Layla Moran MP has been elected as chair of the House of Commons’ health and social care committee.
Ms Moran, who is Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, was the sole nomination for the role and therefore elected unopposed.
She will take up her position when the House has appointed the remaining members of the cross-party committee.
Ms Moran said she was ‘delighted’ to be taking on the important role of health and social care committee chair ‘to constructively challenge’ ministers and the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver.
‘With millions stuck on waiting lists, doctors and nurses overstretched, and far too many elderly people trapped in hospitals without a care plan, the role of the committee as a critical friend of the Government as it tackles these challenges has never been more important,’ she said.
Ms Moran said that it had ‘never been more pressing to find common ground across the political spectrum’ to face challenges such as social care, dentistry, waiting lists and the workforce crisis.
‘I look forward to running a committee that champions the voice of patients and front-line health and social care staff,’ she said.
The chair-elect has been an MP continually since 8 June 2017 and currently undertakes the roles of Liberal Democrat spokesperson for foreign affairs and international development and Liberal Democrat spokesperson for science, innovation and technology.
The most recent MP to hold the post was former health minister Steve Brine. Other recent chairs have included former health secretary Jeremy Hunt; and Devon GP and former MP Dr Sarah Wollaston, who defected from the Tories and is now a Liberal Democrat.
Picture credit: House of Commons
