Leadership and Standards in Public Life: A Crisis of Confidence?

Kathryn Stone is one of the country’s leading independent commissioners for standards in public life. She was the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in the House of Commons from January 2018 to December 2022. During her term of office, Kathryn oversaw high-profile investigations into MPs’ conduct, including the Owen Paterson case in 2021. After five years as the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards I am now the Chair of the Bar Standards Board.

Kathryn has also served as  Commissioner for Victims and Survivors for Northern Ireland and a commissioner for the Independent Police Complaints Commission, overseeing investigations for seven police forces in the Midlands and North. For eleven years, she was chief executive of the national charity Voice UK, being awarded an OBE in 2007 for services to people with learning disabilities.

As part of the debate there will be opportunities for you to submit your questions to the speakers. A recording of the event will be available to watch online for anyone who is unable to be there in person.

The Durham Cathedral Institute was a new venture in 2022. The Institute is led by Reverend Canon Professor Simon Oliver, Van Mildert Professor of Divinity and hosts panel debates and lectures on the key moral, political, and spiritual issues of the day, attracting leading experts and public figures from across the UK. It provides a forum for civic debate and learning for the people of North East England. Panel discussions on levelling-up featuring John Tomaney and Fiona Hill, and a lecture on the war in Ukraine with speaker Bridge Kendall took place in 2022. As well as the most recent debate about standards in public life, a debate on the future of secondary education is planned for October 2023.