today

Tony Blair has effectively sacked Sir Alistair Graham, a trenchant critic of the Government’s ethical standards, as head of the sleaze watchdog. “Procedurally, it stinks. It’s a huge scandal,” a source said.

Sir Alistair said: “This risks the perception, unfair or otherwise, that this Government places a low priority on the maintenance of the highest standards of conduct in public life.”

Critics say that Mr Blair was enacting “revenge” on Sir Alistair after criticism from him over the cash-for-honours affair and the conduct of Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, and John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister. All a bunch of useless cases. And these people are running the country ?

The decision not to reappoint Sir Alistair did not come as a surprise to MPs because predecessors on the Standards Committee have only served one term. But the decision not to keep him in place until a replacement is chosen has angered MPs.

In an interview last year, Sir Alistair said that he was disappointed that Mr Blair had not given greater emphasis to upholding ethical standards.

IMO: SO AM I