The Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission (SCEC),[1] or simply the Speaker's Committee, is a body created under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 to scrutinise the Electoral Commission.[2] Through the committee's members, the commission is able to field questions in the House of Commons in a manner similar to the way ministers do.
Composition
editThe committee comprises nine MPs: the speaker of the House of Commons (who also serves as its chair), the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities,[3] the chair of the select committee responsible for electoral issues,[4][5] As of 22 February 2023, the members of the committee are as follows:
| Member | Party | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Lindsay Hoyle | Speaker (Labour) | Speaker of the House of Commons (ex officio member) |
| Michael Gove | Conservative | Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (ex officio member) |
| Felicity Buchan | Conservative | Minister of the Crown with responsibilities in relation to local government (Appointed by the Prime Minister) |
| Clive Betts | Labour | Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee (ex officio member) |
| William Wragg | Conservative | Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee (ex officio member) |
| Rachel Hopkins | Labour | Regular Member |
| Craig Mackinlay | Conservative | Regular Member |
| Lee Rowley | Conservative | Regular Member |
| Cat Smith | Labour | Regular Member |
| Owen Thompson | Scottish National Party | Regular Member |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission". UK Parliament. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (c. 41), Schedule 1 ss 14–19
- ^ SI 2021/1265, Sch. 2 para. 15(2).
- ^ Section 2(2)(a) of the Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act specifically calls for this to be the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, but 2(6)(b) states that if responsibility for electoral issues transfers to another committee, that committees chair should serve instead.
- ^ Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2010 (c. 41) s 2
- ^ "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission". UK Parliament.