• Contact
  • About
  • Authors
DONATE
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
  • Login
Yorkshire Bylines
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Brexit
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Home Affairs
    • Transport
    • World
    Emmanuel Macron

    French parliamentary elections 2022: shockwaves across the Channel

    Rail strikes

    Millions affected by biggest rail strike action in 30 years

    cost of living march london

    Trade union movement marches to demand better

    European Union

    After the seismic shocks of Brexit and Covid, what next for the European Union?

    Eurovision 2022 stage - photo by Michael Doherty on Wikimedia Commons licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

    What does Ukraine’s Eurovision win tell us about the politics of solidarity?

    Refugee Week

    Refugee week: a chance to celebrate refugees

    Yorkshire cows

    British farmers are being offered a lump sum payment to leave the industry – but at what cost to agriculture?

    Julian Assange

    Julian Assange’s extradition given the green light by the UK home secretary

    RSPB heritage event

    RSPB heritage event to tell the story of the Dearne Valley, from coal face to wild place

    Trending Tags

    • Johnson
    • Coronavirus
    • Labour
    • Starmer
    • NI Protocol
    • Brexit
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Home Affairs
    • Transport
    • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Culture
    • Dance
    • Food
    • Music
    • Poetry
    • Recipes
    • Sport
    Nostell Priory, Wakefield

    Glastonbury? What’s Glastonbury? When the music world came to Wakefield

    Headingley Cricket Stadium

    A view from the Roses match: is everything ‘rosey’ in English cricket?

    Bettys' Fat Rascals

    Scallywags, scoundrels and rascals abound in Yorkshire (we do like our scones)

    'Woke' beliefs

    Woke and proud: Compassion must never be allowed to go out of fashion

    Eurovision 2022 stage - photo by Michael Doherty on Wikimedia Commons licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

    What does Ukraine’s Eurovision win tell us about the politics of solidarity?

    Red Ladder

    Climbing the Red Ladder – bringing theatre to the community

    Kaiser Chiefs in Doncaster

    Kaiser Chiefs never miss a beat in Doncaster

    Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, second from right, is joined by Keighley Creative representatives, from left, Georgina Webster, Jan Smithies and Gemma Hobbs.

    Bradford announced as City of Culture 2025

    Queen cakes fit for a Queen

    Queen Cakes fit for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

    • Food
    • Music
    • Poetry
    • Sport
  • Business
    • All
    • Economy
    • Technology
    • Trade
    Freya Osment from Northern Gas Networks

    International Women in Engineering Day 2022

    Rail strikes

    Millions affected by biggest rail strike action in 30 years

    conservative party

    The Conservative Party: fiscally irresponsible and ideologically incapable of addressing the current crises

    Yorkshire cows

    British farmers are being offered a lump sum payment to leave the industry – but at what cost to agriculture?

    cost-of-living-crisis-in-voluntary-sector

    Cost-of-living crisis looming for the voluntary sector

    Money on the floor - £20 notes

    The huge cost of Brexit is being seriously understated

    Financial problems

    Surge in bad debt and late payments indicate mounting business distress in Yorkshire

    An evening photo tour of Drax power station near Selby, North Yorkshire, with excellent light towards sunset.

    Winter blackouts and rationing for six million homes as government plans for disruption to energy supply

    Jar with money cascading out of it

    Boosterism doesn’t put food on the table

    Trending Tags

      • Economy
      • Technology
      • Trade
    • Region
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • News
      • All
      • Brexit
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • Home Affairs
      • Transport
      • World
      Emmanuel Macron

      French parliamentary elections 2022: shockwaves across the Channel

      Rail strikes

      Millions affected by biggest rail strike action in 30 years

      cost of living march london

      Trade union movement marches to demand better

      European Union

      After the seismic shocks of Brexit and Covid, what next for the European Union?

      Eurovision 2022 stage - photo by Michael Doherty on Wikimedia Commons licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

      What does Ukraine’s Eurovision win tell us about the politics of solidarity?

      Refugee Week

      Refugee week: a chance to celebrate refugees

      Yorkshire cows

      British farmers are being offered a lump sum payment to leave the industry – but at what cost to agriculture?

      Julian Assange

      Julian Assange’s extradition given the green light by the UK home secretary

      RSPB heritage event

      RSPB heritage event to tell the story of the Dearne Valley, from coal face to wild place

      Trending Tags

      • Johnson
      • Coronavirus
      • Labour
      • Starmer
      • NI Protocol
      • Brexit
      • Culture
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Home Affairs
      • Transport
      • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Lifestyle
      • All
      • Culture
      • Dance
      • Food
      • Music
      • Poetry
      • Recipes
      • Sport
      Nostell Priory, Wakefield

      Glastonbury? What’s Glastonbury? When the music world came to Wakefield

      Headingley Cricket Stadium

      A view from the Roses match: is everything ‘rosey’ in English cricket?

      Bettys' Fat Rascals

      Scallywags, scoundrels and rascals abound in Yorkshire (we do like our scones)

      'Woke' beliefs

      Woke and proud: Compassion must never be allowed to go out of fashion

      Eurovision 2022 stage - photo by Michael Doherty on Wikimedia Commons licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

      What does Ukraine’s Eurovision win tell us about the politics of solidarity?

      Red Ladder

      Climbing the Red Ladder – bringing theatre to the community

      Kaiser Chiefs in Doncaster

      Kaiser Chiefs never miss a beat in Doncaster

      Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, second from right, is joined by Keighley Creative representatives, from left, Georgina Webster, Jan Smithies and Gemma Hobbs.

      Bradford announced as City of Culture 2025

      Queen cakes fit for a Queen

      Queen Cakes fit for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

      • Food
      • Music
      • Poetry
      • Sport
    • Business
      • All
      • Economy
      • Technology
      • Trade
      Freya Osment from Northern Gas Networks

      International Women in Engineering Day 2022

      Rail strikes

      Millions affected by biggest rail strike action in 30 years

      conservative party

      The Conservative Party: fiscally irresponsible and ideologically incapable of addressing the current crises

      Yorkshire cows

      British farmers are being offered a lump sum payment to leave the industry – but at what cost to agriculture?

      cost-of-living-crisis-in-voluntary-sector

      Cost-of-living crisis looming for the voluntary sector

      Money on the floor - £20 notes

      The huge cost of Brexit is being seriously understated

      Financial problems

      Surge in bad debt and late payments indicate mounting business distress in Yorkshire

      An evening photo tour of Drax power station near Selby, North Yorkshire, with excellent light towards sunset.

      Winter blackouts and rationing for six million homes as government plans for disruption to energy supply

      Jar with money cascading out of it

      Boosterism doesn’t put food on the table

      Trending Tags

        • Economy
        • Technology
        • Trade
      • Region
      No Result
      View All Result
      Yorkshire Bylines
      No Result
      View All Result
      Home News Home Affairs

      Kathryn Stone – a victim of the ‘old boys’ network’

      Kathryn Stone isn't the only woman in the role of parliamentary commissioner for standards to have experienced powerful men breaking rules.

      Dr Stella PerrottbyDr Stella Perrott
      12-11-2021 07:09
      in Home Affairs, Politics
      Kathryn Stone - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

      Kathryn Stone - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

      3.2k
      VIEWS
      Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
      ADVERTISEMENT

      In November 2001 Elizabeth Filkin, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, discovered that there was to be no extension of her three-year contract when she saw her job advertised in The Times. Her defenestration from the post was the culmination of an orchestrated campaign to remove her following her examination of Peter Mandelson’s financial arrangements for his house purchase while a minister in Tony Blair’s government.

      Powerful men don’t like being judged by women

      The attacks by ministers and MPs on the reputation and character of the current commissioner Kathryn Stone, following her report into Owen Paterson’s wrongdoings, are remarkably similar and reveal a deep-seated antipathy to women judging men’s behaviour. Powerful men do not welcome independent scrutiny and expect their behaviour to be judged by their peers, gentlemen like themselves, and to be judged against the norms to which they subscribe rather than the standards laid down in codes of conduct.

