Nominations open for Public Accounts Committee Chair

• Public Accounts Committee
• Nomination form for the select committee chairs (docx, 63KB)
• Election of committee chairs briefing note (docx, 63KB)
• How select committees elect Chairs

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 Conservative party under the allocation of committee chairs to political parties which was agreed by the House on 30 July 2024.  

• Allocation of select committee chairs

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:  John Glen

Supporters (own party):  Andrew Griffith, Sir Oliver Dowden, Victoria Atkins, Kit Malthouse, Ben Obese-Jecty, John Lamont, Alison Griffiths, Simon Hoare, Rebecca Smith, Dame Karen Bradley, Sir Jeremy Wright, Katie Lam

Supporters (other parties or no party):  Tim Farron, David Pinto-Duschinsky, Adam Jogee, Gavin Robinson, Shaun Davies

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:  

If I am fortunate enough to secure enough support to gain this role, I will work tirelessly across the House and ensure the work of the Public Accounts Committee is rightly well-respected and productive for the common good.

Select Committee experience in Parliament:

I have spent half of my fourteen years in Parliament as a backbencher or PPS and served as a committed member on several select committees. Working under the esteemed chairmanship of James (now Lord) Arbuthnot on the Defence Committee and my friend Frank Field on DWP Committee has taught me a great deal about how a well ordered, cross-party select committee should be run.

During my time spent on APPGs, including the Hunger and Food Poverty group, I have worked on a cross-party basis to find solutions that meet both the challenges of the issues under the spotlight, and our responsibilities as Members of Parliament.

Most recently as Minister for the Cabinet Office and HM Paymaster General I was responsible for designing the scheme to deliver compensation to members of the infected blood communities; this required sensitive and collaborative work with many members across the House to ensure cross-party support for this historic compensation package.

Relevant insights into Government through time served in Ministerial Office:

I have been fortunate to have served as a government minister in three departments during the period 2017-2024.  I served as Arts, Heritage and Tourism Minister in DCMS after then 2017 General Election: Economic Secretary (City Minister) in HMT from 2018-2022 and then as Chief Secretary from 2022-23. Most recently I was Minister for The Cabinet Office and HM Paymaster General.

My view on what doing the job well means:

My exposure to departmental finances as Chief Secretary to HMT has given me an acute understanding of the pressures and challenges all governments face.

I would build on the work of several worthy predecessors including Dame Meg Hillier, Sir David Davis, Baroness Hodge and the Father of the House Edward Leigh. My aim would be to facilitate a collegiate cross-party analysis of the National Audit Office's reports whilst maintaining a strategic view to enable a constructive conversation with senior civil servants to help bring enduring lessons for all government departments to take forward.

About me:

It is my great privilege to have been Member of Parliament for Salisbury since 2010. I have always believed that whatever our party affiliations we must be committed to our duty to serve the public, and it is in that spirit that I have approached all my roles within Parliament. I value the friendships that I have developed across the House over fourteen years and welcome support from Members from the ranks of both the Labour Party and other Opposition parties’ MPs.  I am committed to ensuring the work of the Public Accounts Committee is truly cross-party, and collegiate.

Please don't hesitate to contact me by email - john.glen.mp@parliament.uk. Thank you for taking the time to consider my candidacy. 

Candidate: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown

Supporters (own party): Bob Blackman, Martin Vickers, Julia Lopez, David Reed, Gareth Bacon, Mr Richard Holden, Saqib Bhatti, Dame Caroline Dinenage, David Mundell, Sir John Hayes, Andrew Rosindell, Mr Mark Francois

Supporters (other parties or no party): Dame Meg Hillier, Sarah Champion, Sarah Olney, Sarah Owen, Jamie Stone

Relevant interests declared: Farming and residential interests (see register), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Fellow

Supporting statement:

It was an honour to serve as Deputy Chair of the Public Accounts Committee for the last seven years under the excellent Chairmanship of Meg Hillier MP. I have the relevant and up-to-date experience to serve as Chair, with the knowledge through my past work on the committee of many of the existing weaknesses in Government spending across departments. I have Chaired inquiries and led many important public hearings holding witnesses to account with fair but tough questioning.

I understand the importance of cross-party working and I am delighted to have the full support of ALL Members of the previous committee. If elected Chair I will ensure openness and transparency, with opportunities for MPs from across the House to engage with the inquiries.

