Press release 7 July 2010

Bill Cash MP has been nominated unopposed as the Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee by the Conservative 1922 Committee last night. Others had been strongly urged to stand but nominations were either not pursued or were withdrawn.

Bill Cash, former Shadow Attorney-General and former Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs has been on the European Scrutiny Committee for 26 years. The Chairmanship of the Committee has been held by Labour during the whole of that period and apparently since 1979.

The role of the Select Committee on behalf of Parliament as a whole includes referring European documents for debate either in Standing Committee or on the Floor of the House where the Committee deems that documents have legal and/or political importance and has power under Standing Orders to prohibit Ministers from voting on proposals until the debate has taken place. This under Standing Orders is called the Scrutiny Reserve.

It also prepares reports on matters of constitutional, legal and political significance, such as the Constitutional Treaty/Lisbon Treaty and other similar matters, and as with other Select Committees has the power to call the Foreign Secretary and other Secretaries of State and Ministers to give evidence before the Committee on European matters.

Bill Cash said:

“I am utterly delighted at receiving such overwhelming support from so many colleagues.

“We now have to get down to the business of sifting through the massive logjam of European Directives and other European Commission proposals and setting up the membership of the Committee as soon as reasonably possible because European proposals and legislation have such a pervasive impact on the daily lives of the voters of the United Kingdom.”