      The Commons vote last week to overturn the commissioner’s conclusions about Paterson’s consultancy work has been widely interpreted in the press (for example the Independent and the Guardian) as a clear attempt to undermine Stone, following her criticism of the PM’s holiday in Mustique in 2019 and in advance of enquires about his more recent holiday in Spain. But, it is more than that, and goes far beyond Johnson’s interests. There are many more male MPs (and some female ones) whose identity as a person of integrity, and their understanding of what constitutes ‘good behaviour’, is being challenged.

      It is not unusual for Johnson to make it difficult for regulators. Sir Alex Allan resigned as the prime minister’s independent adviser on ministers’ interests when Johnson overruled his conclusion that Priti Patel had broken the ministerial code following bullying claims. He did not need to be sacked. In the ‘gentlemen’s club’ in which both Allan and Johnson operate, what is expected and the consequences of not doing what is expected are understood without clear articulation. When women fail to understand or refuse to respond to the subtle signals, the attacks are more overt.

      The case of Elizabeth Filkin, parliamentary commissioner for standards

      In Filkin’s case, according to Peter Oborne, in an extract from his book, The Triumph of the Political Class:

      “In a move sanctioned by Downing Street, Labour MPs and ministers pressured Elizabeth Filkin into backing down … First, she was approached directly by MPs urging her to soften her style … Peter Mandelson first used ‘smarm and charm’ in order to evade criticism during his investigation. When that failed, Mandelson used menace instead.”

      This menace included a “venomous whispering campaign” with suggestions that she was a “mad alcoholic”. The standards and privileges committee “was stuffed with pro-Government stooges who overturned Mrs Filkin’s damning reports … and three MPs on the committee received sudden promotions, meaning that they could not criticise government ministers”.

      Oborne maintains that the Blair government was supported in the attack by other parties in order to protect their privileges.

      “The Tories and the Liberal Democrats colluded in the use of Parliament to destroy the reputation of a decent woman … the Political Class did not respond by cleaning up its act and punishing wrongdoers. Instead, it turned its fire on the person who investigated the misdemeanours, and tried – very successfully – to cover up their own wrongdoing.”

      In the end, Filkin was dispatched without grace. Public appointments of this nature are generally renewed for a further term without open competition to ensure continuity and investment in the work, unless the incumbent has been failing. Advertising her job was a clear indication that she was not going to be appointed by ‘mutual consent’ and, to make reapplication impossible for her, the hours of work and staff support for the role were cut by 25 percent and her remit reduced.

      Prince Andrew in May 2013, photo by the Open University on Flickr
      Home Affairs

      Prince’s defence demonstrates that blaming rape victims is still socially acceptable

      byDr Stella Perrott
      4 November 2021

      Has Stone likewise been menaced?

      As far as we know Stone has not been ‘menaced’, but the attempts to ruin her reputation and pressure her to resign have been significant. On 16 October, the day before the Commons debate, Paterson made a statement to the media. In addition to outlining why he believed he was not guilty and discussing the worry and suicide of his wife over the course of the investigation, he alleged that:

      • “The process I have been subject to does not comply with natural justice
      • No proper investigation was undertaken by the Commissioner or the Committee
      • I was pronounced guilty by the Commissioner without being spoken to and the 17 witnesses who came forward to support me were also not spoken to and their written evidence ignored
      • The Commissioner has admitted making her mind up before speaking to me or any witnesses
      • There has been an absolute denial of justice which must be seen to be done and not delayed – this has taken 2 years.”

      He also alleged that the commissioner extended her remit in interviews with him and would not permit him to make suggestions as to who should be interviewed. He described the process as “tortuous and inadequate” and indicated that he “would not hesitate to act in the same way again”. He went on to blame the commissioner for his distress and his wife’s suicide:

      “On a personal level, the cost to me and my three grown-up children from the manner of this investigation has been catastrophic. Last summer, in the midst of the investigation, my wife of 40 years, Rose, took her own life. We will never know definitively what drove her to suicide, but the manner in which this investigation was conducted undoubtedly played a major role.”