Under my Chairmanship the scope of the PAC is an opportunity to raise relevant local matters and colleagues’ constituency concerns through major inquiries, including when we held hearings on HS2 and river pollution; holding senior officials to account. As Chair I would happily receive submissions from colleagues from all parties, to raise their concerns.

The PAC produces high-quality reports, with around 60% of all recommendations accepted by the Government. My background as a Chartered Surveyor has also been invaluable for the detailed research required ahead of hearings, as well as providing me with an understanding of certain areas such as Local Government Spending.

Given that value for money comes from every area of Government expenditure, some of the work requires sensitivity, discretion, and fairness; qualities my colleagues who sat on the previous committee have endorsed me with.

If elected as Chair I pledge to: 

• Maintain the overall high standards held by the previous Chair.
• Ensure more follow-up on recommendations not accepted by the Government, in order to try to improve the outcome of difficult projects such as Military Procurement, HS2, and Emergency Service Networks.
• Provide regular communication, including email updates on future work PAC is doing which may be helpful to colleagues.
• Be available to colleagues to discuss issues which might be raised in upcoming inquires.
• Regularly speak in debates to share findings with the House from the hearings.
• Continue work I was doing as Deputy Chair to raise public sector productivity through AI, digitalisation, and staff continuation of project management.

Chair, Meg Hillier MP:

“Geoffrey worked with me for seven years as the longest serving deputy chair – he defined the role. He is fair, collegiate and discrete. The Chair of the PAC has access to all areas of government and Geoffrey has the experience and background knowledge to handle the role and information with the sensitivity it deserves.” Meg Hillier MP

Candidate: David Davis

Supporters (own party): Sir Roger Gale, Alicia Kearns, Greg Smith, Andrew Bowie, Kevin Hollinrake, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Sir Desmond Swayne, George Freeman, Mr Andrew Mitchell, Alberto Costa, Esther McVey, Jeremy Hunt

Relevant interests declared: I am a member of the Advisory Board of THI Holdings Gmbh, an investment company.

Supporting statement:

The Public Accounts Committee is always an important Select Committee, but never more so than now.

One of the key challenges this Government will face is its desire to deliver more while spending less. Across all sectors—from transport and defence to local government and the NHS—it is crucial that public services operate with the greatest possible efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness.

I have been Chair of the Public Accounts Committee before. During that time, Tony Blair’s government accepted over 900 recommendations, including reforms aimed at reducing waste and delivering better value for taxpayers. For example, the Committee, under my chairmanship, made recommendations that led to waste reduction in the Ministry of Defence, improving international aid, and reducing tax fraud. If elected again, I will maintain the highest standards of scrutiny and accountability, to prevent further waste.

Too often, the British State is too slow to act in the face of mistakes or malfeasance. If lessons are to be learned, they need to be acted upon quickly. That is what I, as Committee Chair, will focus on: timely action and oversight to improve the functioning of the State.

Similarly, our public services are currently failing to improve people's daily lives. In my previous tenure, I oversaw key recommendations that improved the effectiveness of various services, from highlighting and addressing hospital-acquired infections to addressing pensioner poverty.

By grounding the Committee’s work in clear facts and sound analysis, we can push for real, impactful change that improves public services, ensure the Government is accountable for its actions, and delivers for taxpayers. This means scrutinising the hard data and robust evidence to inform the approach of any enquiry – these are all skills I hope to bring to the role.

The role of Public Account Committee Chair demands a very high degree of impartiality. Indeed, the first actions of the new Committee will be to examine the work of the last Government – no small feat. But I believe that oversight should be driven by what is in the national interest, not by party politics. As Chair, I will work closely with all Committee members, regardless of political affiliation. My record of working across party lines demonstrates that this is a task that I have the independence to carry out.

Ultimately, my goal is to ensure that every investigation the Committee undertakes and every report it produces contains recommendations that drive meaningful change. This will deliver better outcomes for the public while ensuring a more effective and efficient use of taxpayers' money. I am confident that my track record, impartiality, and dedication to fairness make me the right candidate to lead the Public Accounts Committee through these challenging times. 

Further information  

• Election of House of Commons Select Committee Chairs

Image credit: House of Commons