MPs line up to chair Parliament’s select committees: The races to watch
Nominations for the chair of each of Parliament's select committees closed last night, with MPs lining up to take control of some of the most influential boards.
A secret ballot, where each MP has one vote for each committee, will take place on 17 June,
City A.M. has examined each of the declared candidates for six of the key races to watch.
Business, Innovation and Skills Committee
Business secretary Sajid David will be monitored by whichever Labour MP gains the Business Committee (Source: Getty)
Adrian Bailey
The Labour MP for West Bromwich West is seeking re-election to the post, having chaired the BIS Committee for the entirety of the last parliament, from 2010-2015.
Roberta Blackman-Woods
A sociologist by training with a PhD and experience working in universities, Dr Blackman-Woods said she wants to focus on the UK’s skills base, improving job training and education.
Iain Wright
The shadow industry minister cites his business experience as a former chartered accountant among his qualifications for the chairmanship. Wright also says he wants to address productivity.
Public Accounts Committee
Margaret Hodge gained a formidable reputation as chair of the Public Accounts Committee, taking on the likes of Rupert Murdoch (Source: Getty)
The shadow minister for work and pensions says she wants to replace Margaret Hodge and get to the bottom of why there is waste in Whitehall by looking at underlying spending patterns.
David Hanson
The member for Delyn said he would adapt to public expenditure changes by focusing on delivery, especially in light of devolution changes in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Meg Hillier
The MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch is a Public Accounts Committee veteran, having served on the committee for four years. Hillier said under her leadership, “The committee needs to think like a user of the service but act like a tax payer.”
Gisela Stuart
The independent-minded MP from Birmingham, Edgbaston, says that as chair she would “welcome representations from colleagues across the House so that issues of concern to the House receive the committee’s attention,” leading to a more “effective” committee.
Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Culture secretary John Whittingdale used to chair the Culture Committee (Source: Getty)
Damian Collins
Collins has been a Conservative MP since 2010, and since then has sat on the Culture Committee. In his statement for running. he said that, over the last five years, he has "campaigned to promote the arts and culture, tackle corruption in sport and address the need for good governance of our media".
Damian Green
Before becoming an MP in 1997, Green had a career in journalism, holding the position of Channel 4's business editor. Green has been police minister and immigration minister in the coalition government, and before that held a position on the Culture Committee.
Jason McCartney
McCartney has worked in BBC local radio and ITV's Yorkshire current affairs programme, Calendar. In parliament, he was chair of the all-party group in ITV, and vice-chair on the same BBC group.
Jesse Norman
Backbench philosopher Norman was a last-minute entry for the chair. He is director of the Hay festival and a trustee of the Roundhouse, a performance arts space. he shares other nominees' key issues of the BBC charter, press freedom and football governance.
Graham Stuart
The former chairman of the Education Committee is seeking a switch over to culture. He has gained a reputation for his directness in challenging former education secretary Michael Gove. He has a background in magazines, and says he has a "personal" interest in spreading cultural and sporting events across the UK.
Home Affairs Committee
Keith Vaz earned his reputation on the Home Affairs Committee, but now faces opposition in his re-election (Source: Getty)
Fiona Mactaggart
Mactaggart says she will involve all members of the committee in its work, and use "thorough inquiry" to uncover weaknesses in the Home Office's work. Her work will focus on getting "fewer victims of crime, effective and fair immigration control and an end to home grown terrorism".
Keith Vaz
Home Affairs Committee chair since 2007, Vaz gained a strong reputation in the role. Under his chairmanship, the committee has recommended compensation to the taxpayer after the failure of contractors during the Olympics, as well as the removal of children with mental health issues from police cells.
Treasury Select Committee
HSBC chairman Douglas Flint leaves after attending a Treasury Committee hearing in February 2015 (Source: Getty)
Andrew Tyrie
The longstanding Tory chair of the Treasury Committee, Tyrie led it for all five years of the last parliament and looks to stand unopposed. The respected MP also has experience chairing the joint parliamentary commission on banking standards, the liaison committee, and the joint tax law rewrite bills committee. He has the backing of five members of other parties, including SNP economy spokesperson Stewart Hosie.
Energy and Climate Change Committee
Members of the SNP after their General Election victory. McNeil is second from the left (Source: Getty)
Angus Brendan MacNeil
While unopposed, MacNeil's future chairmanship of the Energy and Climate Committee is a significant one – marking one of two select committees to be controlled by the SNP. While the other is the Scottish affairs committee, this one has implications for UK-wide policy. He has been an MP since 2005, and has been the party's shadow spokesperson on a number of matters.