Rishi Sunak finally appointed a new ethics adviser today as he handed the role to Historic England chairman and investment banker Sir Laurie Magnus.
The Prime Minister had previously promised to fill the vacant position of Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests as ‘one of the first things’ he did on entering No10.
But it has taken him almost two months to find someone to take on the job.
Despite finally filling the position, Mr Sunak came under fire this afternoon for not beefing up Sir Laurie’s powers in the role.
Sir Laurie Magnus, the chairman of Historic England and an investment banker, is the PM’s new ethics adviser
Under the terms of his appointment, Sir Laurie will still not be able to instigate his own investigations into ministerial wrongdoing without the PM’s prior approval.
And Mr Sunak will remain the ‘ultimate judge’ of whether a minister should be sacked even if they are found to have broken rules by the independent adviser.
The position had been vacant since Lord Geidt quit as Boris Johnson‘s ethics adviser in June, following a row over Partygate and repeated requests for him to approve breaches of international law.
He was the second ethics adviser to resign while Mr Johnson was PM.
Sir Alex Allan previously quit in 2020 after his finding that then-home secretary Priti Patel had bullied staff was overruled.
During the almost two months it has taken him to appoint a new ethics adviser, Mr Sunak has faced a series of controversies including over his reappointment of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary.
It came just six days after she was forced to resign from the same role for breaking ministerial rules.
The PM has also seen Sir Gavin Williamson resign after ‘bullying’ claims.
And he has been forced to order an independent probe into Deputy PM Dominic Raab’s conduct towards officials amid a spate of official complaints.
Rishi Sunak had previously promised to fill the position of Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests as ‘one of the first things’ he did on entering No10
In a letter to Sir Laurie, released by Downing Street, Mr Sunak said it had been a ‘priority’ for him to appoint a new adviser.
He told Sir Laurie that he was ‘confident that you will serve the role with distinction, in the best traditions of public service’.
‘I have been clear that I expect the Government I lead to have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level,’ the PM added.
Sir Laurie is the chairman of Historic England, a trustee of English Heritage and a senior adviser to investment banking firm Evercore.
He was awarded a CBE in the most recent New Year’s honours list for services to heritage.
Sir Laurie will hold the role for the next five years and will have a team of civil servants working under him.
In his reply to Mr Sunak, Sir Laurie told the PM: ‘I will endeavour to discharge the important responsibilities of the role with fairness and integrity, in a manner which inspires the confidence of ministers, Parliament and the public.
‘I see maintaining that confidence as a critically important element of governance in this country. It is an honour to be asked to carry out the role, and a significant responsibility.’
Sir Laurie promised to provide Mr Sunak with an annual report by May next year and to update the register of ministers’ interests ‘well before’ then.
The list of ministers’ interests details any financial interests or non-governmental roles held by all Government ministers or relevant interests held by their spouses, partners or close family members.
It has not been updated since May this year, since when there have been a whole raft of new ministerial appointments.
Lord Geidt quit as Boris Johnson ‘s ethics adviser in June, following a row over Partygate and repeated requests for him to approve breaches of international law
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner accused the PM of choosing to ‘preserve the rotten ethics regime he inherited’ after he failed to beef up Sir Laurie’s powers
Downing Street confirmed Sir Laurie will carry out the role along the same terms of reference as Lord Geidt.
This prompted an immediate backlash from union leaders and Labour.
Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union which represents senior civil servants, accused Mr Sunak of overseeing the ‘same old problems’ despite the new appointment.
‘Rishi Sunak has ignored calls from the Committee on Standards in Public Life to allow for independent investigations,’ he said.
‘The PM retains a veto over investigations into his minister’s conduct and is the sole arbiter of the ministerial code, including any sanctions. How will this give civil servants the confidence to come forward?
‘Integrity is just a meaningless word without action.’
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: ‘After months of dither and delay, Rishi Sunak has chosen to preserve the rotten ethics regime he inherited from his predecessors that saw the previous two ethics watchdogs walk out.
‘By ignoring the Committee on Standards in Public Life and refusing to grant his ethics adviser genuine independence, this weak PM is failing to deliver the integrity he promised and instead has installed yet another toothless watchdog.’
As well as appointing Sir Laurie, Mr Sunak today reissued the ministerial code, which is the list of rules Government appointees are expected to abide by.
Mr Sunak wrote in the foreword: ‘I know ministers enter government because they believe in public service.
‘They work hard because they want to make a difference to others.
‘They do their jobs knowing it is an incredible privilege to serve. In everything we do, we must keep those thoughts at the forefront of our minds to earn the trust of the British people.’
It was noted that – despite the claims against Sir Gavin and Mr Raab – Mr Sunak made no specific mention of bullying in his foreword, as Mr Johnson had done in a previous version published in May.
‘There must be no bullying and no harassment,’ the now former PM had written in his own foreword.