Following the general election, elections were held across the House of Common to determine who would chair the various parliamentary committees. As a result, Huw Merriman MP has been elected as chairman of the Transport Select Committee.
This will be the first time in more than 20 years that a Conservative MP will chair the Transport Select Committee. The membership of all the Select Committees reflect that of the House of Commons and, following the result of the 2019 General Election, Conservatives hold 16 chair positions, Labour have nine and the Scottish National Party take two.
Huw Merriman follows a series of female Labour chairs: Lilian Greenwood MP (2017-19), Louise Ellman MP (2008-2017) and Gwyneth Dunwoody MP (1997-2008).
Following the announcement of his election, Huw Merriman said: “I am delighted to have secured the support of the House as well as my previous Committee colleagues to lead the Transport Select Committee in this new Parliament. It’s a fascinating part of life as an MP and I’m looking forward to the challenge of chairing.
“It’s important that all forms of transport are scrutinised as we can do better. I don’t believe the sector delivers value across the UK – a lack of competition, accountability and responsibility causes our constituents to received poor service and provision.
“I’ll be seeking ideas for inquiries from across the House but in particular, I would like to look at long-term transport projects such as HS2 and Heathrow; consider the environmental, economic and community costs; and forensically probe the performance of government departments, agencies and industry.”
The full membership of the committee will be announced later.
Amended 3 March 2020:
Transport Select Committee membership announced
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