Nicky Morgan to lead Treasury committee

Nicky MorganPA

Former education secretary Nicky Morgan has been elected as chairwoman of the influential Treasury select committee.

Ms Morgan saw off five other Tory MPs to land the coveted role scrutinising the government's finances.

Other committee election results, which were announced by Speaker John Bercow, include Tom Tugendhat ousting fellow Tory Crispin Blunt as foreign affairs committee chairman.

And ex-education minister Robert Halfon will lead the education committee.

Defence committee chairman Julian Lewis saw off Johnny Mercer's challenge, while Neil Parish was re-elected as chairman of the environment, food and rural affairs committee, beating recently re-elected backbencher Zac Goldsmith.

Select committee chairs are allocated between parties by the Speaker based on their Commons representation and then elected by all MPs.

Committee elections: The results

  • Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Labour) - Rachel Reeves

  • Communities and Local Government (Labour) - Clive Betts

  • Defence (Conservative) - Julian Lewis

  • Education (Conservative) - Robert Halfon

  • Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Conservative) - Neil Parish

  • Foreign Affairs (Conservative) - Tom Tugendhat

  • Northern Ireland Affairs (Conservative) - Andrew Murrison

  • Science and Technology (Liberal Democrat) - Norman Lamb

  • Transport (Labour) - Lilian Greenwood

  • Treasury (Conservative) - Nicky Morgan

  • Backbench Business Committee (Opposition party) - Ian Mearns

The contest for the Treasury select committee, previously chaired by Andrew Tyrie, pitted pro-EU Tory Ms Morgan against party colleagues including Eurosceptic backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The former education secretary has repeatedly clashed with Prime Minister Theresa May since being axed from the cabinet.

She won 200 of the 570 votes cast in the first round of votes, with the election decided on the alternative vote system, and ended up with 290 votes after the fifth round of voting.

In contests for committees chaired by Labour, former shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves was elected as chairwoman for business, energy and industrial strategy.

Clive Betts was re-elected as chairman for communities and local government, beating David Lammy, while former shadow transport secretary Lilian Greenwood won the race to chair the transport select committee.

Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb beat party colleague Jo Swinson and will chair the science and technology committee.

Seventeen committees were not contested as only one nomination was received.

Unopposed committee appointments:

  • Culture, Media and Sport (Conservative) - Damian Collins

  • Exiting the EU (Labour) - Hilary Benn

  • Health (Conservative) - Sarah Wollaston

  • International Development (Labour) - Stephen Twigg

  • Home Affairs (Labour) - Yvette Cooper

  • International Trade (Scottish National Party) - Angus Brendan MacNeil

  • Justice (Conservative) - Robert Neill

  • Scottish Affairs (Scottish National Party) - Pete Wishart

  • Welsh Affairs (Conservative) - David Davies

  • Women and Equalities (Conservative) - Maria Miller

  • Work and Pensions (Labour) - Frank Field

  • Environmental Audit (Labour) - Mary Creagh

  • Petitions (Labour) - Helen Jones

  • Procedure (Conservative) - Charles Walker

  • Public Accounts (Labour) - Meg Hillier

  • Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs (Conservative) - Bernard Jenkin

  • Standards (Labour) - Sir Kevin Barron