EXCL Government in fresh 'power grab' row over number of ministerial aides on committees

Ministers have been accused of a fresh power grab over the number of ministerial aides who have won seats on Commons committees.



Nine Parliamentary Private Secretaries - who work on behalf of ministers - have been elected to the bodies, which are designed to scrutinise the work of the Government.

PoliticsHome has been told that is far more than in previous parliaments.

Critics have questioned how the MPs can carry out that role while also answering to senior government members.

The row comes after it emerged the Conservatives want to have a majority on powerful parliamentary committees, despite the general election delivering a hung parliament.

Ministers have also been criticised for using so-called "Henry VIII powers" contained in its EU (Withdrawal) Bill to transfer European laws onto the UK statute book without the usual levels of scrutiny by MPs.

Among the PPS's who also have seats on the new select committees are Nusrat Ghani, Huw Merriman, David Morris, Michelle Donelan and Rebecca Pow.

According to the ministerial code, they "are expected to support the Government in divisions in the House. No PPS who votes against the Government can retain his or her position".

It adds: "They are not precluded from serving on select committees, but they should withdraw from any involvement with inquiries into their appointing minister's department, and they should avoid associating themselves with recommendations critical of or embarrassing to the Government."

But a Labour source told PoliticsHome: "Select committees have a vital role in scrutinising and holding to account a government department or area of policy. A PPS is a member of the payroll vote of a government. They only hold their job provided they don't vote against one.

"It's an executive and government take over of Parliament. It calls into question the independence of select committees. I would expect that chairs of select committees will be up in arms at this hostile act from the government."

PoliticsHome also understands that several Tory backbenchers who did not win seats on the committees are angry that they lost out to colleagues who are effectively members of the Government.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has denied that the Government is bending the rules by trying to get a majority on powerful standing committees despite losing their parliamentary majority at the election.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: "The Government has a majority on the floor of the House, therefore it's perfectly legitimate that it puts to the House and MPs that it should a majority on committees.

"These are common sense proposals. We want a system that allows the opposition to continue effective scrutiny while at the same time giving the Government a realistic prospect of getting its business through the Commons in a timely fashion."