Electoral Commission

Jacob Rees-Mogg Excerpts

Tuesday 20th July 2021 General Committees

[The Chair]

I will allow people to take off their jackets. I know that the Leader of the House probably will not want to do so. But if you wish to do so, you may. I remind hon. Members that Mr Speaker has stated that the wearing of masks is encouraged. Hansard colleagues would be most grateful if Members sent their speaking notes to [e-mail].

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg)]

I beg to move,

That the Committee has considered the motion, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that Her Majesty will appoint Dr Katy Radford as an Electoral Commissioner with effect from 1 September 2021 for the period ending on 31 August 2025; and that Her Majesty will re-appoint Sarah Chambers as an Electoral Commissioner with effect from 31 March 2022 for the period ending on 30 March 2026.

May I say what a pleasure it is to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford, for what I believe is the first time in my spell in Parliament? The motion proposes that an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that Her Majesty will appoint Dr Katy Radford as an electoral commissioner with effect from 1 September 2021 and for the period ending on 31 August 2025, and that Her Majesty will reappoint Sarah Chambers as an electoral commissioner with effect from 31 March 2022 and for the period ending on 30 March 2026. The Speaker’s Committee has produced its second report of 2021 in respect of Dr Radford’s appointment, and its third report in respect of Sarah Chambers’ reappointment.

It may help if I set out the key points for the record. Electoral commissioners are appointed under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, as amended by the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009. Under the 2000 Act, the Speaker’s Committee has a responsibility to oversee the selection of candidates for appointment to the Electoral Commission, and any reappointments can be made only on the committee’s recommendation.

Dr Radford is being proposed as the electoral commissioner with particular responsibility for Northern Ireland. The post fell vacant on 31 December 2020, when Anna Carragher’s term of office came to an end. The Speaker’s Committee has expressed its gratitude to Ms Carragher for her nine years of service on the commission. At the request of the Speaker’s Committee, Mr Speaker appointed a panel to assist with identifying possible candidates for the post. The panel initially consisted of Professor Dolores O’Reilly, who is an independent assessor for the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland and who acted as chairman of the panel; the hon. Member for City of Chester (Christian Matheson); my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Mr Wragg); and Sir John Holmes, the then chairman of the Electoral Commission. As Sir John’s term as chairman drew to a close during the process, he was replaced, following the shortlisting stage, by John Pullinger, who was then the chairman-designate.

The post was initially advertised last September but, having reviewed the applications received, the panel decided to re-launch the process and the post was readvertised in December. Following that open competition, and interviews in April with the shortlisted candidates, the panel’s unanimous view was that Dr Katy Radford should be recommended for appointment. The Speaker’s Committee, having considered the panel’s report, agreed to put Dr Radford’s name forward for consultation with the party leaders.

Dr Radford is a social anthropologist who currently serves as a commissioner on the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. She recently completed terms as vice-chairman of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and as a member of the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition. She was previously acting director of the Institute for Conflict Research and was awarded an MBE in 2011 for her contribution to community relations in Northern Ireland.

Sarah Chambers has served on the Electoral Commission since 31 March 2018, and her term of office expires on 30 March 2022. In May, the Speaker’s Committee discussed a letter from Mr Pullinger, now chairman of the Electoral Commission, setting out an appraisal of Sarah Chambers’ work as an electoral commissioner during her first term. Mr Pullinger’s appraisal was positive, and he concluded that “he had no hesitation” in recommending Sarah Chambers for reappointment. Having considered Mr Pullinger’s appraisal, the committee concluded that it was content to recommend Sarah Chambers for reappointment, subject to the statutory consultation with the party leaders. Sarah Chambers was previously—from 2004 to 2008—chief executive of the Postal Services Commission. She has also been a board and committee member of a number of public organisations, including the Competition and Markets Authority, the Bar Standards Board and the Judicial Appointments Commission. She is currently chairman of the Legal Services Consumer Panel.

Statute requires that proposed appointments or reappointments to the Electoral Commission be the subject of consultation with the registered leaders of each registered party to which two or more Members of the House of Commons then belong. The statutory consultation provides an opportunity for the party leaders to comment, but they are not obliged to do so. Mr Speaker therefore consulted the qualifying party leaders on the appointment of Katy Radford and Sarah Chambers. No objections were received in response to that consultation. As required under the Act, Mr Speaker has given his agreement for this motion to be made. I hope that these appointments will have the support of this Committee and, ultimately, the House.