Glasgow MP elected chair of Scottish Affairs Committee

Glasgow West MP Patricia Ferguson has been elected as the new chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee in the House of Commons.

She narrowly beat Livingston MP Gregor Poynton in a secret ballot, securing 237 votes to his 235.

She takes over the role from SNP MP Pete Wishart – who did the job for nearly a decade, the maximum time allowed.

The new chair had to be a member of the Labour Party, based on the results of the July general election and the allocation of other committee chairs. The SNP no longer chairs any committee.

Ferguson said: “I’m delighted to be elected chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee. This committee is pivotal in the relationship between Westminster and Holyrood, and I will ensure that it gives a voice to people across Scotland. 

“This parliament will see the new government make decisions that will affect all of Scotland. I look forward to working with colleagues from across the House of Commons to properly scrutinise and inform these important decisions.”

Ferguson was elected to Westminster for the first time in July, but was previously a Member of the Scottish Parliament and a Scottish Government minister.

She lost her Maryhill seat to the SNP’s Bob Doris in 2016 and was not placed high enough on Labour’s regional list to be elected.

She was elected as a councillor in Glasgow in 2022, a role she has now resigned.

She beat the SNP’s Carol Monaghan in the most recent general election.

Scottish Lib Dem MPs Alistair Carmichael and Jamie Stone were elected unopposed to chair the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and the Petitions Committee, respectively, earlier this week.

The full list of committee chairs is as follows:

• Business and Trade: Liam Byrne (Labour)
• Defence: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour)
• Education: Helen Hayes (Labour)
• Energy Security and Net Zero: Bill Esterson (Labour)
• Foreign Affairs: Emily Thornberry (Labour)
• Home Affairs: Karen Bradley (Conservative)
• Housing, Communities and Local Government: Florence Eshalomi (Labour)
• International Development: Sarah Champion (Labour)
• Justice: Andy Slaughter (Labour)
• Science, Innovation and Technology: Chi Onwurah (Labour)
• Scottish Affairs: Patricia Ferguson (Labour)
• Transport: Ruth Cadbury (Labour)
• Women and Equalities: Sarah Owen (Labour)
• Work and Pensions: Debbie Abrahams (Labour)
• Environmental Audit: Toby Perkins (Labour)
• Procedure: Cat Smith (Labour)
• Public Accounts: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative)
• Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs: Simon Hoare (Conservative)
• Standards: Alberto Costa (Conservative)
• Culture, Media and Sport: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative)
• Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Alistair Carmichael (Lib Dem)
• Health and Social Care: Layla Moran (Lib Dem)
• Northern Ireland Affairs: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour)
• Treasury: Meg Hillier (Labour)
• Welsh Affairs: Ruth Jones (Labour)
• Petitions: Jamie Stone (Lib Dem)