Helen Hayes elected education committee chair

MPs have elected Helen Hayes as chair of the House of Commons education select committee. 

The Dulwich and West Norwood MP saw off competition from Sharon Hodgson and Marie Tidball in a ballot which closed earlier this afternoon. 

Hayes is the first woman to chair the committee and will play a leading role in holding Department for Education ministers and officials to account.  

Hayes said: “Working cross-party, this committee will continue to champion the interests of children, young people and parents in every corner of England and from every background, as well as adults who seek to retrain and learn new skills.”

“Over the course of this Parliament, we will scrutinise the policies of this Government and bodies such as Ofsted and Ofqual, and always be led by the evidence we receive.”

‘Ambitious programme of inquiries’

Hayes won 263 votes in the first round to Hodgson’s 197 and Tidball’s 97. As the recipient of the lowest number of votes, Tidball was eliminated. Hayes received 312 votes to Hodgson’s 214 in the second round.

In her election statement, Hayes pledged an “ambitious programme of inquiries” on issues such as a fit-for-purpose skills system, SEND reform, reviewing the school curriculum and scrutinising the work of the government’s child poverty task force. 

“I am committed to ensuring that the education select committee takes the widest possible evidence for each inquiry, including by making visits to education and care settings across the country,” she said.

“I will be a fair and inclusive chair and a strong voice for the committee and its work in the Chamber and in our wider national discourse.”

Debbie Abrahams, a former shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, was elected chair of the work and pensions committee. 

Abrahams’ priorities for committee inquiries include the devolution of employment support, disability employment, the role of Jobcentre Plus and reviewing Universal Credit.

New committee chairs officially take up their posts once the remaining committee members have been appointed, which is likely to take place next month following the party conference recess.