An MP who believes in alternative medicines has lost in his bid to become chair of an influential Commons health select committee.
David Tredinnick, who champions the use of homeopathy and herbal remedies on the NHS, failed to depose his fellow Tory, Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, who will keep the post for another five years.
It was the only result announced on Wednesday after all MPs voted to elect chairs of the Commons departmental select committees, with as many as five MPs from the same party fighting for the same roles.
The Speaker John Bercow is expected to announce the rest of the results at 10.30am on Thursday from the House of Commons chamber.
Twenty-seven of the 35 committee chairs are up for election in total, of which the Tories will take 14, Labour 11 and the SNP two.
Of the 11 incumbent chairs standing again, eight will be re-elected unopposed. Wollaston was one of three facing challenges, the others being Keith Vaz on home affairs and Adrian Bailey on business.
Following the high-profile successes of Margaret Hodge and Andrew Tyrie during the last Parliament, many believe that the position of a select committee chair is now arguably more powerful than a shadow cabinet member or even a junior departmental minister.
In recent years, the Treasury select committee’s banking commission has changed Britain’s financial services industry, while the public accounts committee shed light on corporate tax evasion.
Source: The Guardian
