John Glen and Bernard Jenkin miss out as PAC and PACAC chairs elected

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown takes helm of Public Accounts Committee and Simon Hoare becomes Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee chair
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (left), Simon Hoare (right). Photos: PA/Alamy

By Tevye Markson

13 Sep 2024

Recent minister for the Cabinet Office John Glen has failed in his bid to become chair of parliament's influential Public Accounts Committee, with previous deputy chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown winning a three-way vote.

Meanwhile, the election to be the next Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee chair has been won by Simon Hoare, who defeated the experienced Sir Bernard Jenkin.

All House of Commons select committee chairs have now been confirmed other than the Liaison Committee.

New PAC chair Clifton-Brown, a Conservative MP since 1992, has been a member of the committee during three separate spells: 1997-1999, 2017-2019 and 2020-2024, and was recently its deputy chair. 

He defeated Glen, who was minister for the Cabinet Office from November 2023-July 2024, and David Davis, who is a former chair of PAC, running the committee from 1997-2001, and a former secretary of state responsible for Brexit negotiations.

PAC examines the value for money of government projects, programmes and service delivery. Drawing on the work of the National Audit Office, it holds senior civil servants to account for the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending. It is the only committee that solely interviews civil servants.

Clifton-Brown takes over from Dame Meg Hillier, who ran the committee for nine years and was earlier this week named chair of the Treasury Committee.

Commenting on his victory, Clifton-BRown said he was "honoured" to have been elected chair of PAC, paid tribute to his fellow candidates, and said he was "very grateful" to all of his colleagues for their support. He also gave a special mention to Hillier. 

He said: "I would like to thank in particular the previous PAC chair Dame Meg Hillier, both for her endorsement of my candidacy and for her steadfast leadership of the previous committee."

Clifton Brown added: “During my time as deputy chair of the PAC, we identified a range of issues across government in need of ongoing and robust scrutiny, and as chair I hope to build on that all-important work. Using the PAC’s overarching remit across government, we will continue to strive to provide the public with the best available insight into how effectively, efficiently and economically policy is being delivered and propose improvements."

Clifton-Brown said he will be holding discussions with members on the committee’s future work once they are in place, and that he looks forward to working again with the NAO "to continue the PAC’s vital mission: holding government to account for value for money across all of its spending, on the taxpayer’s behalf".

Hoare, the new PACAC chair, has been a Conservative MP since 2015 and also defeated an MP who has previously run the committee.

Jenkin was chair of PACAC from 2010-2019, before leading the Liaison Committee.  

Hoare also has previous experience leading a committee, having been chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from 2019-2023.

Commenting on his victory, Hoare said it is "a privilege" to be elected as chair of PACAC. He added: "I will endeavour to repay the faith shown in me by my fellow members of parliament to ensure this committee undertakes its work with diligence, professionalism and integrity.”

The PACAC chair role was briefly held by Dame Jackie Doyle-Price, for a few weeks in May before Rishi Sunak called this summer's general election. Before that, William Wragg was chair from 2020-2024.

PACAC examines the quality and standards of administration provided by civil service departments, as well as constitutional issues and the reports of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Or as Wragg put it in an interview with CSW last year, “We are a committee that analyses episodes of Yes, Minister, basically."

The other victors in Wednesday’s elections were:

  • Business and Trade (Labour): Liam Byrne
  • Defence (Labour): Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
  • Education (Labour): Helen Hayes
  • Energy Security and Net Zero (Labour): Bill Esterson
  • Environmental Audit (Labour): Toby Perkins 
  • Foreign Affairs (Labour): Emily Thornberry MP
  • Home Affairs (Conservative): Dame Karen Bradley
  • Housing, Communities and Local Government (Labour): Florence Eshalomi 
  • International Development (Labour): Sarah Champion 
  • Justice (Labour): Andy Slaughter 
  • Procedure (Labour): Cat Smith 
  • Science, Innovation and Technology (Labour): Chi Onwurah 
  • Scottish Affairs (Labour): Patricia Ferguson   
  • Standards (Conservative): Alberto Costa 
  • Transport (Labour): Ruth Cadbury 
  • Women and Equalities (Labour): Sarah Owen 
  • Work and Pensions (Labour): Debbie Abrahams 

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