Since 2010, the chairs of most House of Commons select committees have been elected by MPs. In this post, Tom Fleming explores recent suggestions that these elections have become more competitive. Results from five rounds of elections suggest a more complicated picture. 

MPs elected the chairs of most House of Commons select committees in September. One excellent summary of those elections has raised the interesting prospect that they may have become more competitive over time. This matters, because select committee chairs are influential and prominent figures, with a leading role in parliamentary scrutiny of ministers. That makes it important to understand the process by which MPs win these positions. This blogpost therefore takes a closer look at the results of chair elections since they were introduced in 2010.