Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

* The new House of Commons will give us the first glimpse of its approach to parliamentary work tomorrow (Wednesday), when it elects the chairs of its select committees. I'll be blogging on the outcome of the various contests as soon as I know the results - and have managed to produce some coherent view of their inner meaning. This could take some time.

Voting will be between 10am and 5pm, but since there will be a series of AV ballots. The results will be announced by the Speaker on Thursday.

* In the comments section last week, John Ruddy asked why no Conservative had appeared seeking the chair of the Energy and Climate Change Committee. Two contenders have now surfaced - Phillip Hollobone and Tim Yeo. Mr Hollobone turns out to be a former member of the Green Party - in its early 1980s incarnation as the Ecology Party. Now he says he approaches climate change not with denial but with "healthy scepticism." Mr Yeo chaired the Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee in the last Parliament - this was the committee set up to examine the environmental impact of public policy across the work of government.

* Meanwhile, . The results are expected this afternoon.

* Tomorrow's vote will also elect the chair of the new Political and Constitutional Reform Committee. Some backbenchers are raising their eyebrows at the sight of a new committee being set up on Monday, with the chair elected just two days later, but that is at least partly down to objections being raised, which forced a debate on the committee's creation on Monday night. But two candidates have already been nominated - former Whip and arch constitutional reformer Graham Allen and former chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee Dr Hywell Francis - who stresses the need for a "progressive consensus" around any reforms.

* Their Lordships are busy electing key committees tomorrow, as well. Lords Committees are typically lower key than their Commons competitors, but the activities of the committees on Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform, and on the Merits of Statutory Instruments can both provide tripwires for government. Both take a look at the unending stream of orders, instruments and documents laid before Parliament. These may sound like comparatively minor legislative life-forms - but they may be quite controversial things like fleshing out the details of the law. In the last Parliament, they took a critical look at issues ranging from , to the

The former Conservative Chief Whip, Lord Goodlad, is expected to take the chair of the Merits Committee, and Lady Thomas of Winchester - the doyenne of the Lib Dem backroom operation in the Upper House - is down to chair the Delegated Powers Committee...

Stop Press: Speaker Bercow has just announced the result of the election for his three deputies - after proffering generous thanks to his three deputies, Sir Alan Hazelhurst, who is still in the Commons, and Sir Michael Lord and Sylvia Heal who've retired.

The three elected are:

(Lab) Chorley (Chairman of Ways and Means - the senior deputy to the Speaker, who chairs proceedings during the Budget).

(Con) Ribble Valley (First Deputy Chairman of W&M).

(Lab) Bristol South (Second Deputy Chairman).

.

UPDATE: The newly-elected Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means, Lindsay Hoyle, has wasted no time in starting work. He has just taken the chair in the Commons for the first time to preside over the Second Reading debate for the Identity Documents Bill, which repeals Labours ID Cards legislation, to be greeted by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Secretary, Theresa May...

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