New MPs Encouraged To Join Select Committees To "Make A Difference" In Politics

Joining a select committee would be the “really obvious route” for MPs new to Parliament or opposition to “make a difference”, according to an Oxford political scientist.

Ben Ansell, a professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at the University of Oxford, told PoliticsHome that the system means “average Parliamentarians” can have much more of a say than previously on accountability and representation in Parliament. Aside from climbing the ministerial ladder, he felt it was the next best way for backbenchers or newer MPs to make an impact.

Ansell, who wrote his Why Politics Fails book on whether self-interest in politics can be overcome, believes that becoming a PPC – a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate – is a “mad thing to do”, with candidates facing huge sacrifices.

Departmental select committees were first introduced in 1980 following the general election in the previous year. In the House of Commons, there is a committee for each government department, and according to the Parliament website, they all examine three key areas: spending, policies, and the administration of their respective departments. 

Committees conduct inquiries, gathering written and oral evidence that is then reported to the Commons. The chairs of the committees are elected by MPs, and the jobs are allocated to the parliamentary parties to reflect the proportion of MPs they have in the Commons

Recent inquiries by select committees have included investigations into the Post Office Horizon scandal, gambling regulation, and the UK’s response to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. 

“Select committees really are an important innovation that I do think is holding Parliament and in particular Cabinet much more accountable than in their absence," Ansell