      He concluded by saying: “I believe that no other MP should ever again be subject to this shockingly inadequate process.” He also called for the Stone to quit. David Davis, in support of his colleague claimed that Stone was “high-handed”, and her investigations “amateurish”.

      Stone followed fair and agreed procedures

      Stone had no right of reply to these unevidenced and unsupported allegations.

      The committee report, which includes the commissioner’s report and all the witness statements, is detailed and lengthy. The procedures Stone followed are clearly set out in published guidance and, although they follow neither a criminal court or employment hearing by way of process or calling of evidence, there is no doubt that the process is fair and one that has been agreed by all parties. Additional safeguards, and mitigation and appeal (against the penalty or findings) are provided through the standards committee and, separately, a debate in the House of Commons.

      The committee unanimously upheld Stone’s conclusions (and the committee has a record of not doing so on many occasions) and were content that the process was sound and fair. Chris Bryant’s speech covers all the points Paterson raised in his advance publicity – something that would have been denied him in a criminal court or an employment tribunal.

      Image shows Robbie Moore, MP for Keighley - by David Woolfall
      Home Affairs

      Are Moore’s calls for a public inquiry into Bradford grooming gang racist?

      byDr Stella Perrott
      7 November 2021

      Putting pressure on the commissioner

      The day after the vote, the business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said on Sky news that Stone should “consider her position”, adding “it’s difficult to see what the future of the commissioner is”.

      The education minister Nadhim Zahawi also spoke to Sky News and seemed to suggest that the Conservative majority in the Commons might yet be used to put pressure on Stone:

      “I think it’s important to remind all parliamentarians and the country as a whole that Kathryn Stone works for the house, for the legislature, and I think it’s only right that I echo the words of the Speaker by saying that it is up to the house how the commissioner and the procedures are delivered.”

      Zahawi admitted that he had not read the reports. He had accepted at face value that the process had been unfair and relied on being told that this was so by Paterson: “Owen says that much of it is contested, right … I think something like 14 people have sent statements [saying] that it is contested.”

      Stone’s investigation of Marcus Fysh MP

      This is not the first time Stone has been under attack from Conservative MPs. She investigated the MP Marcus Fysh in 2018 following an article in Private Eye that alleged that Fysh had failed to declare offshore financial interests. The commissioner found that he had breached parliamentary standards and offered to resolve the complaint through the ‘rectification’ procedure. Fysh denied wrongdoing in respect of two out of three of the allegations and so the matter went to the parliamentary committee on standards.

      The committee upheld the commissioner’s findings. It noted that Fysh consistently delayed responding to the inquiry and commented that his “deprecatory and, at points, patronising tone” towards the commissioner and registrar was unacceptable, as were his unfounded questions about their objectivity. The patronising and disrespectful attitude is evidenced in Fysh’s submissions to the committee. He said:

      “[The commissioner] has a right to say what she wants to say, but that does not mean it is correct in either its appreciation of the legal and normative context or indeed the explicit guidance given in the rules.”

      Fysh was clear in his evidence that he thought his behaviour should be judged according to the norms of the House of Commons rather than the behavioural norms expected in the standards and codes laid down by parliament.

      Both commissioners have experience and integrity

      Neither Filkin nor Stone came to the post via politics, or any work that might be described as part of an old boys’ network. Both started their careers as social workers and both had long experience in regulatory and inquiry roles protecting the vulnerable, often against powerful establishment figures.

      Filkin worked in Citizens Advice and was the inquiry lead in the News International phone-hacking scandal. Stone was the commissioner for victims and survivors in Northern Ireland and was a commissioner for the Independent Police Complaints Commission overseeing the investigation into police failures to investigate child sexual abuse in Rotherham.

      They are immune to men in powerful positions who try to deny culpability or cast themselves as the victims. They meet with great rigour attempts to undermine investigations. They do not subscribe to the view that a ‘gentleman’s’ word can be trusted and focus on the evidence. Conversely, they lack political antennae and without a network of powerful supporters in the Commons and elsewhere, they will always be at risk of being undermined or their credibility being attacked.

