MPs have approved the appointment of the former chair of Vote Leave as the new First Commissioner of the Civil Service, despite fears of partisanship.
Gisela Stuart, former Labour MP and current peer in the House of Lords, will replace Ian Watmore in the role. She will be the first politician to hold the role in over 100 years.
The announcement has sparked controversy as her position with Vote Leave coincided with the group being found guilty of breaking the law by the Electoral Commission.
Guardian journalist Carole Cadwalladr tweeted: “Gisela Stuart, as chair of Vote Leave, oversaw both electoral fraud & its cover-up. This is an ideological appointment that drives a stake through everything the civil service stands for.”
Gisela Stuart, as chair of Vote Leave, oversaw both electoral fraud & its cover-up. This is an ideological appointment that drives a stake through everything the civil service stands for https://t.co/v2skBYim6C
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) February 14, 2022
According to the Huffington Post, Keir Starmer has written to Steve Barclay, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, to say that although Stuart’s career has been “admirable”, “she is a former elected politician and chaired a national political campaign”.
Reports claim Starmer said: “She is closely politically connected to the current government and has campaigned with many of them on important political matters that are still relevant to the challenges faced by departments.
“This means that there are questions over whether she is in a position to provide advice and oversight that is independent, impartial and objective.
“Her appointment as the first civil service commissioner raises similar questions.”
Starmer’s Labour party have four MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee that decided Stuart’s appointment, none of whom turned up to vote.
Instead, only four Tory MPs - including David Mundell - and the SNP's Ronnie Cowan were present.
READ MORE: John Bercow in blistering Sky News rant against 'worst PM' Boris Johnson
That committee's report said: “Whilst the majority of the committee members were content to endorse Baroness Stuart’s appointment as First Civil Service Commissioner, reservations were expressed about her suitability for the role and, in particular, her perceived impartiality.”
SNP MP Ronnie Cowan was the only member of the committee to vote against her appointment.
He said: "The First Civil Service Commissioner has to be completely impartial in carrying out the role. The last time there was what could be described as a political appointment was 1909.
“Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston cannot claim to be impartial when she has been so active in politics over the years. She was front and centre supporting the UK withdrawal from the EU, she was a Labour Party MP for twenty years and given a place in the House of Lords by the current Prime Minister.
"Her career has been politics, we can’t just forget that now because the Prime Minister wants her in a position where she can scrutinise all senior civil service appointments which should, ironically, be made on merit.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel