Chair nominations open for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee

Stella Creasy

Nominated by (own party)

Fleur Anderson, Lisa Nandy, Ian Murray, Jim McMahon, Chris Bryant, Karl Turner, Florence Eshalomi, Feryal Clark, Chris Evans, Siobhain McDonagh, Debbie Abrahams, Vicky Foxcroft, Nadia Whittome, Wes Streeting, Alex Davies-Jones

Nominated by (other parties)

Tobias Ellwood, Richard Fuller, Huw Merriman, Chris Stephens, Caroline Lucas 

Relevant interests declared

Please see Register of Members' Financial Interests

Statement

I'm asking for your support to become the next Chair of the BEIS Select Committee to be able to ensure the concerns of British businesses are heard clearly and immediately as Parliament addresses the Coronavirus crisis.

Whether Directors of their own Limited Companies, owners of businesses which are not eligible for rate relief, those on zero hour contracts whose employers refuse to furlough them or those who have applied for loans through the CBILs scheme that have yet to be processed, our constituents need our help. And they need our help now – decisions on whether to continue or to go into insolvency are being made in the coming days and weeks, not months.

The BEIS Select Committee has a vital role to play – offering a unique and unparalleled forum into which the needs of our residents, local businesses and communities can be given voice loud and clear as part of scrutinising Government policy. Where boardrooms who are choosing to furlough staff but avoid tough questions on executive pay can be held to account. Where banks struggling to pass on the help desperately needed by small businesses can explain how to accelerate help. Where new models for the world of work don't fit can be clarified so that support can be arranged.

As a former Shadow Business Minister and participant in several Select Committees, as well as with a background in the not for profit sector, I have the experience and the independence to ensure the Committee can be the constructive forum our constituents – and our representatives – need. My track record as a parliamentarian is one of results – and working across the House to achieve them. Whether leading the fight against legal loan sharks, tax avoidance or for the rights of women in Northern Ireland, it has been through collaboration across the benches that change has been achieved. 

Each of us is taking calls on a daily basis from those at the sharp end of these challenges; Never more has our nation needed us to work together to ensure these schemes deliver for them.  In recent years the BEIS select committee has proved itself a powerful advocate for just that, helping to highlight the lessons from the collapse of Carillion and provide a voice for the workers of Thomas Cook.  As this crisis continues, it is even more imperative the Committee effectively scrutinises the Government and feeds back on these key areas. When it subsides, we need to concentrate on areas including emissions targets and energy security, the challenge of red tape, procurement and our work life balance.

Together we can ensure the BEIS Select Committee is a powerful force in real time for effective policy making and parliamentary scrutiny; showing our constituents how their concerns are being heard and acted upon and impacting the support they need. I ask for your support to be able to lead the above and ensure we have a BEIS Select Committee which is back in business to back British business.     

Angela Eagle

Nominated by (own party)

Mike Amesbury, Kevin Brennan, Ms Karen Buck, Sarah Champion, Janet Daby, Julie Elliott, Mary Glindon, Andrew Gwynne, Meg Hillier, Sir George Howarth, Dame Diana Johnson, Christian Matheson, Alison McGovern, Tulip Siddiq, Daniel Zeichner

Nominated by (other parties)

Angus Brendan MacNeil, Neil Gray, Mel Stride, Sir Charles Walker, Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger

Relevant interests declared

Please see Register of Members' Financial Interests

Statement

The country is facing the unprecedented challenge of a global health pandemic which has engendered a worldwide economic crisis, the scale of which has not been witnessed since the 1930s.

Creative and innovative solutions from Government will be required to rescue, rebuild and renew our economy. Rigorous select committee scrutiny can improve decision making and therefore the outcome for all our constituents as this crisis unfolds. Government works better and is kept on its toes by a strong, well functioning Parliament unafraid to call it to account, virtually or otherwise. As we are seeing with the Government's coronavirus support packages, there is all too often a gap between the policy intent of an announcement and the practicalities of administering those policies successfully. It is in revealing those gaps and engaging with stakeholders and the Government that Select Committees add value.

I am standing for Chair of the BEIS Select Committee because I have the experience of complex economic policy areas both in Government and Opposition to match the seriousness of the challenging times we face. This has given me a good feel for how Government works and what it can and can't do as we look beyond the pandemic and into the next stages of recovery.

I know from long Parliamentary experience the necessity of working across party lines to reach the consensus vital to increase the influence of Select Committee reports. This includes reflecting the views of smaller parties too. I have served on four different Select Committees, including on the Employment Select Committee, the Treasury Select Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. Four years on the House of Commons Commission showed I can work successfully in an arena requiring consensus. Now is not the time for grandstanding or party political point scoring, and I will not do either if elected.

