Catherine McKinnell MP elected Chair of the Petitions Committee

Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, has been elected as the new Chair of the Petitions Committee.

Chair-elect of the Petitions Committee, Catherine McKinnell said:

“I am delighted to have been elected as Chair of the Petitions Committee. I'm no stranger to Parliament's pioneering petitions system, having served as a member on the Committee previously and seen the difference petitioners can make. 
 
Petitions have the power to connect people with Parliament, raise awareness of important issues, and help bring about real change to communities across the UK. I look forward to welcoming the Committee's new Membership and reopening the site in the next few weeks.  Working across parties, I want to build on the excellent work of the previous Committee and its Chair, Helen Jones, to help people engage with their Parliament.”

The secret ballot of MPs took place on Wednesday 29th January.

When will the petitions website re-open?

The petitions website (http://petition.parliament.uk) will re-open once the House of Commons has nominated the remaining members of the Petitions Committee.  The political parties entitled to seats on Select Committees are currently conducting internal elections to determine who will be nominated to each committee.

Find out more

Find out about Catherine McKinnell MP's career in Parliament: https://members.parliament.uk/member/4125/career

Keep up to date with the Petitions Committee: https://twitter.com/HoCpetitions  

Image: PC