Labour has demanded an investigation into Kwasi Kwarteng’s speculation about the future of parliament’s standards watchdog in the wake of the Owen Paterson controversy. Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, has written to Boris Johnson’s ethical adviser calling for an investigation into Kwarteng’s remarks, claiming they may have breached the ministerial code. Rayner also suggested the business secretary’s comments could amount to bullying an official. When asked whether Kathryn Stone should resign her position as parliamentary commissioner for standards following Wednesday’s vote to form a new committee examining the system, Kwarteng said she should “decide [on] her position”. After a huge backlash from both within his own party and in the general public, Boris Johnson announced a U-turn on the vote less then 24 hours later. When the prime minister made it clear he would no longer seek to prevent Paterson from being punished by parliament for lobbying, the former cabinet minister resigned as an MP. Speaking on Sky News on Thursday morning, Kwarteng said: “I think it’s difficult to see what the future of the commissioner is, given the fact that we’re reviewing the process, and we’re overturning and trying to reform this whole process, but it’s up to the commissioner to decide her position.”
Pushed on what he meant by “decide her position”, the MP for Spelthorne in Surrey said: “It’s up to her to do that. “I mean, it’s up to anyone where they’ve made a judgment and people have sought to change that, to consider their position, that’s a natural thing, but I’m not saying she should resign.” In a letter to Christopher Geidt, Johnson’s independent adviser on ministers’ interests, Rayner said: “For the business secretary to use this entirely corrupt process to bully the independent parliamentary commissioner is disgusting. “This type of behaviour has no place in our democracy.” She suggested Kwarteng could be in breach of a section of the code which requires ministers to “treat all those with whom they come into contact with consideration and respect” and for working relationships with civil servants, ministerial and parliamentary colleagues and parliamentary staff to be “proper and appropriate”. Downing Street would not be drawn on whether Johnson thought Stone should resign. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “That’s entirely a matter for her.”