Home Affairs Committee

Chair Profile:

Angus MacNeil SNP

Angus MacNeil fought a closer-than-expected race to the Chair with Hannah Bardell MP, winning re-election to a post he has held since 2017 by just twenty-six votes. He is also currently a member of the SNP’s trade team working under Stewart Hosie MP, the Party’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade.

An MP since 2005 representing the Western Isles in Scotland, MacNeil is an ardent supporter of Scottish independence. He has criticised Nicola Sturgeon for “dithering” and not embracing a ‘Plan B’ route to independence which he suggests should involve a consultative referendum that does not require permission from the UK Government. He has spoken out against Brexit, but also opposed holding a second EU referendum.

As Chair of the International Trade Committee, MacNeil is expected to continue working in a bipartisan way to scrutinise the UK Government’s trade negotiations and policies. He has attempted to de-politicise the Committee, describing how “this is not about political parties, this is about the aerospace industry, pharmaceuticals, car manufacturers…amongst many other industries.”

Likely Committee Priorities:

1. Trade Bills: The Committee will closely monitor the passage of the Trade Bill throughout this Parliament. MacNeil has said that he has “already had contact with the Department of International Trade about just how we will scrutinise trade bills going forward.”

2. EU FTA: In the previous Parliament, the Committee published several reports on UK-EU trade arrangements and is expected to be prominent during negotiations this year as the UK seeks to secure a free trade agreement with the EU. One of the first responsibilities for the Committee will be to scrutinise the trade mandate for UK officials.

3. US FTA: One of the Committee’s key roles in this parliamentary term will be to scrutinise negotiations with the US. MacNeil has previously criticised the prospects of a US-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), describing how the cost of Brexit greatly outweighs the benefits of a US FTA.

Member Profiles:

Robert Courts, Conservative - New A trained barrister and Brexiteer who won former Prime Minister David Cameron’s seat in a by-election in 2016. Courts resigned as a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Foreign Office over Theresa May’s Chequers plan.

Mark Garnier, Conservative - New Garnier served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of International Trade for nearly two years. He was previously a fund manager and set up his own investment firm before becoming an MP.

Paul Girvan, DUP - New The DUP’s spokesperson for Transport and Education since 2017, Girvan replaces Emma Little Pengelly as the DUP’s voice on the Committee.

One to Watch: Sir Mark Hendrick, Labour - Returning A chartered engineer, Hendrick is a former MEP that is deeply involved in foreign policy. He is part of the UK Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Copenhagen and is currently involved in several APPGs including the APPGs for Norway, China and the British-German Group.

One to Watch: Mark Menzies, Conservative - New Menzies has been the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Peru since December 2018. He has been an ardent supporter of reducing tariffs on British-made exported goods.

Gareth Thomas, Labour - Returning A Labour moderate, Thomas has been a MP since 1997 and has been critical of the Government throughout the Brexit process. He has warned that a US trade deal would result in “significant reductions” in standards.

Martin Vickers, Conservative - New A strong proponent of Brexit, Vickers chairs the APPG for Freeports as well as Kosovo. He was also a long-standing member of the Transport Committee between 2012 and 2018.

Matt Western, Labour - Returning Shortly after becoming an MP in 2017, Western joined the Committee following an industry career involving marketing, finance and procurement. Since joining the Committee, he has said that he struggles to see any positives in leaving the EU.

Mick Whitley, Labour - New Elected at the 2019 General Election, Momentum-backed Whitley replaces Frank Field as MP for Birkenhead. Whitley understands the car industry as a former car plant worker before he rose within the trade union movement to become a regional secretary for Unite the Union.

Craig Williams, Conservative - New Williams re-entered Parliament in 2019 after working as a Special Advisor at the Department for Exiting the European Union. He had previously represented Cardiff North between 2015 and 2017, during which time he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to then Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke.