The election for the next chair of the Commons Education Select Committee is set to take place tomorrow with three candidates announced as standing for the role.
Labour MPs Helen Hayes, Sharon Hodgson and Dr Marie Tidball are all in contention, it has been confirmed today.
The committee scrutinises the work of the Department for Education through both inquiries and hearings.
Previous chairs have included former Conservative ministers Robin Walker and Robert Halfon.
After the allocation of committee chairs to political parties in July, it was decided that the new chair would be elected from the Labour Party.
A ballot is scheduled for Wednesday 11 September with MPs voting between 10am and 4pm. The result is expected to be announced tomorrow evening.
Nominations closed on 9 September at 4pm. Here is who is in the running:
Sharon Hodgson
Ms Hodgson has been an MP since 2005. She was recently Labour’s shadow minister for defence from 2020-21.
The MP for Washington and Gateshead South also held the position of shadow education minister from 2010-13 and 2015-16.
Supporters for her nomination for chair from the Labour Party include Emily Thornberry, who most recently held the position of shadow attorney general.
In a statement, Ms Hodgson said that, as chair, she would “focus on holding the government to account” on issues such as: teacher recruitment and retention; childcare; the inequality gap; skills and the curriculum; school food; accountability measures; higher and further education; and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform.
“We know that education is the biggest equaliser in society, and I believe I have the skills and experience to fight for those learning in our country,” she added.
Dr Marie Tidball
Dr Tidball is a newly elected MP having won the Penistone and Stocksbridge seat for Labour in July’s general election.
She has previously worked as a disability rights activist, legal researcher and Labour councillor.
Her supporters include Gill Furniss, Labour MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, who most recently worked as the shadow minister for work and pensions.
In a statement, Dr Tidball said that she has spent “over a decade breaking down barriers to opportunity in education” in her professional life.
She said her priorities, if elected as chair, would be closing the deprivation gap, SEND, an inclusive curriculum and children’s social care.
Helen Hayes
Ms Hayes is the Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood and has been an MP since 7 May 2015.
She most recently worked as a shadow education minister between 2021-24 and has also held the position of shadow minister in the Cabinet Office.
Supporters include MP Dawn Butler, who previously sat on the Commons Education Select Committee in 2020.
Ms Hayes said she would ensure the committee delivers “robust scrutiny and effective, evidence-based recommendations” if elected as chair.
“I have an in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of every aspect of the DfE’s responsibilities, scrutinising the department’s work and building strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders across education and children’s services,” she added.
Speaking to Tes, Ms Hayes said that an inquiry into the current SEND system, and how the government can get to grips with school standards and the attainment gap would be top of her list of priorities if elected as chair.
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