On the go: Debbie Abrahams, Chris Bryant, Stephen Timms and Karen Buck are the Labour MPs that so far have been nominated for the election of the next Work and Pensions select committee chair.
The period of nominations will run until 4pm on January 27, which means more candidates can still be named. The ballot is scheduled to take place on January 29.
Members from the relevant party may put forward their names, but must be supported by 15 nominations from their own party, or nominations from 10 per cent of all the members elected to the house for their party, whichever is fewer.
The next committee chair will be replacing Frank Field, who was not re-elected as MP for Birkenhead in the December general election.
Ms Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, served as the shadow secretary for work and pensions between 2016 and 2018.
In her supporting statement, she noted that the Work and Pensions select committee is “particularly important as the government’s largest spending department, delivering support to around 20m people, many of whom are vulnerable”.
She added: “With increasing poverty across all age groups, from children to older people, it is right for the select committee to be investigating the part our social security system is playing to alleviate this.”
Mr Bryant, MP for Rhondda and shadow pensions minister between 2013 and 2014, argued that there are many areas of the Department for Work and Pensions’ policies that need urgent attention.
“Clearly, that includes personal independence payments – including reviewing how assessments are carried out – the roll-out of universal credit, carer’s allowance, the delayed review into the treatment of claimants with terminal conditions, developments in auto-enrolment, changes to the state pension and pension credit, and tackling preventable work-related deaths and injuries,” he said.
MP for East Ham Mr Timms was pensions minister in 2005-06 and again in 2008, among other governmental roles.
In his supporting statement, he said that the committee’s “important work in monitoring progress with auto-enrolment and the pensions dashboard must continue”, and that he welcomed the cross-party consensus in favour of collective defined contribution pensions.
“Too many of those taking advantage of pension freedoms have fallen prey to fraudsters. The committee should review the protections and support in place for savers,” he added.
Ms Buck, MP for Westminster North, was the shadow minister for work and pensions in 2010-11, and a member of the committee in 2010 and again between 2015 and 2017.
