Committees

Nominations open for the Procedure Committee Chair

4 September 2024

MPs have begun the process of electing a Chair of the Procedure Committee in the new Parliament.

The Speaker announced the timetable for the elections on July 30. The period of nominations will run until 4pm on Monday 9 September, with the ballot scheduled for Wednesday 11 September.

The new Chair will be elected from the Labour party under the allocation of committee chairs to political parties which was agreed by the House on 30 July 2024.  

Since 2010, most committee chairs have been elected by the whole House, by a system of alternative vote and by secret ballot. To be valid, nominations must contain a signed statement made by the candidate declaring their willingness to stand.

It must be accompanied by the signatures of 15 MPs elected to the Commons as members of the same political party as the candidate (or 10 per cent of the MPs elected to the House as members of that party, whichever is the lower). More than 15 signatures can be collected but only the first 15 valid signatures are printed. Members may only nominate one candidate per select committee.

Nominations may be accompanied by the signatures of up to five MPs elected to the House as members of any party other than to which the chair is allocated or of no party. Similarly, only five such signatures are printed.

Candidates must declare any relevant interests with their nomination. Valid nominations received each day are published with the next day's Order Paper and will be listed below.

Nominations

Candidate: Cat Smith

Supporters (own party): Barry Gardiner, Sarah Champion, Debbie Abrahams, Lauren Edwards, Alistair Strathern, Henry Tufnell, Florence Eshalomi, Andy Slaughter, Kate Osborne, Mike Amesbury, Chris Curtis, Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Alison Taylor, Martin Rhodes, Peter Dowd

Supporters (other parties or no party): Jamie Stone, Andrew Bowie, Liz Saville Roberts

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:

STOP THIS NONSENSE

Are you feeling bombarded with WhatsApps? Have all these ‘diary invites’ clogged up your Outlook? Have you slipped on all the leaflets under your office door? Let’s stop this nonsense.

I am running to be Chair of Procedure Committee to reign in this situation, which is now out of hand. Here is my pitch:

  • Ban sending ‘diary invites’ to vote for candidates in internal elections.
  • Restrict candidates to sending two emails per colleague.
  • That all paper leaflets / letters be delivered by Internal Mail, no more leaflets under doors.
  • That any campaigning using colleagues mobile phone numbers be for Monday – Friday only – no weekend WhatsApps!

If you want to STOP THIS NONSENSE and reign in overexcitable colleagues, please vote for me on Wednesday and hopefully we won’t have to go through a Select Committee Chair silly season ever again.  

Candidate: Stella Creasy

Supporters (own party): Charlotte Nichols, Emily Darlington, Sarah Owen, Andrew Pakes, James Asser, Steve Race, Lewis Atkinson, Tom Rutland, Nadia Whittome, Chris Evans, Olivia Blake, Afzal Khan, Sean Woodcock, Emma Lewell-Buck, Sarah Hall

Supporters (other parties or no party): Sir Julian Lewis, Claire Hanna, David Davis, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tessa Munt

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:

The rule book is a crucial component of our job– I’m asking for your vote to Chair the Procedure Committee to use my experience and expertise to ensure the way we work gets the best out of our time and each other.

My track record shows I know how to make things happen here – joining across parties with colleagues not just in the Commons but the Lords and the clerks to affect legislative and procedural change. That’s why parliamentary experts including Lord Peter Hennessy, Professor Sarah Childs and Lord Danny Finkelstein are supporting my candidacy.

In fourteen years of service, I’ve seen firsthand how parliamentary procedure evolves in moments of crisis and confusion – whether standing orders, precedent or the rulings of the Chair, Erskine May has always been by our side to guide and inform, not frustrate, progress.

  • Making Parliamentary procedure accessible for our constituents - Whether EDMs, asking questions- written or oral, tabling debates, making interventions or proposing amendments, there are multiple parliamentary tools at our disposal. Each of us has been asked to try to explain them all at some point. I would work with the House authorities to ensure that our constituents can better understand what is happening  - and what votes may or may not mean!
  • Making sure all MPs can be heard wherever they speak- With thirteen different political parties the Procedure Committee can play a key role resolving what opportunities there are for scrutiny, questioning and engagement. My reputation is of someone who works across the House and isn’t afraid to speak up for democracy or reform  - whoever is in Government. Whether the IPU, the Commonwealth association, the APPGs, the Council of Europe or bodies such as UK and EU delegation- as someone who has served on several delegations, I also know they form a vital part of our democratic infrastructure. Its time to make that consistent and valued.
  • Making parliament work for the modern world - In the last parliamentary session the Procedure Committee investigated maternity access to the chamber. In this one it could consider matters such as the order of business, the time available to MPs to speak and how backbenchers are able to plan their days as well as how electronic and proxy voting, and hybrid working can practically make this a modern workplace. The Procedure Committee and Standards Committee Chairs will be champions of parliamentarians on the Government’s Modernisation Committee, as well as help take forward any changes to standing orders to ensure that issues such as family friendly working and the ICGS are effective parts of this process.

As a Chair I know no committee is effective without consent. That’s why I would help ensure that the Procedure Committee is inclusive as well as active - not just working with its members, but with all members on the above and more to help review and refresh our practices.

I ask for your first preference to Chair the Procedure Committee.

Candidate: Gareth Snell

Supporters (own party): Carolyn Harris, Chris Bloore, Melanie Onn, Meg Hillier, Leigh Ingham, John Grady, Dan Aldridge, Mark Ferguson, Gurinder Singh Josan, Amanda Hack, Tonia Antoniazzi, Ruth Jones, Ben Goldsborough, Shaun Davies, Lee Pitcher

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:

A new parliament provides a moment for all of us to reflect on the sort of parliament we want. With a change in government and so many new members who bring a huge breadth of experiences from outside Westminster, it is the perfect time to consider how we work. That is why I am asking for your support to be Chair of the Procedure Committee.

I served as a member of the committee in the 2017-2019 Parliament during the Brexit debates. I saw how process and procedure could be the difference between deadlock and decision. I understand how important it is to get our processes right.

I firmly believe that our processes should be the guidelines that help us to be the best Members of Parliament we can be for our constituents.

But in the first few weeks back since the election, I have heard the frustrations that so many new and returning MPs have and we have a chance now to make some meaningful changes to improve the way the House of Commons works.

There are examples from other legislatures around the world, from our friends and colleagues in Local Government and even some practices from the House of Lords – whether that is a published speakers list or how future business is announced – which are worthy of investigating to see what we can learn and adopt to make our processes quicker, more efficient, and inclusive.

Equally, we are each elected by our constituents to be their voice in this place, to hold ministers to account and stand up for our communities. That should apply to all members including those elected to this place from smaller parties that do not enjoy the same privileges or opportunities as those from the Government and Official Opposition.

Whether it be the work of select committees, scrutiny during bill committees or opportunities to serve the House, we ought to be considering how the talents, skills and enthusiasm of all members can be harnessed and utilised.

The work that needs to be done has to be cross-party and support the new Modernisation Committee, the House authorities and the Speaker – so the Chair of the Procedure needs to be a diligent servant of the House and all MPs and work quietly and diligently with all parties to thoughtfully consider how change can be applied in a fair, equitable and sustainable way. 

Further information  

Image credit: House of Commons