Elections, bills and other business
The 20 MPs who will get the chance to put a private member's bill before the Commons (with no guarantees at all that their bills will make it into law) have been announced.
Private member's bills are an opportunity for backbenchers to try to introduce their own piece of legislation but they have to win government support and then navigate an arcane procedural maze, infested with lurking predators who delight in striking down bills which they think are usually vexatious flabby nonsense.
Although there are 20 names on the list, it's unlikely there will be enough parliamentary time for more than six or seven to get through - although a few more may at least be debated. The winners (sic) include several new MPs - and a controversial name at the top.
1. John McDonnell (Lab) - a consolation prize after he failed to get nominated for the Labour leaderhip election
2. Robert Flello (Lab)
3. Chris White (Con)
4. Rebecca Harris (Con)
5. Greg Knight (Con)
6. Anna Soubry (Con)
7. Harriet Baldwin (Con)
8. David Hamilton (Lab)
9. Joan Walley (Lab)
10. Sharon Hodgeson (Lab)
11. Adrian Sanders (LD) 12. Andrew Bridgen (Con)
13. Mark Lancaster (Con)
14. Jonathan Lord (Con)
15. Therese Coffey (Con)
16. Lorely Burt (LD)
17. Phillip Hollobone (Con)
18. Nigel Adams (Con)
19. Sir Paul Beresford (Con)
20. George Eustice (Con)
And gosh! The winners of the contested elections for the chairs of Commons Select Committees have been announced. They are:
Business: Adrian Bailey (Lab)
Children, Schools and Families: Graham Stuart (Con)
Communities and Local Government: Clive Betts (Lab)
Defence: James Arbuthnot (Con) - held by the "sitting chair" despite a series of very strong challengers.
Energy and Climate Change: Tim Yeo (Con) - Mr Yeo was nominated by uber Tory Green Zac Goldsmith and Green MP Caroline Lucas.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Anne McIntosh (Con)
Environmental Audit: Joan Walley (Lab)
Foreign Affairs: Richard Ottaway (Con) - one of the hottest contests.
Health: Stephen Dorrell (Con) - the former Health Secretary from the Major government.
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Affairs: Keith Vaz (Lab) - Another "hold". Despite a strong challenge from former Minister Alun Michael.
Political and Constitutional Reform: Graham Allen (Lab) -Labour's ultra constitutional reformer takes over the new committee set up to monitor the constitutional reform brief of the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.
Public Accounts: Margaret Hodge (Lab) fought off a series of strong challengers. This powerful committee monitors government spending and follows up reports from the fearsome National Audit Office (NAO).
Public Administration: Bernard Jenkin (Con) - this committee crosses departmental boundaries and has carved out a role in looking at the operation of government - and it deals with issues raised by the Ombudsman, like the case of Equitable Life policy-holders which caused some nasty clashes with ministers in the last Parliament.
Science and Technology: Andrew Miller (Lab) - another cross-departmental committee. With complaints that the new Commons has very few scientists within it, the committee will have a key role. (In comments on a post below, Yamor asked why this committee was listed as a departmental committee, when it does not have a department to shadow...I suspect the answer is that it used to have one - the short-lived Innovation and Science Department which was absorbed into Lord Mandelson's empire, a couple of years ago... it lives on, although its department does not!)
Treasury: Andrew Tyrie (Con). A real surprise. A former Treasury special advisor to Nigel Lawson, Mr Tyrie beat former Treasury Minister Michael Fallon. Both candidates were stalwarts of the committee in the last parliament.
Work and Pensions: Anne Begg (Lab). Likely to be a key committee, given the government's extensive welfare reform agenda.
More thoughts when I have time to ponder - in the meantime,
I'm Mark D'Arcy and I'll be writing about what goes on in the chambers and committee rooms at Westminster.
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