New Home Affairs Committee Chair to be announced on 15 December

The Speaker of the Commons has announced the timetable for the election of the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee.  

Select committee chairs are allocated according to party. The Order of the House of 16 January 2020 allocated the Chair of the Committee to the Labour Party. Only a Member of the Labour Party may stand for election although all MPs are able to take part in the election process.  

Nominations open today and will close at noon on Tuesday 14 December. If there is only one candidate, the Speaker is likely to announce the result that day. If there is more than one candidate, the Speaker has declared that the ballot will take place on Wednesday 15 December between 10am and 1.30pm. The Speaker will announce the results in the Chamber later that day. 

Candidates require 15 signatures from their own party to be nominated. Valid nominations received each day will be printed in the next day’s business papers of the House. They will also be published on the Parliament website with the candidate’s supporting signatures, any declared interests and any supporting statement. 

The vacancy arises following the resignation of Yvette Cooper MP due to her appointment of shadow home secretary.