Kathryn Elizabeth Stone OBE (born 8 August 1963)[1] is the former independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards of the British House of Commons from January 2018 until December 2022.
Kathryn Stone | |
|---|---|
| 6th Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards | |
| Appointed by | House of Commons Commission |
| Preceded by | Kathryn Hudson |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Greenberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kathryn Elizabeth Stone 8 August 1963 Derby, England |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of East London Loughborough University |
Early life
editKathryn Stone was born in Derby and grew up in Belper. She attended Belper High School. On leaving school, she became a houseparent for children with special needs. She graduated a bachelor's in sociology in the University of East London in 1985, qualified as a social worker in 1985, before going on to graduate with a master's in women studies from Loughborough University in 1990.[2][1]
She spent 11 years as the chief executive of the national charity Voice UK, being awarded an OBE in 2007 for services to people with learning disabilities.[3]
In 2009, Stone was made a Chartered Director and awarded Fellowship of the Institute of Directors.
In 2012 she was appointed as the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors for Northern Ireland.[3] She was also a commissioner for the Independent Police Complaints Commission, overseeing investigations for seven police forces in the Midlands and North, including into the Rotherham force’s failure to tackle child sex abuse.[2]
In 2016 she took the post of Legal Ombudsman for England and Wales. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Derby in 2018.[4]
Parliamentary Commissioner
editIn January 2018, Stone was appointed as the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards from a list of 81 candidates for a five year term. Her high profile cases included finding against the prime minister Boris Johnson over a free holiday he took in Mustique courtesy of a Tory donor.[2] She took over responsibility for the inquiry into Keith Vaz's behaviour when she complained that he had "failed, repeatedly, to answer direct questions, given incomplete answers and his account [had], in parts, been incredible".[2]
In 2021, she found that the MP Owen Paterson had breached the MP's Code of Conduct, a finding which resulted in the Parliamentary Standards Committee recommending a suspension from the Commons for a period of 30 sitting days.[5] Despite the fact that the prime minister encouraged a three-line whip on an amendment to change the standards system, the public backlash caused a reversal of policy and the next day Paterson resigned.[6]
In August 2022, she found that both Labour leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy had inadvertently broken the MP's code of conduct.[7][8]
Bar Standards Board
editOn 1 September 2022 she became the Chair of the Bar Standards Board.
Personal life
editStone has three children.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Stone, Kathryn, (born 8 Aug. 1963), Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, since 2018". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u286963. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d Stewart, Heather (4 November 2021). "Kathryn Stone: who is watchdog at heart of Owen Paterson row?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Denby woman appointed watchdog for MPs' conduct". Belper News. 23 September 2017. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "KATHRYN STONE OBE Commendation". University of Derby. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "'They all have to go' Tory MP calls for parliamentary sleaze inquisitor to quit - 'Rotten'". Daily Express. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ Scott, Jennifer (4 November 2021). "Owen Paterson quits as MP over lobbying row 'nightmare'". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "Sir Keir Starmer breached MPs' code of conduct eight times". BBC News. 4 August 2022.
- ^ "David Lammy MP inadvertently breached code of conduct". BBC News. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "In the line of fire: Victims Commissioner Kathryn Stone". Belfast Telegraph. 13 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.