      Tags: Equality
      ADVERTISEMENT
      Previous Post

      Tory MP accused of faking constituency visits – after using same photo three times

      Next Post

      Review: Gaucho restaurant in Leeds, the meat is on

      Dr Stella Perrott

      Dr Stella Perrott

      Stella Perrott is a consultant in criminal justice and children’s services who has spent 25 years reviewing public services when things have gone wrong. She lives in North Yorkshire.

      Related Posts

      Conservative Party Meeting
      Politics

      Hypocrisy, desperation and excuses: Conservative Party clutch at straws over by-election losses

      bySue Wilson MBE
      27 June 2022
      10/05/2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the House of Commons. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
      Politics

      The country needs more than just ‘Booting Boris out of Downing Street’

      byDr Stella Perrott
      26 June 2022
      Emmanuel Macron
      Politics

      French parliamentary elections 2022: shockwaves across the Channel

      byAnn Moody
      25 June 2022
      March for women
      Politics

      Women of Wakefield: people power only works if the people use that power

      byProfessor Juliet Lodge
      24 June 2022
      your vote matters wakefield by-election
      Politics

      Spotlight on some of the smaller parties in the Wakefield by-election

      byWill Barber Taylor
      22 June 2022
      Next Post
      Gaucho restaurant in Leeds

      Review: Gaucho restaurant in Leeds, the meat is on

      Want to support us?

      Can you help Yorkshire Bylines to grow and become more sustainable with a regular donation, no matter how small?  

      DONATE

      Sign up to our newsletter

      If you would like to receive the Yorkshire Bylines regular newsletter, straight talking direct to your inbox, click the button below.

      NEWSLETTER

      LATEST

      Conservative Party Meeting

      Hypocrisy, desperation and excuses: Conservative Party clutch at straws over by-election losses

      27 June 2022
      Nostell Priory, Wakefield

      Glastonbury? What’s Glastonbury? When the music world came to Wakefield

      26 June 2022
      10/05/2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the House of Commons. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

      The country needs more than just ‘Booting Boris out of Downing Street’

      26 June 2022
      Emmanuel Macron

      French parliamentary elections 2022: shockwaves across the Channel

      25 June 2022

      MOST READ

      10/05/2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the House of Commons. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

      The country needs more than just ‘Booting Boris out of Downing Street’

      26 June 2022
      Nostell Priory, Wakefield

      Glastonbury? What’s Glastonbury? When the music world came to Wakefield

      26 June 2022
      Photo credit Robert Sharp / englishpenLicensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

      The Davis Downside Dossier

      1 January 2021
      Conservative Party Meeting

      Hypocrisy, desperation and excuses: Conservative Party clutch at straws over by-election losses

      27 June 2022

      BROWSE BY TAGS

      antivaxxers Charity climate change Coronavirus Cost of living Creative industries Crime Cummings Democracy Devolution education Equality Farming Fishing hgv History Immigration Johnson Journalism Labour Local Democracy Mental Health mining money NHS NI Protocol omicron Pies pollution poverty PPE Public Health Review shortage social media Starmer tax travel Ukraine Yorkshire
      Yorkshire Bylines

      Yorkshire Bylines is a regional online newspaper that supports citizen journalism. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in Yorkshire and beyond.

      Learn more about us

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Contact
      • About
      • Letters
      • Donate
      • Privacy
      • Bylines network
      • Shop

      © 2022 Yorkshire Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • News
        • Brexit
        • Education
        • Environment
        • Health
        • Home Affairs
        • Transport
        • World
      • Politics
      • Opinion
      • Lifestyle
        • Culture
        • Dance
        • Food
        • Music
        • Poetry
        • Recipes
        • Sport
      • Business
        • Economy
        • Technology
        • Trade
      • Donate
      • The Compendium of Cabinet Codebreakers
      • The Davis Downside Dossier
      • The Digby Jones Index
      • Newsletter sign up
      • Cartoons by Stan
      • Authors

      © 2022 Yorkshire Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

      Welcome Back!

      Login to your account below

      Forgotten Password?

      Retrieve your password

      Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

      Log In