After rescue for our economy, it is important that opportunities are not missed in the renewal phase to implement a green transformation to ensure that our economy emerges fit for the zero-carbon challenge which comes next. Infrastructure investment will be crucial here.

If I was elected Chair, I would ensure that the committee continues to take account of the concerns of the Nations and Regions, which are often overlooked in a very centralised Whitehall system, yet are potential powerhouses of economic growth and development.

I would wish to see a special focus on our small and medium-sized enterprises, which are currently in peril, yet which provide the lion's share of employment opportunities. I would also like to explore the notion of a reinvigorated start-up regime to help new business germinate and grow following the pandemic.

I would ensure that the BEIS Select Committee would produce regular reports to all Members on the work of the Committee – like those produced by the Public Accounts Committee.

I believe I have the experience to make sure that the BEIS Select Committee maintains its crucial role and would be honoured to be chosen to lead it.

Darren Jones

Nominated by (own party)

Anna McMorrin, Ben Bradshaw, Ellie Reeves, Emma Hardy, Holly Lynch, Jess Phillips, Kate Green, Kerry McCarthy, Pat McFadden, Preet Gill, Sarah Jones, Seema Malhotra, Mr Stephen Morgan, Tonia Antoniazzi, Mr Virendra Sharma

Nominated by (other parties)

Greg Clark, Dr Liam Fox, Mr David Jones, Carol Monaghan, Wera Hobhouse

Relevant interests declared

I maintain my practising certificate as a solicitor by way of a consultancy agreement with the law firm Kemp Little LLP, via my service company the Office of Darren Jones Limited. However, no legal advice is currently being given and there are no active clients which would require further declaration.

I am the chair of Labour Digital, a unincorporated membership association engaged in policy discussions related to technology and digital policy issues within the Labour Party, which has been in receipt of grant funding from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Limited, Jason Stockwood (of Simply Business) and Zebra Technologies Europe Limited. The majority of these funds have been used to employ a paid intern for Labour Digital, employed directly by the Labour Party.

I am the chairman of the Institute of AI – a global not-for-profit network of legislators interested in the regulation of artificial intelligence. This is an unpaid role.

My wife, Lucy Symons-Jones, is the Director of External Affairs at the Association of Decentralised Energy, which represents a number of energy-related businesses.

I am the co-chair of the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology APPG (PICTFor) and the co-chair of the Parliamentary Group for Renewable and Sustainable Energy APPG (PRASEG).

Statement

The BEIS committee will play a crucial role in tackling two of the most significant challenges facing our country: our economic recovery and tackling climate change. 

My real-world business and legal experience, my expertise in energy policy and my track record of select committee leadership evidences my ability to fulfil this important role.

More importantly, perhaps, is my consistent track record of working on these issues collaboratively across the House in the best interests of the country. Now is not the time for tribal politics or point scoring. 

That's why I'm so pleased to be endorsed by colleagues from across the whole political spectrum of the House of Commons. From Sir Bill Cash MP, David Jones MP and Dr Liam Fox MP to Greg Clark MP, Karen Bradley MP and Stephen Metcalfe MP; from Kate Green MP, Kerry McCarthy MP and Ben Bradshaw MP to Wera Hobhouse MP, Sir Norman Lamb and Carol Monaghan MP. 

And it's why I was so pleased to be nominated by my party colleagues from across intakes and groupings with nearly 75% of my nominations coming from the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party. 

The endorsement of previous Secretaries of State and Ministers from governments of all colours, and from current and former committee chairs, I hope is a testament to my pitch to colleagues. 

Is isn't for the chair to dictate what work a future committee should and shouldn't work on. It is right and proper that the select committee decides its priorities as a whole committee. That's why being a team player and helping lead an empowered team of equals is so important to this role. 

All members know why the work undertaken by the BEIS committee is so important. Each of you will understand the challenges we're facing as a country, and the enormous task ahead of us for workers, businesses, the British economy and – especially in respect of climate change – the world.

From post-pandemic growth, supporting workers, understanding the impact of the pandemic on SMEs and our supply chains to making the best of Britain's leadership of COP, of British R&D and innovation and helping set out the best approaches to a new post-pandemic, post-Brexit industrial strategy that lifts the entire country, it's clear there's a great deal of work for the committee to do. 

I couldn't be more excited at the prospect of chairing the BEIS committee and working with current and new members in the task ahead. I hope my experience, my endorsements, my nominations and my pitch to colleagues persuades many of you to vote for me. If I'm fortunate enough to win, I look forward to working with all of you in the future.

Image: PA/Alan Simpson