Nominations open for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Chair

• Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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 Liberal Democrat 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: Mr Alistair Carmichael

Supporters (own party): Tim Farron, Wendy Chamberlain, Christine Jardine, Jamie Stone, Dr Danny Chambers, Caroline Voaden, Mr Angus MacDonald

Supporters (other parties or no party): Jim Shannon, Torcuil Crichton, Simon Hoare, Ben Lake, Sorcha Eastwood

Relevant interests declared: I own my family’s farm on Islay which as well as breeding stock, includes a holiday let property, and I am a partner in the firm which runs it.  Any profits from the farm are given to my father (also a partner in the firm) so I do not receive an income from it. The business receives farm support payments from the Scottish Government and participates in two Agri-Environment Climate Schemes in respect of which we also receive payments.

My wife, Kathryn Carmichael, is a practicing member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and is a director of Hatston Veterinary Centre Ltd, trading as Flett and Carmichael, Veterinary Surgeons, Kirkwall, Orkney, a mixed animal veterinary practice. 

My entry in the register of members’ interests can be found here : https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/240804/240804.pdf 

Supporting statement:

Who I am: 

• I was born and raised on a hill farm on Islay, which I now own and manage for the benefit of my father;
• I have been MP for Orkney and Shetland since 2001;
• Government Deputy Chief Whip 2010 – 2013;
• Secretary of State for Scotland 2013 – 2015;
• I live in Orkney with my wife Kate, a local vet in mixed animal practice.  We raised our family in Orkney so we understand from our own experience the challenges and opportunities that come from living in smaller communities removed from the larger centres of population;
• Prior to entering parliament I had careers first in hotels, bars and restaurants and then in legal practice as a solicitor. 

What I want to do as chair of EFRA Select Committee:

• Give a voice to rural, coastal and island communities in holding government to account;
• Contribute to setting a political  agenda for meaningful and realistic food security in the UK – balancing the needs of agricultural land use against policies of other departments, most notably energy generation;
• Work constructively across party and across all parts of the UK to deal with issues of nature depletion, animal welfare and food standards;
• Hold corporate interests such as water companies to account for their commercial practices and impact on our environment;
• Ensure that the voices of our fishers, farmers, food producers and processors and all who rely on strong export trade get a better deal as the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is reviewed in 2025;
• Work collaboratively with the equivalent committees in the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly where policy overlaps and joint working produces better outcomes. 

Parliament works best when all voices are heard and consensus is built.  In my time as a member of parliament I have worked with people in all parties and occasionally none to get things done. In the next few years we shall make key decisions that will set the shape and course of life in Britain’s rural communities for a decade at least.  I am excited by the prospect of bringing the influence of parliament to inform and to shape these decisions.

Further information  

• Election of House of Commons Select Committee Chairs

Image credit: House of Commons