Yorkshire MPs are re-elected as chairs of select committees
FOUR YORKSHIRE MPs have been re-elected to influential roles scrutinising the Government as heads of Commons select committees.
Yvette Cooper, Rachel Reeves, Hilary Benn and Clive Betts will continue to chair the cross-party committees of MPs which check and report on areas ranging from the work of government departments to economic affairs.
Ms Cooper, Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, has been re-elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee. She tweeted: “Very pleased to be reelected unopposed to @CommonsHomeAffs chair and grateful to MPs from all parties for their support. Lots to do. Looking forward to the new committee being in place.”
Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves was also re-elected to be chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee.
She wrote: “In the last Parliament, we were a strong Committee that worked well across party divides.
“Britain has a world-class, thriving private sector that needs championing and supporting with great policy. But when things go wrong I waste no time in holding those responsible to account, whether fault lies in government or business.”
Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn will continue in his role as chair of the Brexit Committee. He tweeted: “Thank you to all my colleagues for re-electing me unopposed as Chair of @CommonsEUexit.
“I am looking forward to the Committee scrutinising the very important negotiations that are
about to begin on our future relationship with the EU. “
Long-serving chairman of the Housing, Community and Local Government committee, Clive Betts, was re-elected unopposed.
The Sheffield South East MP said on his re-election: “I look forward to working with colleagues across the House, holding the government to account via evidencebased scrutiny of vital areas including housing, local government and social care.”
Most select committee chairs are elected by the whole Commons in a secret ballot held after each general election and at other times when a vacancy arises.
The chairs of all the departmental select committees, as well as the chairs of the Environmental Audit, Exiting the European Union, Petitions, Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs, Public Accounts, Procedure, and Standards Committees, are elected in this way.