Nominations open for the Women and Equalities Committee Chair

• Women and Equalities 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 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: Kate Osborne

Supporters (own party): Dame Siobhain McDonagh, Debbie Abrahams, Olivia Blake, Melanie Onn, Kim Johnson, Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck, Valerie Vaz, Mary Glindon, Michelle Welsh, Cat Smith, Ruth Jones, Dan Carden, Hahir Ali, Lewis Atkinson, Sam Rushworth

Supporters (other parties) Alicia Kearns, Dame Caroline Dinenage, David Mundell, Mr Richard Holden, Andrew Bowie

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:

Kate Osborne - Asking for your vote for Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee

As the longest Labour member serving on the WEC, a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a woman with a disability, I think it is very important that we keep the Chair as someone who will be very vocal on issues that matter to women and our communities.

I served on the Women and Equalities committee for the entirety of the last parliamentary term, regularly deputising for the Chair. My experience on this committee will enable me to hit the ground running and continue the fantastic work we as a committee started in the last parliamentary term.

There will be new challenges and new areas to report on, but as Chair I would also continue to build on the work we have already started on:

• Violence against Women and Girls 
• Misogyny in Music
• LGBTQ+ equality, particularly around healthcare
• National Disability Strategy
• IVF
• Revenge Porn
• Menopause
• Rights of Older people
• Social Care
• Incel Culture
• Gender and Race Pay Gaps
• Gender and Race Health Gaps 
• Barriers to participation in sport

As Chair I would continue to speak up and campaign loudly on all of these issues and many more, I would work with our new Government to highlight areas of concern as well as to scrutinise all new legislation.

I am pleased to have the support of women trail blazers from Siobhan McDonagh to Diane Abbott and cross party support in the house from Alicia Kearns, Caroline Dineage, David Mundell and many more.

I’ve had some great successes on the Women and Equalities Committee, the work I put in on the committee, with drop ins and hosting a debate on IVF, helped achieve a change in legislation for same sex couples living with HIV and ensured a commitment to remove additional financial barriers for same sex couples - this has still not been implemented so the fight continues.

I held the first ever Lesbian Visibility Week reception and debate in the main chamber and co-hosted an event on revenge porn with Georgia Harrison - an area that urgently needs looking at in terms of the online safety bill protecting women and girls.

The last Chair and I worked particularly well together in scrutinising legislation, decisions, policy and holding Ministers to account. I have the relationship and respect of the clerks working well on legislative amendments, with the Committee working really well collaboratively cross party.

If elected I would ensure we continue in that way ensuring our committee is vocal and engaged across all equality strands.

Women and Equalities should be at the heart of the Government's plans, too often we are left as an afterthought without thinking of how proposals, legislation and decisions impact on women, people with disabilities, Black people, Older people and how all of those strands intersect.

I hope I have your vote - if you are still undecided please come and have a chat with me today in Portcullis House. 

Candidate: Sarah Owen

Supporters (own party): Rachel Hopkins, Ms Stella Creasy, Andrew Pakes, James Asser, Afzal Khan, Gill Furniss, Rachel Blake, Uma Kumaran, Dame Meg Hillier, Claire Hazelgrove, Paula Barker, Navendu Mishra, Alistair Strathern, Anneliese Midgley, Ms Polly Billington

Supporters (other parties): Mr Gagan Mohindra, Colum Eastwood, Laura Trott, Jeremy Hunt, Wera Hobhouse

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:

I have campaigned on women’s and equalities issues for my entire adult life, with successful national campaigns from producing policies on domestic abuse in the workplace through to the fight for miscarriage bereavement leave, and greater representation in politics.

The election of this new Parliament has been a huge stride forward in bringing about a broad church of people from many professions and walks of life, creating a House that is far more reflective of our wider society and the people across the country who we represent.

Campaigning against misogyny, racism, and the convergence of the two has been central to my professional, personal, and political life. When I was elected in 2019, I was the first and only East and Southeast Asian MP in my party. I was proud to give a voice to people from backgrounds like mine who have long been underrepresented in public life – and I’m delighted that our caucus has grown after the election.

This new Parliament is our chance to bring an end to the culture wars. People’s experiences and identities are so much more than a cheap headline.

As Chair, I would lead a united team where all voices are heard, and will focus on the following areas of work: engaging with the Defending Democracy Taskforce on the experience of BAME, disabled people, LGBTQ+, and women candidates and councillors; tackling the root cause and intersectionality of extreme hate – online and on our streets; encouraging entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups in business, and achieving equitable business opportunities; examining Faith, Unity and Cohesion – how we build stronger communities; a cross-committee inquiry on health inequalities, assessing progress made and needed 15 years on from the landmark Marmot Review; assessing current EDI (equality, diversity & inclusion) strategies at the top of the public sector and business; working with impacted groups to deliver on the government’s pursuit towards ending new cases of HIV in the UK by 2030.

I bring my experience leading on national cross-party campaigns on workplace protections for victims of domestic abuse; fighting racism through my roles as Chairs of the APPG on Hate Crime and the APPG for British Muslims; campaigning for bereavement leave for parents following baby loss and improving treatment for miscarriages; caring for elderly and disabled patients as a care worker and HCA; working to bring different sections of our society together as Labour’s shadow minister for local government, faith and communities; serving on the Public Accounts Committee and the Health and Social Care Select Committee, holding decision-makers to account from cabinet ministers to senior civil servants, to Dominic Cummings.

I want to be a unifying and productive voice on often divisive issues. I will create a committee where opposing views are welcomed and listened to, and disagreements worked through so we can progress together. 

Further information  

• Election of House of Commons Select Committee Chairs

Image credit: House of Commons