor cases). The Committee on Standards then decide any sanctions for the MP.

The Commissioner also has oversight of the investigations that happen under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), looking into allegations from the parliamentary community about harassment, bullying or sexual harassment.

The Commissioner is appointed for a non-renewable, five-year term, after being recommended by the House of Commons Commission – whose membership includes the Speaker, the Leader and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons amongst others.

The current Parliamentary Commissioner is Kathryn Stone OBE.

Read more about parliamentary standards and MPs’ behaviour here.

Read more about the Committee on Standards here.