Yorkshire MP bids for leadership of the 1922 committee

YORKSHIRE MP Robert Goodwill is attempting to win over his fellow Conservatives to back him for the chairmanship of the influential 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers.

Scarborough and Whitby MP Mr Goodwill, a former Minister who has served in several different government departments, plans to take on incumbent chairman Graham Brady when the committee’s executive is re-elected later this summer.

The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members’ Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the Commons.

A large part of its role is speaking frankly to the Prime Minister or party leader about the direction of the party, though this is often done in private rather than public.

Sir Graham, MP for Altrincham and Sale, has been the committee chairman for nearly 11 years, apart from a brief spell in 2019 when he resigned to mount a Tory leadership bid.

Friends of Mr Goodwill, a farmer who was elected in Scarborough in 2005, say it is time for a change in the powerful role.

They say the chairman of the 1922 should always show solidarity and loyalty to the Conservatives, even on issues when they disagree, as this gives them the right to let the PM or Chief Whip know their views in private.

It is suggested that Sir Graham’s record of rebelling against the Government means he has forfeited this position of having the party leader’s ear.

Mr Goodwill is considered an outside bet to win the race, which is likely to be held after June 21 when social distancing restrictions are set to ease.

But the presence of dozens of new Tory MPs who won their seats in the last election makes the contest potentially unpredictable. The former MEP has been sacked as a Minister by both Boris Johnson and Theresa May in their time as Prime Minister but remained loyal to the Government in Commons votes.