Nominations open for the Work and Pensions Committee Chair

4 September 2024

MPs have begun the process of electing a Chair of the Work and Pensions 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.

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: Debbie Abrahams

Supporters (own party): Mrs Elsie Blundell, Andy Slaughter, Dr Beccy Cooper, Barry Gardiner, Josh Simons, Olivia Blake, Kirith Entwistle, Marsha De Cordova, Cat Smith, Sarah Champion, Mr James Frith, Florence Eshalomi, Mr Clive Betts, Valerie Vaz, Yasmin Qureshi

Supporters (other parties or no party): David Mundell, Layla Moran, Sir Jeremy Wright

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:

EXPERIENCED

13 years as a Member of Parliament
8 years as a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee
3 years as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary and Shadow Minister for Disabled People
20 years working on poverty and inequality issues before becoming an MP
Extensive experience of leading teams and chairing Boards, including an NHS Primary Care Trust

ACHIEVEMENTS

2024 Exposed potential discrimination of disabled claimants helping to secure an unprecedented investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
2024 Successfully campaigned for a WPSC inquiry into Safeguarding of Vulnerable Claimants
2022 Authored a report on the health effects of the 2016 Welfare Reform and Work Act on children and disabled people, cited by the EHRC as evidence for the section 23 notice
2019 Patchwork Foundation’s Labour MP of the Year Winner

APPROACH

Firm and fair scrutiny of Government policy
Evidence-based approach
Cross-party, cross-committee working
Stakeholder engagement

POTENTIAL INQUIRIES

Changes to and impacts of winter fuel allowance payments
Government response to the Ombudsman’s Report on Women’s State Pension Age
‘Back to Work’ plans, the devolution of employment support and the role of JCP
Universal Credit review, managed migration and the 5-week wait
Child Poverty Strategy and Task Force
Safeguarding claimants
Sick, deaf, and disabled people: Disability Employment Gap, Health Assessments and the adequacy of support

Candidate: Neil Coyle

Supporters (own party): Mr Toby Perkins, Ruth Jones, Tonia Antoniazzi, Dr Simon Opher, Dame Siobhain McDonagh, Peter Dowd, Rosie Wrighting, Carolyn Harris, Andrew Pakes, Dan Carden, Karl Turner, Melanie Onn, Euan Stainbank, Wes Streeting, Anneliese Midgeley

Supporters (other parties or no party): Dr Ben Spencer, Alicia Kearns

Relevant interests declared:

- Founding supporter of ‘Rotherhithe Community Kitchen’ providing free hot meals in Southwark.

- Formerly received secretariate support from Trussell Trust for APPG on ending the need for foodbanks.

- Register of interests up to date.

Supporting statement:

DWP administers over £280 billion annually and, if I’m elected Chair, the department will be scrutinised robustly with the select committee both challenging the department and proffering policy solutions.

The focus of my role on the committee since 2016 has been identifying DWP failings and developing recommendations to tackle policy inadequacies. This includes advancing policies like reducing wait times for Universal Credit, sanction mitigations, and reducing wait times for support like Access to Work to help disabled people attain and retain employment. From Opposition I was also able to secure an amendment to DWP legislation to help terminally ill disabled people access Personal Independence Payments.

As Chair, I would aim to be even more effective, working inclusively with all members.

Ongoing committee work on pensions includes scrutinising auto-enrolment, the transferability of pensions, and DWP’s ‘WASPI’ women response. The department also faces major challenges:

Record levels of fraud and error;
Developing effective employment programmes for young people; and
the formal investigation into unlawful treatment of disabled people by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. At the Disability Rights Commission (the EHRC’s forerunner), I helped draft the 2007 Equality Act duties that DWP appears to have breached. I hope the committee will have a role to play in examining the reason for the challenge, the process now underway and DWP’s response and delivery of changes to prevent further legal action.

The Department’s new poverty review will also require committee attention, and my experience on this issue includes contributing to the UN Special Rapporteur’s examination of rising UK poverty, which focused on Universal Credit and No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions in particular.

My experience includes the personal and professional. Mum’s mental ill health has resulted in a familiarity with social security systems since the 1980s. I’m involved with multiple, relevant organisations in my own constituency, including running a foodbank from my Bermondsey office since 2016 and helping establish the Rotherhithe Community Kitchen which has provided over 10,000 hot meals since it began operating in November 2023.

In 2017, I worked cross-party to establish Westminster’s first All Party Parliamentary Group on Foodbanks and I would continue that inclusive approach if elected Chair, seeking to galvanise the talents of all committee members and interested Members.

I have over 20 years’ professional experience, including at the DRC (a DWP NDPB), and in the charity sector, eg as Director of Disability Alliance providing the ‘Benefits Handbook’ for welfare organisations and CABs across the country. My operational experience also includes running a DWP Remploy contract worth over £1million providing a direct helpline for thousands of carers/disabled claimants. My work was crucial to its success and the information it collected was vital to positioning the charity as a leader in the field, with membership growth and a new role co-chairing and expanding the Disability Benefits Consortium.

Choose me to ensure my experience and cross-party approach helps the committee deliver effective scrutiny and policy solutions.

Candidate: David Pinto-Duschinsky

Supporters (own party): Emily Darlington, Mark Ferguson, Jack Abbott, Blair McDougall, Anna Gelderd, Joe Powell, Shaun Davies, Mike Reader, Helena Dollimore, Mike Tapp, Sam Rushworth, Steve Race, Danny Beales, Jon Pearce, Jo White

Supporters (other parties or no party): John Glen, Dame Karen Bradley, Mr Andrew Mitchell

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:

I am running to be Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee to help ensure DWP delivers for the millions of people who rely on it every day. I have the right policy knowledge, delivery experience and inclusive approach to help the Committee exercise effective and constructive scrutiny at a time when DWP will be undergoing significant change.

The Government is proposing to overhaul DWP and its strategy. Making sure the changes deliver a real and sustained impact will require a different kind of scrutiny and a fresh approach, focused on strategy as well as detailed policy, the nuts and bolts of departmental performance and ensuring that the change programme is effective. It will also require the Committee to act as a generator of ideas as well as a source of scrutiny and challenge.

I have the right combination of experience, expertise and approach to deliver on that.

Deep policy knowledge. I helped lead the work of the Treasury and the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit on poverty, jobs, benefits and disability and started my career at DWP’s predecessor department. I’ve been involved with issues of poverty, welfare and work for over 25 years.
Delivery experience. I have over 20 years’ experience of scrutinising, challenging and advising Whitehall departments-including DWP-and large companies on strategy, performance improvement, delivery and change. I know how to ask the difficult questions to get to the core of performance issues and make sure change programmes deliver.
Inclusive approach-I’ll be fair, open and ensure all members have a voice and a platform.

I’ve experience as a Chair. And I’m passionate about the work of the Committee. I’ve seen first-hand the challenges people face getting the support they need seen through my work with jobseekers, as a volunteer at a foodbank, as a charity trustee and as the founder and chair of a not for profit that supports campaigners.

I have support from across the House and I’m committed to working across party lines to exercise effective oversight and change the department and the lives of the people it serves for the better.

I’d be honoured if you were willing to support me and would be delighted to talk if you have any questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Further information

Election of House of Commons Select Committee Chairs

Image credit: House of Commons