Scottish Affairs Committee membership finally agreed by MPs

The Scottish Affairs Committee is now ready to get back to work after MPs passed a motion on Monday approving the committee’s membership.

It is the only Westminster departmental select committee that had not been re-established in the more than four months since the December general election.

The former Scottish Affairs Committee ended its work in November when parliament was dissolved as the election campaign began.

Pete Wishart was re-elected as chair of the committee on 29 January, but MPs had been unable to agree on the make-up of a new committee.

A motion to form the committee on 2 March was opposed by the SNP becuase they disagreed with the Conservatives gaining an extra member despite their election losses in Scotland.

Another motion agreed by all parties in April was withdrawn by the UK Government.

The 11-person committee that has been agreed is made up of five Conservative, three SNP, two Labour and one Lib Dem MP, with the Conservatives gaining one extra member and Labour losing one.

Four of the committee members, two Conservative and two Labour, represent constituencies in England.

Commenting on the agreement being passed, Wishart said: “It’s a great relief that the Scottish Affairs Committee is back.

“We’ve put aside our differences in the interests of navigating a way through this crisis together.

“The immense efforts to suppress coronavirus, have impacted everyone in Scotland, and the onus is on us now, more than ever, to ensure that the UK Government’s four-nation approach to combat the pandemic addresses the unique needs of Scotland.

“There’s no time to lose, and we start work straight away.

“We have new members, new ideas, and a fresh impetus to make policy work better for Scotland.”