The new Chair of the Defence Select Committee of British parliament is Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP. Following a vote on 11 September, within which only the 650 MPs in the UK House of Commons can vote, Tan Dhesi MP has been elected Chair of the Defence Select Committee. The Committee plays an influential and powerful role, especially in scrutinising the UK Government’s policies on defence.
It is a watershed moment in the UK, since Tan Dhesi MP has become the first Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic MP to ever be elected as Defence Committee Chairman. Indeed, when he served on the Committee in 2020, he was only the second ever BAME Member of Parliament to do so. It is a landmark historic moment for another reason, Dhesi becomes the first Sikh and first Punjabi to be elected as Chair of a UK Parliament Select Committee.
Dhesi has been serving for over seven years as the MP for Slough and was recently re-elected for a third time in the General Election on 4th July 2024. Following the Committee election result today, which was announced in the UK Parliament by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Tan Dhesi MP said-
“I am honoured to have been elected as Chair of the Defence Select Committee. I want to thank all those who have supported me, and the whole House of Commons for putting their trust and confidence in me. Threats to national security and global stability are increasing in both scale and complexity, and it is vital that our nation is ready to rise to these challenges. As a voice for our brave veterans and service personnel, I will ensure that the Government is held to the highest of standards as it undertakes its primary duty: keeping the country safe.”