THE new chair of Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee has been elected, winning by just two votes.
Patricia Ferguson, the MP for Glasgow West, will chair the committee, which is supposed to scrutinise “the expenditure, administration and policies of the Scotland Office, and its associated bodies”.
The UK parliament website adds: “The committee also examines the wider UK Government, to assess policies and legislation that lead to direct impacts on Scotland.”
Ferguson, a Labour MP, was elected to the role ahead of Livingstone MP Gregor Poynton. She won 237 votes to his 235.
The committee had been chaired by the SNP’s Pete Wishart. However, the party lost the right to chair it after losing all but nine MPs in the July General Election.
Ferguson was an MSP at Holyrood from 1999 to 2016, serving as a culture minister in Jack McConnell’s government.
Following her election as Scottish Affairs Committee chair, Ferguson said: “I’m delighted to be elected chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee.
“This committee is pivotal in the relationship between Westminster and Holyrood, and I will ensure that it gives a voice to people across Scotland.
“This Parliament will see the new Government make decisions that will affect all of Scotland.
“I look forward to working with colleagues from across the House of Commons to properly scrutinise and inform these important decisions.”
As a committee chair, Ferguson will be paid around £18,300 per year on top of her £91,300 MP salary.
She resigned her role as a Glasgow councillor earlier in September, meaning a by-election will be held to replace her on the city council.
Ferguson also came under fire in August after visiting an arms manufacturer with links to Israel.
