Government's ethics chief steps down after 'he once grabbed a colleague's breasts in a police station'

Résumé détaillé

Stuart Sterling has stepped down from the Ethics and Integrity Commission after it was revealed he once admitted grabbing a colleague's breasts in a police station.

Published: 18:39 GMT, 14 November 2026 | Updated: 18:39 GMT, 14 November 2026

The head of the government's ethics watchdog has stepped down after it was revealed he once admitted grabbing a colleague's breasts in a police station.

Stuart Sterling, 48, was the first chief executive of the Ethics and Integrity Commission, set up by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last year to restore standards in public life.

But he quit this week pending an investigation when it emerged he was previously suspended from his job as a detective constable for sexual misconduct.

The disclosure is acutely embarrassing for the government as the commission was a key part of Labour's mission to 'reset' and 'clean up' politics to ensure 'the highest standards of integrity and honesty'.

Only last month Mr Sterling wrote that 'standards should be a golden thread that runs through all public authorities' He added that it was vital that 'employees are listened to when something doesn't feel right and … confident that action will be taken'.

Northamptonshire Police is said to have considered criminal proceedings against Mr Sterling over the 2002 incident, but made the 'wholly exceptional decision' to let him return to his duties after he admitted wrongdoing.

However he was investigated over a second sexual misconduct claim six years later. He denied this incident and voluntarily left the force, but has refused to say if he was under investigation when he left. By then, the anti-corruption unit had made inquiries into the handling of the first probe.

Last night, Tory MP Greg Stafford told the Mail on Sunday: 'These are very serious allegations which must be investigated with the utmost urgency.

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