Former victims' commissioner is new Parliament watchdog

Kathryn Stone has been appointed as the new parliamentary commissioner for standards.

Ms Stone will take on the role of overseeing the code of conduct and rules for MPs, including the register of financial interests.

She has previously served as the commissioner for victims and survivors of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Ms Stone will take over from current standards commissioner Kathryn Hudson in January next year.

Currently the chief legal ombudsman of England and Wales, Ms Stone has also worked for the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

She spent 11 years as chief executive of the charity Voice UK and was awarded an OBE in 2007 for her services to people with learning disabilities.

Ms Stone took on the role of victims' commissioner in 2012 but faced criticism the following year for an interview she gave in the News Letter in which she refused to be drawn on whether she believed the IRA and UVF were terrorists.

She later said she had "no hesitation at all in condemning all acts of violence".