Newington's Jack Worlidge looks at what the new Select Committee Chairs mean for the scrutiny of government policy.

Following the elections for Select Committee Chairs, the Government will know it faces a difficult few years.

Some are particularly well placed to cause trouble - Robert Halfon, heading up the Education Committee, was a minister in the Department for Education just last month. Knowing where the bodies are buried, he will be better prepared than most to pin down current ministers.

Nicky Morgan, who defeated five other Conservative MPs to become the new Treasury Committee Chair, has also been inside the department she will be scrutinising. While much attention has been on her uncompromising advocacy for a ‘soft’ Brexit, she has also signalled her intent to look more at consumer issues, moving away from the Committee’s traditional focus on the financial sector. Given the post-referendum trend in inflation, she will have searching questions for Mark Carney on the impact of a rate rise on increasingly indebted households.

Other key committees to watch include the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, now chaired by Rachel Reeves. A high-profile member of Ed Miliband’s Shadow Cabinet, she has become known for subjecting Treasury ministers to forensic questioning from the backbenches. Lilian Greenwood, now chair of the Transport Committee has spent almost six years shadowing Transport ministers, and will also be a thorn in the Government’s side.

Elsewhere, Meg Hillier remains Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, set to continue producing hard-hitting reports exposing waste and profligacy in Whitehall. Hilary Benn, remains Chair of the Exiting the EU Committee, and will carry on making life difficult for the Brexit Ministers, having recently called for the Labour Party to support remaining in the Customs Union.

More important than the Chairs, however, is the environment in which the committees will be operating. Commentators have been noting the increasing influence of Select Committees for a number of years, with a significant amount of press coverage of Government policy now stemming from committee reports. High-profile evidence sessions (including those of Mike Ashley, Bob Diamond, and the Murdochs) have raised their profile still further.

Much of this is because both the Committee Chairs and other members have, since 2010, been elected by their fellow MPs. With these coveted positions previously doled out by party whips, the committees have been enjoying a renewed sense of purpose and responsibility. Elections empower them not just through providing a mandate, but also because successful candidates will likely have received cross-party support – making it easier for members to criticise their own party in Government.

This influence will only increase during this Parliament - never before have elected committees scrutinised a weak minority Government. Pressure from the Commons has already prompted policy changes, and once fully formed, committees will be an obvious forum for dissent to coalesce and for pressure to be amplified.

It has been suggested that 30-40% of Select Committee recommendations end up as Government policy. In private, ministers and special advisers can see committees as a nuisance to be managed rather than an important means for scrutiny. Given the current parliamentary arithmetic, they may soon be finding them more of a nuisance than usual.

How companies help steer the agendas of these committees and how they respond if being called to give evidence can be critical to helping achieve business objectives and Newington can help. If you think your organisation’s path will cross with Select Committees, contact Director of Public Affairs Chris White at [email protected].