Defence Select Committee

The Defence Select Committee is one of the Select Committees of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, having been established in 1979. It examines the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies,^[1] including the British Armed Forces. The Committee's remit does not generally review Defence Intelligence which instead falls under the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.^[2]

Membership

Members are as follows:^[3]

Member		Party	Constituency
	Tan Dhesi MP (chair)	Labour	Slough
	Calvin Bailey MP	Labour	Leyton and Wanstead
	Alex Baker MP	Labour	Aldershot
	Lincoln Jopp MP	Conservative	Spelthorne
	Emma Lewell-Buck MP	Labour	South Shields
	Mike Martin MP	Lib Dems	Tunbridge Wells
	Jesse Norman MP	Conservative	Hereford and South Herefordshire
	Ian Roome MP	Lib Dems	North Devon
	Michelle Scrogham MP	Labour	Barrow and Furness
	Fred Thomas MP	Labour	Plymouth Moor View
	Derek Twigg MP	Labour	Widnes and Halewood

2019-2024 Parliament

The chair was elected on 29 January 2020, with the members of the committee being announced on 2 March 2020.^[4][5]

Member		Party	Constituency
	Tobias Ellwood (chair)	Conservative	Bournemouth East
	Stuart Anderson	Conservative	Wolverhampton South West
	Sarah Atherton	Conservative	Wrexham
	Wayne David	Labour	Caerphilly
	Tan Dhesi	Labour	Slough
	Martin Docherty-Hughes	Scottish National Party	West Dunbartonshire
	Richard Drax	Conservative	South Dorset
	Mark Francois	Conservative	Rayleigh and Wickford
	Emma Lewell-Buck	Labour	South Shields
	Gavin Robinson	Democratic Unionist Party	Belfast East
	John Spellar	Labour	Warley

Changes 2019-2024

Date	Outgoing Member & Party		Constituency	→	New Member & Party		Constituency	Source
11 May 2020		Wayne David MP (Labour)	Caerphilly	→		Kevan Jones MP (Labour)	North Durham	Hansard
		Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP (Labour)	Slough			Derek Twigg MP (Labour)	Halton
5 January 2022		Martin Docherty-Hughes MP (SNP)	West Dunbartonshire	→		Dave Doogan MP (SNP)	Angus	Hansard
25 October 2022		Stuart Anderson MP (Conservative)	Wolverhampton South West	→		Andrew Bowie MP (Conservative)	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine	Hansard
		Sarah Atherton MP (Conservative)	Wrexham			Robert Courts MP (Conservative)	Witney
8 November 2022		Andrew Bowie MP (Conservative)	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine	→		Sarah Atherton MP (Conservative)	Wrexham	Hansard
12 September 2023		Dave Doogan MP (SNP)	Angus	→		Martin Docherty-Hughes MP (SNP)	West Dunbartonshire	Hansard
14 September 2023		Tobias Ellwood MP (chair, Conservative)	Bournemouth East	→	Vacant			Hansard
25 October 2023	Vacant			→		Robert Courts MP (chair, Conservative)	Witney	Hansard
		Robert Courts MP (Conservative)	Witney	→	Vacant
11 December 2023	Vacant			→		Jesse Norman MP (Conservative)	Hereford and South Herefordshire	Hansard
12 December 2023		Robert Courts MP (chair, Conservative)	Witney	→	Vacant			Hansard
17 January 2024	Vacant			→		Jeremy Quin MP (chair, Conservative)	Horsham	Hansard

2017–2019 Parliament

The chair was elected on 12 July 2017, with the members of the committee being announced on 11 September 2017.^[6][7]

Member		Party	Constituency
	Julian Lewis (chair)	Conservative	New Forest East
	Leo Docherty	Conservative	Aldershot
	Martin Docherty-Hughes	Scottish National Party	West Dunbartonshire
	Mark Francois	Conservative	Rayleigh and Wickford
	Graham Jones	Labour	Hyndburn
	Johnny Mercer	Conservative	Plymouth Moor View
	Madeleine Moon	Labour	Bridgend
	Gavin Robinson	Democratic Unionist Party	Belfast East
	Ruth Smeeth	Labour	Stoke-on-Trent North
	John Spellar	Labour	Warley
	Phil Wilson	Labour	Sedgefield

