Daniel Greenberg, who takes over from Catherine Stone when her five-year term ends in January, admitted that a series of scandals in recent years, as well as the turmoil of the past 12 months, had tarnished the parliament’s reputation. In his first interview since being appointed, the lawyer and legal expert said: “It’s a low point in decades. It’s definitely a low point in the reputation of politics and politicians… I think politicians as a class have definitely made some mistakes.” However, he added: “The reputation is not always deserved… We have had some very significant, high profile and very serious breaches of standards over the last five years or so. But in terms of numbers, we have 650 MPs and the vast majority have a strong commitment to high standards in public life.” Greenberg will be the seventh commissioner, employed by parliament rather than the government to safeguard independence, since the position was created in 1995. He pledged to carry out his new role “without fear or favour” and to investigate anyone who needed to be investigated, from MPs to prime ministers. However, he also hopes to focus on the “positive” side of the job – providing guidance and support to MPs and outreach work with the public. His years of parliamentary experience “put me in a good position to support the best and be critical of the worst,” he said. “I have a deep emotional attachment to the place and what it represents. That’s why I wanted to do it [the job], because it saddens me that parliament gets a less impressive reputation than it often deserves. When you see the low level of trust between the public and parliament, politicians at all levels, you want to get involved.” Greenberg, an Orthodox Jew, was born and raised in north-west London and studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. The 57-year-old has spent 35 years working in parliament, including drafting and scrutinizing legislation, and is an adviser on domestic legislation in the Commons. His predecessor drew the ire of Tory MPs when she published a report highly critical of former cabinet minister Owen Paterson over lobbying. Boris Johnson’s intervention in the scandal was a turning point in the former prime minister’s public position. Greenberg said he would not hesitate to investigate any politician for wrongdoing, regardless of seniority. “My role for 35 years has been to give my opinion without fear or favor. I have said no, or worse, to ministers many times. In that sense, I think this will be a natural continuation of my experience.” He also had a warning for MPs after Chris Bryant, the chairman of the cross-party standards committee – which scrutinizes their behavior – revealed some were lobbying on behalf of colleagues. The new commissioner said he would “take it very seriously” if it happened, as it could “undermine” the independence of the system. Greenberg admitted the number of different standards bodies – including his own, Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Complaints System and the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Ministerial Interests – could be confusing for the public, but said each needed to be able to “continue” his own role. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. But he indicated that Rishi Sunak should continue to fill the role of ethics adviser that has been vacant since Christopher Guide resigned in June, a day after he admitted “disappointment” over Johnson’s role in the Partygate scandal. “They’ve said they will, and although the considerations relating to ministerial standards differ significantly from MPs,” it’s a role I’m looking forward to getting into. In terms of consistency for the public, it will be very good to have it filled in,” he said. Greenberg also intends to hold the government to its promise to back plans to crack down on MPs’ second jobs. “Do I have a role in making sure this doesn’t get kicked into the long grass? Yes, I do,” he said. “It shouldn’t be in the long grass… It’s a serious question because it goes to the heart of reputation and integrity.” But he said there was no “single, simple answer” to whether MPs should have outside interests. “There is value in members having a consistent experience outside the House – and there are risks in members either having too many or conflicting roles outside the House. It’s a balance that needs to be struck.”
