Stormont watchdog quits after one week in post

The Northern Ireland Assembly’s new standards commissioner has stepped down a week after being appointed.

Mark McEwan, a former assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), is instead joining Surrey Constabulary as deputy chief constable.

It comes just a week after he was formally appointed to succeed Melissa McCullough as the assembly’s commissioner for standards.

Stormont assembly speaker Edwin Poots said a new commissioner would be appointed “as soon as possible”.

The commissioner investigates complaints about the behaviour of ministers in Northern Ireland’s devolved government and members of the legislative assembly (MLAs).

In a letter to MLAs on Tuesday, Poots said Mr McEwan had “today informed the clerk/chief executive that he has been appointed as deputy chief constable of the Surrey Constabulary”.

He said Mr McEwan had “therefore stepped down as commissioner of standards with immediate effect as he prepares for his new role”.

The speaker said the Assembly Commission, a body which oversees the operation of Parliament Buildings, would now look at nominating a new commissioner.

“The recent recruitment competition conducted by the Assembly Commission for the appointment of the commissioner of standards produced a list of appointable candidates,” he said.

“The Assembly Commission will now go through the necessary processes of pre-appointment checks in the coming weeks to come back to the assembly to nominate a new commissioner for standards as soon as possible.

“While the Assembly Commission would have preferred not to have to come back to the assembly on this matter so soon, this is a significant appointment for Mr McEwan and I therefore wish him every success in his new role.”

Dr McCullough stepped down as standards commissioner after five years in the role.

She told BBC News NI earlier this month she was left “frustrated” by some elements of the accountability process at the assembly.

Complaints to the standards watchdog have more than doubled in the year since Stormont was restored.