The Foreign Affairs Select Committee is one of many select committees of the British House of Commons, which scrutinises the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. [1]
Membership of the committee is as follows: [2]
The chair was elected on 29 January 2020, with the members of the committee being announced on 2 March 2020. [3] [4] In 2022 Tom Tugendhat stepped down as the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee after assuming a ministerial role as Minister for Security. He was replaced by Alicia Kearns.
The chair was elected on 12 July 2017, with the members of the committee being announced on 11 September 2017. [5] [6]
Date | Outgoing Member & Party | Constituency | → | New Member & Party | Constituency | Source | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 February 2018 | Nus Ghani MP (Conservative) | Wealden | → | Priti Patel MP (Conservative) | Witham | Hansard | ||
Nadhim Zahawi MP (Conservative) | Stratford-on-Avon | Bob Seely MP (Conservative) | Isle of Wight | |||||
19 March 2019 | Ian Austin MP (Independent) | Dudley North | → | Conor McGinn MP (Labour) [a] | St Helens North | Hansard | ||
Mike Gapes MP (Change UK) | Stratford-on-Avon | Catherine West MP (Labour) [a] | Hornsey and Wood Green |
The chair was elected on 18 June 2015, with members being announced on 8 July 2015. [8] [9]
Date | Outgoing Member & Party | Constituency | → | New Member & Party | Constituency | Source | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 October 2016 | Yasmin Qureshi MP (Labour) | Bolton South East | → | Ian Murray MP (Labour) | Edinburgh South | Hansard |
The chair was elected on 10 June 2010, with members being announced on 12 July 2010. [10] [11]
Date | Outgoing Member & Party | Constituency | → | New Member & Party | Constituency | Source | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 November 2010 | Emma Reynolds MP (Labour) | Wolverhampton North East | → | Bob Ainsworth MP (Labour) | Coventry North East | Hansard | ||
18 June 2012 | David Watts MP (Labour) | St Helens North | → | Mark Hendrick MP (Labour and Co-op) | Preston | Hansard | ||
20 May 2013 | Bob Ainsworth MP (Labour) | Coventry North East | → | Sandra Osborne MP (Labour) | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Hansard | ||
30 June 2014 | Rory Stewart MP (Conservative) | Penrith and The Border | → | Nadhim Zahawi MP (Conservative) | Stratford-on-Avon | Hansard |
Chair | Party | Constituency | Term of office | Electors | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anthony Kershaw | Conservative | Stroud | 3 May 1979 | 1 January 1987 | Committee | |
David Howell | Conservative | Guildford | 1 January 1987 | 21 March 1997 | ||
Donald Anderson | Labour | Swansea East | 16 July 1997 | 12 July 2005 | ||
Mike Gapes | Labour | Ilford South | 18 July 2005 | 12 April 2010 | ||
Richard Ottaway | Conservative | Croydon South | 10 June 2010 | 30 March 2015 | Commons | |
Crispin Blunt | Conservative | Reigate | 18 June 2015 | 3 May 2017 | ||
Tom Tugendhat | Conservative | Tonbridge and Malling | 12 July 2017 | 6 September 2022 | ||
Alicia Kearns | Conservative | Rutland and Melton | 12 October 2022 | Incumbent |
The Foreign Affairs Committee carries out many inquiries, and publishes a variety of reports, including an annual Human Rights Report. During its inquiry into the government's decision to invade Iraq, David Kelly famously gave evidence to the committee on 15 July 2003, two days before his death.
In 2015 through 2016 the committee conducted an extensive and highly critical inquiry into the British involvement in the Libyan Civil War. It concluded that the early threat to civilians had been overstated and that the significant Islamist element in the rebel forces had not been recognised, due to an intelligence failure. By summer 2011 the initial limited intervention to protect Libyan civilians had become a policy of regime change. However that new policy did not include proper support and for a new government, leading to a political and economic collapse in Libya and the growth of ISIL in North Africa. The report concluded that the former Prime Minister David Cameron was ultimately responsible for this British policy failure. [12] [13] [14]
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee, previously known as the Public Administration Select Committee, is a committee designated by the British House of Commons. Its purpose is to scrutinize reports from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, address issues pertaining to the quality of administration delivered by civil service departments, and explore various matters concerning the civil service, primarily in England and Wales, as well as constitutional affairs.
The Defence Select Committee is one of the Select Committees of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, having been established in 1979. It examines the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies, including the British Armed Forces. The Committee's remit does not generally review Defence Intelligence which instead falls under the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.
The Home Affairs Select Committee is a departmental select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Health and Social Care Select Committee is a Departmental Select Committee of the British House of Commons, the lower house of the United Kingdom Parliament. Its remit is to examine the policy, administration and expenditure of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and its associated agencies and public bodies. The Clerks of the Committee are Previn Desai and Joanna Dodd.
The Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The committee's remit is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Northern Ireland Office and its associated public bodies. Select Committees work in both houses and report on governmental departments and economic affairs.
The Welsh Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Wales Office, as well as relations with the Senedd. The members of the committee are usually Welsh MPs.
The Environmental Audit Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine how government departments' policies and programmes will affect both the environment and sustainable development.
The House of Commons Treasury Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The committee is responsible for examining and scrutinizing the expenditure, administration and policy of HM Treasury. This includes its agencies and associated bodies, including HM Revenue and Customs, the Bank of England, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the Royal Mint.
The Housing and Communities Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the work, the expenditure, administration and policies of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and its associated public bodies.
The International Development Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the international aid functions of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and public bodies which work with the Office in relation to international aid and official development assistance. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact reports to this Select Committee.
The Transport Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies. Its powers, like those of other select committees, are provided for under standing order 152 of the Standing Orders of the House of Commons and its membership is limited to 11 members.
The Work and Pensions Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Work and Pensions and its associated public bodies.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (EFRA) is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its associated public bodies.
The Scottish Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, and relations with the Scottish Parliament. It also looks at the administration and expenditure of the Advocate General for Scotland.
The Justice Select Committee of the United Kingdom is a select committee of the House of Commons which scrutinizes the policy, administration, and spending of the Ministry of Justice. In addition, the committee examines the work of the Law Officers of the Crown, the Serious Fraud Office, and the Crown Prosecution Service. The committee also reviews draft Sentencing Guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council
The Education Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Education and any associated public bodies.
The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Backbench Business Committee of the British House of Commons was created on 15 June 2010 through the adoption of a new standing order. It was created soon after 2010 general election, but had been proposed during the previous Parliament by the Wright Committee on Reform of the House of Commons in its report of 12 November 2009.
The Women and Equalities Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was established following the 2015 general election to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Government Equalities Office on equalities issues.
The International Trade Select Committee was a Select Committee of the British House of Commons that existed from 2016 to 2023. It oversaw the operations of the now defunct Department for International Trade and its associated public bodies.
The Foreign Affairs Committee examines the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other bodies associated with the Foreign Office