In a recent development, the election for the justice select committee, which monitors the Ministry of Justice’s operations, resulted in a significant representation of legal professionals, with seven out of nine members being lawyers.
Andy Slaughter, a former Labour shadow justice minister, was elected as the committee’s chair. His selection was confirmed by the whole House last month. The remaining eight members, selected through party-specific elections, include six from the Labour party and two from the Conservatives, most of whom are new to Parliament this year.
Among the newly elected members is Alex Barros-Curtis from Labour, Cardiff West. Barros-Curtis began his career at the renowned City firm Allen & Overy and later worked as a solicitor and consultant specialising in derivatives and structured finance. He joined the Labour Party as general counsel in 2020.
Linsey Farnsworth, representing Labour from Amber Valley, offers extensive expertise from her 21 years with the Crown Prosecution Service, while Sir Ashley Fox, a Conservative from Bridgwater, brings a background in insurance litigation and a decade-long experience as a Member of the European Parliament. Since 2019, he has been running a consultancy on EU operations.
Pam Fox, also from Labour representing Colchester, has a robust academic foundation with nearly three decades at Essex University, ascending to head the sociology department. Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst of the Conservative party, representing Solihull West and Shirley, transitioned from a career in surgery to law, now specialising in healthcare law.
Labour’s Warinder Juss from Wolverhampton West is a senior personal injury solicitor with substantial tenure at Thompsons in Birmingham, focusing on work-related stress cases. Sarah Russell, representing Labour from Congleton, has diversified experience in employment law both in private practice and as an in-house consultant.
Rounding out the committee members is Mike Tapp from Labour, whose professional background includes Intelligence Corps service and roles at the National Crime Agency and the Ministry of Defence in counter-terrorism. Tapp also vied for the chair position against Slaughter.
These appointments highlight a trend towards selecting individuals with deep legal expertise within parliamentary committees, possibly to enhance the committee’s oversight and effectiveness.
The election of a predominantly lawyer-led justice select committee underscores a shift in parliamentary appointments, emphasising the integration of legal expertise in legislative oversight.
