IDC chair candidates promise tougher DfID scrutiny, value for money

Four Labour Party members of Parliament are seeking election to chair the U.K. House of Commons International Development Committee for the next five years.

The committee’s previous chairman Sir Malcolm Bruce, Liberal Democrat MP for Gordon, stood down at the last election. But the collapse of Lib Dem representation at Westminster in the May 7 general election meant the party had no role in negotiating with government whips on committee chairs.

Instead, in a deal worked out between the governing Conservative Party, the opposition Labour Party and the third party, the Scottish Nationalist Party, whips decided which party should chair the committee on the basis of representation in Parliament. The committee chair was allocated to Labour.