2015–2017 Parliament

The chair was elected on 18 June 2015, with members being announced on 6 July 2015.^[8][9]

Member		Party	Constituency
	Julian Lewis (chair)	Conservative	New Forest East
	Richard Benyon	Conservative	Newbury
	Douglas Chapman	Scottish National Party	Dunfermline and West Fife
	James Gray	Conservative	North Wiltshire
	Johnny Mercer	Conservative	Plymouth Moor View
	Madeleine Moon	Labour	Bridgend
	Conor McGinn	Labour	St Helens North
	Jim Shannon	Democratic Unionist Party	Strangford
	Ruth Smeeth	Labour	Stoke-on-Trent North
	John Spellar	Labour	Warley
	Bob Stewart	Conservative	Beckenham

Changes 2015–2017

Date	Outgoing Member & Party		Constituency	→	New Member & Party		Constituency	Source
26 October 2015		Conor McGinn MP (Labour)	St Helens North	→		Phil Wilson MP (Labour)	Sedgefield	Hansard
31 October 2016		Richard Benyon MP (Conservative)	Newbury	→		Jack Lopresti MP (Conservative)	Filton and Bradley Stoke	Hansard
5 December 2016		Jim Shannon MP (DUP)	Strangford	→		Gavin Robinson MP (DUP)	Belfast East	Hansard

2010–2015 Parliament

The chair was elected on 10 June 2010, with members being announced on 12 July 2010.^[10][11]

Member		Party	Constituency
	James Arbuthnot (chair)	Conservative	North East Hampshire
	Julian Brazier	Conservative	Canterbury
	Jeffrey Donaldson	Democratic Unionist Party	Lagan Valley
	John Glen	Conservative	Salisbury
	David Hamilton	Labour	Midlothian
	Mike Hancock	Liberal Democrats	Portsmouth South
	Adam Holloway	Conservative	Gravesham
	Madeleine Moon	Labour	Bridgend
	Alison Seabeck	Labour	Plymouth Moor View
	Bob Stewart	Conservative	Beckenham
	Gisela Stuart	Labour	Birmingham Edgbaston
	John Woodcock	Labour and Co-op	Barrow and Furness

Changes 2010–2015

Date	Outgoing Member & Party		Constituency	→	New Member & Party		Constituency	Source
2 November 2010		Adam Holloway MP (Conservative)	Gravesham	→		Penny Mordaunt MP (Conservative)	Portsmouth North	Hansard
		David Hamilton MP (Labour)	Midlothian			Thomas Docherty MP (Labour)	Dunfermline and West Fife
		Alison Seabeck MP (Labour)	Plymouth Moor View			Dai Havard MP (Labour)	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
		John Woodcock MP (Labour and Co-op)	Barrow and Furness			Sandra Osborne MP (Labour)	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
24 October 2011		Mike Hancock MP (Liberal Democrats)	Portsmouth South	→		Bob Russell MP (Liberal Democrats)	Colchester	Hansard
5 November 2012		John Glen MP (Conservative)	Salisbury	→		Adam Holloway MP (Conservative)	Gravesham	Hansard
10 June 2013		Sandra Osborne MP (Labour)	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock	→		Derek Twigg MP (Labour)	Halton	Hansard
4 November 2013		Penny Mordaunt MP (Conservative)	Portsmouth North	→		James Gray MP (Conservative)	North Wiltshire	Hansard
25 November 2013		Thomas Docherty MP (Labour)	Dunfermline and West Fife	→		John Woodcock MP (Labour and Co-op)	Barrow and Furness	Hansard
28 April 2014		James Arbuthnot MP (chair, Conservative)	North East Hampshire	→	Vacant			Hansard
14 May 2014	Vacant			→		Rory Stewart MP (chair, Conservative)	Penrith and The Border	Hansard
3 November 2014		Julian Brazier MP (Conservative)	Canterbury	→		Richard Benyon MP (Conservative)	Newbury	Hansard
		Adam Holloway MP (Conservative)	Gravesham			Julian Lewis MP (Conservative)	New Forest East

Chair of the Defence Select Committee

Chair		Party	Constituency	First elected	Method
	Michael Mates	Conservative	East Hampshire	1987	Elected by the Select Committee
	Michael Colvin	Conservative	Romsey and Waterside	1995	Elected by the Select Committee
	Bruce George	Labour	Walsall South	16 July 1997	Elected by the Select Committee
	James Arbuthnot	Conservative	North East Hampshire	13 July 2005	Elected by the Select Committee (and the House of Commons in 2010)
	Rory Stewart	Conservative	Penrith and The Border	14 May 2014	Elected by the House of Commons
	Julian Lewis	Conservative	New Forest East	17 June 2015	Elected by the House of Commons
	Tobias Ellwood	Conservative	Bournemouth East	29 January 2020	Elected by the House of Commons
		Independent
		Conservative
	Robert Courts	Conservative	Witney	25 October 2023	Elected by the House of Commons
	Jeremy Quin	Conservative	Horsham	17 January 2024	Elected by the House of Commons

Election results

From June 2010 chairs of select committees have been directly elected by a secret ballot of the whole House of Commons using the alternative vote system. Candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated and their votes redistributed until one remaining candidate has more than half of valid votes.^[12] Elections are held at the beginning of a parliament or in the event of a vacancy.^[13]

17 January 2024[14]
Candidate		1st round
		Votes	%
	Jeremy Quin	371	78.6
	Rehman Chishti	101	21.4
Valid votes		472

25 October 2023[15]
Candidate		1st round
		Votes	%
	Robert Courts	249	57.9
	Sarah Atherton	142	33.0
	Mark Francois	39	9.1
Valid votes		430

29 January 2020[16]
Candidate		1st round		2nd round		3rd round		4th round
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
	Tobias Ellwood	243	43.2	256	46.1	271	49.7	296	56.7
	Sir Bernard Jenkin	173	30.8	183	33.0	193	35.4	226	43.3
	Robert Courts	62	11.0	68	12.3	81	14.9	Eliminated
	Adam Holloway	45	8.0	48	8.6	Eliminated
	James Gray	39	6.9	Eliminated
Not redistributed				7	1.2	17	3.0	40	7.1
Valid votes		562		555		545		522

12 July 2017[17]
Candidate		1st round
		Votes	%
	Julian Lewis	305	53.5
	Johnny Mercer	265	46.5
Not redistributed
Valid votes		570

17 June 2015[18]
Candidate		1st round		2nd round
		Votes	%	Votes	%
	Julian Lewis	260	44.1	314	56.5
	Richard Benyon	208	35.3	242	43.5
	Bob Stewart	121	20.5	Eliminated
Not redistributed				33	5.6
Valid votes		589		556

14 May 2014[19]
Candidate		1st round		2nd round		3rd round		4th round		5th round		6th round		7th round
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
	Rory Stewart	113	23.6	115	24.1	122	25.7	139	29.3	149	31.9	179	39.3	226	51.6
	Julian Lewis	124	25.9	128	26.8	131	27.6	138	29.1	156	33.4	165	36.2	212	48.4
	Julian Brazier	68	14.2	71	14.9	71	14.9	77	16.2	90	19.3	112	24.6	Eliminated
	Keith Simpson	48	10.0	48	10.1	51	10.7	61	12.8	72	15.4	Eliminated
	Bob Stewart	52	10.9	54	11.3	56	11.8	60	12.6	Eliminated
	Crispin Blunt	44	9.2	44	9.2	44	9.3	Eliminated
	Tobias Ellwood	17	3.5	17	3.6	Eliminated
	James Gray	13	2.7	Eliminated
Not redistributed				2	0.4	4	0.8	4	0.8	12	2.5	23	4.8	41	8.6
Valid votes		479		477		475		475		467		456		438

9 June 2010[20]
Candidate		1st round		2nd round		3rd round
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
	James Arbuthnot	210	36.6	236	42.4	273	52.7
	Patrick Mercer	176	30.7	189	33.9	245	47.3
	Julian Lewis	115	20.1	132	23.7	Eliminated
	Douglas Carswell	72	12.6	Eliminated
Not redistributed				16	2.8	55	9.6
Valid votes		573		557		518

See also

• Parliamentary Committees of the United Kingdom