The Growing Influence of Select Committees

 

Select committees are where the real political action lies. Originally formed to scrutinise the work of government departments, their tentacles now reach into presiding in judgment over the good and bad of corporate behaviour whilst shaping the national political and media discourse.

It should be no surprise that select committees’ importance in the media, politics and business landscape has increased. In our attention economy, the inquisitorial nature of select committee sessions is far more accessible and entertaining than largely scripted debates in the chamber of the House of Commons. The fact that select committee appearances can now be broadcast live across 24 hour news channels which, (let’s face it) are desperate for content, has only increased their media value. In a country where we are still struggling with the question of whether to broadcast judicial trials, select committees provide the next best thing.

For the new crop of Chairs, there are also incentives to promote your committee’s work and increase the range of subjects to which your committee turns its attention. There is, of course, fame and the prospect of knowing you can lead the day’s news agenda by giving an interview to the Today Programme to launch your report. But with only so many government jobs to go around, chairing a select committee is also a career choice. One that leaves you a bit less vulnerable to the whims of your party leader or Whips. And one which can provide a nice little bump to your MP salary whilst positioning your CV well for your subsequent career in the private sector or on the lecture circuit. But it is also a career choice which allows many MPs to make a more meaningful difference to society than they would be able to as a backbencher. For many MPs, select committees are also how they can bring their lives before politics to the fore – applying their personal or professional background to a relevant committee.

Select committees are not just shaping headlines – they are also shaping policy. A University College London Constitution Unit report found that between 2010 and 2020, 75% of recommendations made by select committees were fully or partially implemented. That’s a record which no parliamentarian could claim to match from their speeches in parliament.

As part of this, select committees are getting more creative in how they conduct their work. The increased use of joint inquiries across committees has allowed for more in-depth scrutiny of cross-departmental issues, including climate change and tech regulation. Meanwhile there has also been a growth in the use of informal evidence gathering techniques including committee visits, private roundtables, social media surveys and focus groups.

Given their influence on the policy landscape, the wide range of opportunities for businesses to shape the views of committees are significant. Yet a 2018 study by Dr Marc Geddes of the University of Edinburgh found that just 17% of evidence submitted to select committees came from the private sector (compared to 23% from non-profits and 37% from the civil service and public sector). For businesses that want to get their point across, select committees still provide a valuable and often underutilised channel.

Of course, the truth is that being called before a select committee is also many businesses’ worst nightmare. Being the spokesperson during crises or issues is why business leaders are paid the big bucks – but financial recompense doesn’t alter the fact that being grilled on national TV is a highly personal and gruelling experience. The only option in this situation is to continue to prepare, prepare, prepare.

The Committees for Business to have their eye on

The results of the election mean we now have a new crop of select committee chairs, distributed between political parties in proportion to the number of MPs they have. As such, Labour will now Chair eighteen of the twenty-six committees. Some of the key committees to watch are:

 

• Business and Trade – (Returning) Chair, Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North. Byrne has promised to focus on green growth, EU and US trade, and workers rights.
• Culture, Media and Sport – (Returning) Chair, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP for Gosport. Dinenage is expected to continue her focus on topics including gambling, ticketing, sports and public television.
• Energy Security and Net Zero – Chair, Bill Esterson, Conservative MP for Sefton Central. Esterson has said his early focus will be on GB Energy, grid capacity, and how energy intensive industries and their workers can be supported as part of the transition to net zero.
• Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Chair, Alastair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland. Carmichael is a hill farmer and expected to place significant focus on the agri-food sector.
• Environmental Audit Committee – Chair, Toby Perkins, Labour MP for Chesterfield. Perkins is a passionate nature and environment advocate, having formerly served as Shadow Environment Minister. His constituency has also suffered from flooding.
• Housing, Communities and Local Government – Chair, Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green. Eshalomi grew up in social housing and is now a co-landlord with her sisters.
• Science, Innovation and Technology – Chair, Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West. Onwurah is a former Ofcom employee whose experience will be particularly relevant given the raft of new regulatory regimes being introduced in the tech sector.
• Treasury – Chair, Meg Hillier, Labour MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch. The former Public Accounts Committee Chair is expected to maintain her focus on government spending in her new role.

 

By Tom Anelay, Head of Public Affairs