Serious Organised Crime Agency boss resigns over failure to declare directorship of management consultancy firm Sir Ian Andrews admitted he 'had no alternative' but to quit £65,000 job Failed to declare interest in company he set up with his wife 18 months ago 'It is inexcusable, and the responsibility is mine alone,' he said By Chris Greenwood Embarrassing: Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) boss Sir Ian Andrews has resigned after it was revealed he breached its code of conduct The Whitehall bureaucrat who blocked the release of the names of firms behind the blue chip hacking scandal resigned today. Sir Ian Andrews stepped down from his role as chairman of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) after breaching its code of conduct. The former top Ministry of Defence mandarin failed to declare his interest in a management consultancy company he set up with his wife 18 months ago. He said the 'oversight' came to light after he was grilled by MPs on the Home Affairs Committee last month. They are furious at the crime-fighting agency's failure to investigate law firms, insurers, accountants and others who paid for stolen information. A potentially incendiary Soca list of 102 companies who hired rogue private investigators is at the centre of a huge row over whether it should be made public. In a letter to Labour MP Keith Vaz, who chairs the Parliamentary committee, Sir Ian said he had 'no alternative' but to resign from the £65,000-a-year part-time role. He said he had 'failed to maintain the standard of integrity' of the head of any public body, let alone 'one charged with law enforcement'. Sir Ian said the mistake is a 'huge disappointment' to him as he has been 'assiduous' about avoiding conflicts of interest throughout his 40 year career. 'I have no explanation other than it was both a genuine and unintentional oversight but it is nonetheless inexcusable, and the responsibility is mine alone,' he said. I very much regret that this may damage the reputation of an Agency with which I have been immensely proud to have been associated for the last four years. Sir Ian's resignation is an ignominious end to a role which began with ridicule when he was accused of being a 'Yes Minister' appointment. SOCA has attracted criticism for its lack of transparency from senior MPs who are investigating the scandal He admitted having no direct experience of policing or law enforcement when he was appointed in 2009 after retiring from the civil service. Until last month Sir Ian remained largely in the shadows as he steadied Soca after years of criticism of its poor performance, low morale and unnecessary secrecy. It will be transformed into the National Crime Agency in October under new leadership with a wider remit to tackle organised crime. But revelations about a suppressed 2008 report into the prolific activities of rogue private investigators detonated a bomb underneath his leadership. Agreement: Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Keith Vaz, said today that Sir Ian had to go Under questioning by MPs, Sir Ian was accused of protecting blue chip companies who fuelled an underworld trade in illegal information. The report highlighted how blagging, hacking and stealing private data was rife outside of the media but was not considered by the Leveson Inquiry. After his appearance before MPs, Sir Ian, 59, was accused of failing to declare that his wife is a leading figure in the private investigations industry. Moira Andrews, 54, is a senior lawyer for G3 Good Governance Group, a global security and investigations firm. One senior Tory MP said it would have been 'wise' for Sir Ian to declare the link, although it was not 'strictly required' of witnesses. Sir Ian insisted that there was not conflict of interest, but said he later realised he failed to declare their joint company to his employer. Mr Vaz said his resignation is the 'right decision'. He said: 'Clearly as head of a law enforcement agency it is important that there is full transparency and it is essential that all members of the Soca board also check their own interests. Sir Ian was part of the decision making process that required that the Home Affairs Select Committee kept the lists that Soca sent us confidential. I shall be writing to his successor to ask if he or she will now review this decision. Having lost its Chairman, Soca is clearly a troubled organisation. 'With it due to be abolished in nine weeks' time, it is important that we clear up all outstanding issues as a matter of urgency.' Sir Ian and his wife set up Abis Partnership Ltd, a 'legal activities' firm registered at a mail box address in Cheshire, in February 2012. Companies House records disclose few details about its work. Sir Ian said it is a vehicle to supply management consultancy services to clients that he did declare. The Soca register of interests shows Sir Ian works for the Ministry of Defence, Department of Health, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Transparency International. The father-of-three is also a trustee of Chatham Historic Dockyard and a conservator of Wimbledon Common, for which he has been dubbed a 'womble'. Sir Ian joined the MoD in 1975, working his way up in various roles including the Defence Sales Organisation. Knighted in 2007, he left the civil service in 2008 having served six years as Second Permanent Secretary. He replaced Sir Stephen Lander, the former head of MI5, who was chairman of the agency since it began operations in 2006. A Soca spokesman said: 'The Soca code demands that all directors' interests are declared.'