Lib Dem MP says committee will not be effective and cannot proceed when it does not have a single female member

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Norman Lamb has warned it is unacceptable that the Commons science and technology committee, which he chairs, has no female members so far.

The Liberal Democrat MP said it was critical for women to be represented in the field, and that he had the support of the Conservative science minister, Jo Johnson.

“I don’t see how we can proceed without women on the committee. It sends out a dreadful message at a time when we need to convince far more girls to pursue Stem subjects. We will not be effective as a committee,” he said.

Lamb said there were three members of the committee still to be chosen: two Conservatives and one Labour.



A senior female MP had previously questioned whether parliament should change the rules governing its powerful select committees after it emerged that just 23% of candidates running for chairmanship roles were women.

Jess Phillips, who chairs the women’s parliamentary Labour party, told the Guardian that the figure was disproportionately low, given that almost a third of MPs were women, and said her party was doing all the “heavy lifting”.

The figures showed that only three Conservative women have put themselves forward for the elections.

“This should lead to questions about the culture in [Conservative] ranks that led to this. It’s fine to talk a good game about diversity, but if we actually want to see change, real action is needed,” said Phillips.

“Perhaps it is time for parliament to look at the rules for selection of these powerful roles in order to make sure that when the public turn on to watch them, newspapers and broadcasters report on them and visitors come to see them, that our parliament looks more like the people we represent.”

Phillips and other colleagues cheered when a number of women did secure the chairmanships, including Rachel Reeves on business, Yvette Cooper at home affairs and Nicky Morgan at Treasury.