When Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister in late October, he promised outside Downing Street that he intended to run a Government which would operate with “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”.

As part of this promise, Mr Sunak had promised to fill the vacant role of ethics adviser as a means of restoring trust in Westminster politics following the scandals of Boris Johnson’s premiership.

Lord Geidt resigned from the role in June and was not replaced by Mr Johnson, while his immediate successor Liz Truss also showed little inclination to make an appointment to the post during her brief time in office.

Labour have highlighted the apparent lack of progress in finding someone to take the role, with their Deputy Leader Angela Rayner highlighting in Parliament recent suggestions that the Government is struggling to find anyone to accept the “poisoned chalice”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak departs 10 Downing Street, London, to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament. Picture date: Wednesday November 30, 2022.

In response, Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart was dismissive of what he described as “rumours in the press” and pledged that an independent adviser will be appointed “very soon”.

The need to fill the post has been underlined by the Government needing to appoint senior employment lawyer Adam Tolley KC to look into the claims made against Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab after two formal complaints were submitted about his conduct.

Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine summed up the situation well by warning the delay in appointing a permanent watchdog “further undermines and corrodes” Parliament’s reputation in the public mind. Mr Sunak wants to create clear diving lines between his administration and those of the recent past; expediting this appointment would be a positive step towards that.

Rishi Sunak should appoint new ethics adviser without delay - The Yorkshire Post says