Building the Ethics and Integrity Commission
Stu Sterling OBE, Chief Executive of the Ethics and Integrity Commission
A month into my role as Chief Executive of the Ethics and Integrity Commission, it is clear that building the organisation envisaged in our remit – and reflected in the Prime Minister’s establishing letter – will be a steady, deliberate process. The recent PACAC evidence session, with reflections from Lord Evans and Peter Riddell, underlined the complexity of the standards landscape and the need for clearer structures and stronger resilience. Much of what they said aligns with what I’ve seen in my first weeks.
Over the past month, I’ve started meeting with stakeholders across central government, local government, standards bodies, academia, professional bodies, and others committed to supporting the raising of public standards. These conversations have been constructive and candid, highlighting something essential: this work cannot be done in isolation. Engagement with a broad set of voices is highly valued and will remain central to how we shape the organisation.
A key part of that approach is learning from what worked well before. The Committee on Standards in Public Life has shown, over 30 years, how grounding work in evidence, drawn directly from practitioners, academics, experts, and the public enables robust and rounded recommendations. That disciplined, outward-facing method provides a strong foundation for the EIC. As we work towards becoming a centre of excellence on public sector codes of conduct, we will build on that legacy – applying the same commitment to careful inquiry and practical guidance.
One of the tools that will help anchor this approach is the annual letter to the Prime Minister. Used well, it can provide a clear, independent view on emerging risks, progress, and priorities across the standards landscape. It will not solve every issue, but it offers an important voice for standards – a way to highlight concerns early, reflect the evidence we gather, and support constructive improvement across the system.
The team already in place have shown calm professionalism through a period of transition, and their experience and realism has been invaluable. Recruitment is well underway for an expanded team to deliver the enlarged remit – building eventually to a staff team of around 18, to provide the policy and operational capacity we need. In parallel, the Cabinet Office has been running an open public appointments process for new independent members to join the Commission, whose additional external perspective and challenge will be vital to our work.
The months ahead will not bring quick transformation. Instead, they will be about laying solid foundations: defining clear processes, laying out our work programme, building the evidence base we rely on, and establishing the EIC’s role within the wider system. Done well, this will put the Commission in a position to make a meaningful and lasting contribution.
The work of building the EIC will take time – and it is worth doing with care if we are to achieve the ambition set for us.
Stu Sterling OBE is a senior civil servant with extensive experience in both policy and operations. He has worked in the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2019 he graduated from the College of Policing’s Strategic Command Course and was seconded into the senior leadership team of National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), where he led on national communications during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2025 he graduated from the Royal College of Defence Studies Global Strategy Programme with a Masters in International Security and Strategy from King’s College London. In 2023 he was awarded the OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for his role in the State Funeral of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
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