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Westminster

Sir Robert Goodwill elected as new EFRA chair

26th May 2022 / By Alistair Driver

The Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Sir Robert Goodwill, has been elected as the new chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee.

Robert GoodwillSir Robert, who briefly served as a Defra Minister in 2019, replaces Neil Parish, who stood down as an MP after admitting to viewing pornography on his phone in the House of Commons.

He was elected by MPs from a shortlist of five candidates, also including Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Neil Hudson, Anthony Mangnall and Derek Thomas, with 243 votes out of a total of 474 cast.

Under Mr Parish’s stewardship, the committee did a good job of holding the Government to account on a wide range of issues affecting farming, and published a number of helpful reports, including, most recently, on labour shortages on the food and farming industry.

Sir Robert said: “I am delighted to have been elected Chair of this important Committee. I hope my experience as a working farmer and as a former Agriculture Minister will mean I can hit the ground running.”