The Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission (SCEC),[1] or simply the Speaker's Committee, is a body created under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 to scrutinise the Electoral Commission.[2] Through the committee's members, the commission is able to field questions in the House of Commons in a manner similar to the way ministers do.
The committee comprises nine MPs: the speaker of the House of Commons (who also serves as its chair), the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities,[3] the chair of the select committee responsible for electoral issues,[4][5] As of 22 February 2023, the members of the committee are as follows:
Member | Party | Role |
---|---|---|
Lindsay Hoyle | Speaker (Labour) | Speaker of the House of Commons (ex officio member) |
Michael Gove | Conservative | Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (ex officio member) |
Felicity Buchan | Conservative | Minister of the Crown with responsibilities in relation to local government (Appointed by the Prime Minister) |
Clive Betts | Labour | Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee (ex officio member) |
William Wragg | Conservative | Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee (ex officio member) |
Rachel Hopkins | Labour | Regular Member |
Craig Mackinlay | Conservative | Regular Member |
Lee Rowley | Conservative | Regular Member |
Cat Smith | Labour | Regular Member |
Owen Thompson | Scottish National Party | Regular Member |