Committees

Nominations open for International Development Committee Chair

3 September 2024

MPs have begun the process of electing a Chair of the International Development 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.  

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: Sarah Champion

Supporters (own party): Melanie Onn, Ms Polly Billington, Preet Kaur Gill, Navendu Mishra, Emily Darlington, Sam Rushworth, Laura Kyrke-Smith, Patricia Ferguson, Ms Stella Creasy, Paula Barker, Abtisam Mohamed, Tonia Antoniazzi, Kim Leadbeater, Andy Slaughter, Mr Toby Perkins

Supporters (other parties or no party):  Mr Andrew Mitchell, Mr Alistair Carmichael, David Mundell, Chris Law, Victoria Atkins

Relevant interests declared: None

Supporting statement:

I am standing to be re-elected as Chair of the International Development Select Committee (IDC), a position I was proud to hold in the last Parliament.

I understand the importance of scrutiny. This is something I have demonstrated over my 12 years in Parliament, and why I believe I’ve been an effective Chair of the IDC to date.

Being a good Chair is not just about knowing the sector. It’s about working collaboratively with cross-party colleagues, finding the right witnesses, knowing when, and how, to challenge Ministers, and then forensically analysing the research to bring your findings to Parliament.

As Chair, I have worked on a range of pressing issues; from Debt Relief to Racism in the Sector, Climate Change to Refugees. I’ve also overseen country-specific inquiries into, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tigray, Gaza and Sudan.

IDC was established to follow the Official Development Assistance (ODA) money, not a specific Department, so our inquiries have covered the Home Office, DEFRA, BEIS, Treasury and FCDO.

My committee’s inquiries have resulted in tangible changes to Government policy:

Our report on the humanitarian situation in Gaza was released in March 2024. We published on the Thursday; the then Foreign Minister used our recommendations as the basis for his speech on the Saturday.

We also brought Parliament’s attention to the fact that the Home Office was using ODA to fund refugees in hotels. This practice had effectively shut down the Foreign Aid programme, as FCDO no longer had control of their budget.

Our inquiry on Atrocity Prevention led to a significant shift in policy, with a welcomed commitment to a whole-of-government approach.

Dr Kate Ferguson, Founding Director of Protection Approaches, said: “Sarah’s leadership in the scrutiny of the FCDO policy, practice & strategy has been invaluable and led to concrete steps forward, not least on UK atrocity prevention. We need her back!”

With your first preference vote, I can build on the solid foundations I’ve already formed in the IDC to ensure it can continue to support and scrutinise the Government effectively.

I’m particularly proud that former committee members are supporting my bid. Their words provide a more compelling account of my ability to continue in this role than I could offer myself:

Theo Clarke, former Conservative MP for Stafford: “I was a member of the IDC under Sarah Champion’s leadership. We may have been from different political parties, but she was a brilliant Chair, and I believe will hold the new Government to account. I hope new MPs will support and re-elect her again to this important role.”

Virendra Sharma, former Labour MP for Ealing Southall: “Having served under Sarah Champion for five years, I was always impressed by her chairing, her impartiality and support for all Members. She was an outstanding Chair and I wholeheartedly recommend her to new Members.”

I would be honoured to have your support so that I can continue to lead in this important work.

Thank you for your consideration. If elected, I won’t let you down. 

Candidate: Alice Macdonald

Supporters (own party): David Taylor, Joe Powell, Jess Asato, Fred Thomas, Chris Murray, Rachel Blake, Florence Eshalomi, Helena Dollimore, Joani Reid, Jack Abbott, Mike Tapp, Uma Kumaran, Clive Lewis, Steve Race, Mrs Elsie Blundell

Supporters (other parties or no party): Steff Aquarone, Ian Roome, Tom Gordon, Mr Lee Dillon

Relevant interests declared: Donation received prior to election from Labour Campaign for International Development as noted in register of interests

Supporting statement:

I join parliament with more than 15 years’ experience in international development. I have worked with international NGOs, alongside grassroots campaigners and with parliamentarians on some of the biggest challenges we face.

I am asking for your vote so I can bring this real world, recent experience to the role of chair of the International Development Committee.

Leading a global campaign against hunger, securing an international plan on newborn health, fighting for extra funding for women’s rights after the Arab Spring with Harriet Harman and mobilising people across the world to back the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These are just some examples of the international development work I have done - in partnership - over my career. I am also an experienced and effective chair and have undertaken detailed scrutiny work in local government.

15+ years’ international development experience 

  • Led campaigns against hunger, poverty, and climate change.
  • Years of campaigns and advocacy at Save the Children.
  • Overseas work in Rwanda, South Africa and in New York advocating at the UN.

Parliamentary and scrutiny experience 

  • Served as political advisor to then Shadow International Development Secretary Harriet Harman and Shadow Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth.
  • Preparing high profile witnesses for select committee appearances.
  • Experience of detailed scrutiny work in local government. 

In a world facing ever-evolving challenges and the need for every single pound we spend to deliver value and impact; the work of the committee is more critical than ever. My approach is based on collaboration so I would agree priorities with the committee but areas the committee may want to explore include:  

  • Ongoing Scrutiny of ODA expenditure: especially spend in the UK and the commitment to return to 0.7%.
  • UK’s global efforts on the Sustainable Development Goals- with just over 5 years until the 2030 deadline, focussing on the overall approach as well as key off-track areas such as gender equality and hunger and malnutrition.
  • Financing for development from debt relief, remittances, and international financial institution reform to leveraging private sector and innovative finance.
  • Humanitarian preparedness and response including critical emergencies in Gaza and Sudan.
  • The UK’s international role in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.
  • The role of emerging technologies and AI. 

I bring a unique breadth of recent experience in the development sector and will be a dynamic voice committed to cross-party collaboration and effective oversight. As chair, I would: 

  • Ensure that every decision and recommendation is grounded in robust evidence.
  • Foster a collaborative environment by working closely with committee members to set priorities and leveraging the expertise available across Parliament.
  • Represent views from across the House and gather a wide range of external evidence to inform the committee’s work. 

I hope that I can count on your support. If you have any questions or would like to discuss my candidacy further, please contact me on alice.macdonald.mp@parliament.uk. 

Further information  

Image credit: House of Commons