Catherine Atkinson MP has been elected to chair the influential House of Commons justice committee. She replaces Andy Slaughter MP, who is now solicitor general.
Atkinson was a junior minister at the Ministry of Justice for just over two months at the end of the Starmer government this summer. She was brought in to replace Alex Davies-Jones MP, who had resigned. Andy Burnham sacked Atkinson and brought back Davies-Jones.
Only Labour MPs were eligible to stand for election as chair of the justice committee. This was Atkinson’s video pitch:
Catherine Atkinson | Chair Candidate - Justice CommitteeHouse of Commons Committees
House of Commons Committees333 subscribers
The former minister was supported by three current members of the committee: Warinder Juss MP (Labour), Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst MP (Conservative) and Tessa Munt MP (Liberal Democrat). She also had the backing of the committee’s former Conservative chair, Sir Bob Neill, who stressed the advantage of having a former practising lawyer in the post when dealing with the senior judiciary and leaders of the profession.
Atkinson received 250 votes from MPs in the election yesterday, winning in the first round. Two current members of the justice committee stood. Janet Daby MP secured 76 votes and Sarah Russell MP received 37 votes. Another candidate, Mary Creagh MP, won 92 votes.
A former chair of the Society of Labour Lawyers, Atkinson has been MP for Derby North since the general election in 2024. After attending...
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