The Modernisation Committee

What is the Modernisation Committee?

The Modernisation Committee is a new committee of the House of Commons, first proposed by Labour in its 2024 manifesto. Under a temporary standing order agreed at the start of the 2024 parliament the committee’s remit is “to consider reforms to House of Commons procedures, standards, and working practices; and to make recommendations thereon.” 

The new Modernisation Committee is modelled on past iterations established under previous Labour governments – in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 parliaments. Subsequent governments did not reestablish the committee.

The Modernisation Committee is larger than most other Commons select committees with 14 members, compared to the typical 11. It is unusual in being chaired by a cabinet minister – the Leader of the House of Commons – and including among its opposition members the shadow Leader of the House. Also unusually for a Commons committee, its other members will be selected by party whips, rather than via a vote within each party. 

Of the 14 MPs on the committee, nine will be Labour, three Conservative and two Liberal Democrat. 

What did previous Modernisation Committees do?

The first Modernisation Committee in 1997 was given the remit to “consider how the practises and procedures of the house should be modernised”. This was the same in 2001, but for 2005 was given: “To consider how the House operates and to make recommendations for modernisation.”  That committee, as well as its predecessors, made several recommendations on these themes, many of which were implemented, and remain in place today.

For example, the 1997 committee proposed the establishment of a second debating chamber adjacent to the Commons, Westminster Hall, to expand the time available for lower-profile business and debates. Another recommendation, from the 2001 Committee, was to change the sitting hours of the Commons so that the House now sits from 11:30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and from 9:30 on Thursdays – previously, the House had sat from 2:30pm each day – to reduce the number of votes taking place late at night. 

Not all recommendations were adopted by the House, however. For instance, proposals in 2002 to change the nomination process for select committee membership to allow more MPs to participate were rejected (although such reforms were later adopted by the coalition government following the Wright report). 

What issues might the new Modernisation Committee tackle?

It is expected that the new committee will examine issues including how to restore public trust in politics and parliament, and make improvements to parliamentary processes, particularly the  ^{The legislative process in parliament} https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/legislative-process-parliament .

The committee chair, Lucy Powell, has already announced an immediate ban on MPs holding advisory or consultancy roles. The Labour manifesto also stated that the committee would review the existing regulations on MPs’ second jobs, as well as the codes of conduct of members. 

How might the Modernisation Committee operate?

Powell has indicated that the committee will function as a “clearing house”, drawing on the work done by other committees and expediting the implementation of their recommendations. This will inevitably mean there will be some overlap with other committees such as the Administration, Procedure and Standards committees. The Modernisation Committee could make use of ‘guesting’ practices, where members of these other domestic select committees are invited to sit in on meetings and contribute ideas, to enable joint working across different commons committees. 

What are some problems the Modernisation Committee might face?

Previous Modernisation Committees were criticised by some opposition MPs for being chaired by a cabinet minister and not facilitating cross-party collaboration. This new committee has already faced similar questions, with MPs raising concerns that having the Leader of the House as its chair risks the committee being dominated by government. This is a risk to be managed, however, and being chaired by a cabinet member will also have advantages in making it more likely that any proposals are considered by the government. 

Another criticism has been the lack of small party representation on the committee. MPs representing the Greens, Reform, the SNP and the DUP all expressed concern that they would not have a place on the committee. Powell committed to “enabling the smaller parties to have regular, meaningful engagement with the Modernisation Committee on issues of particular concern to them”, arguing that allowing the committee to become too big would reduce its effectiveness.