Harriet Harman is new chair of MPs' standards committee

Former deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman has been elected as the new chair of the Commons Standards Committee, which oversees MPs' conduct.

She replaces Sir Chris Bryant, who has become a Labour shadow minister.

Ms Harman chaired the Commons inquiry which, in June, found Boris Johnson had deliberately misled Parliament over Covid lockdown parties.

Another Labour former cabinet minister, Liam Byrne, is the new chair of the business and trade committee.

A third Labour MP, Cat Smith, who represents Lancaster and Fleetwood, will chair the petitions committee, after predecessor Catherine McKinnell was made shadow schools minister last month.

All three will take up their positions with immediate effect and will receive an additional salary of £17,354 in their new roles, on top of their MP's salary of £86,584.

Commons select committees include members from across the political parties, and all MPs can vote for their chairs. But, by convention, the role of chair of these three committees is reserved for Labour MPs.

Only backbenchers can serve on select committees.

Ms Harman secured 341 votes among MPs, Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans announced. Stella Creasy was the other contender.

When Labour won the 1997 general election, Tony Blair made her social security secretary and the first-ever minister for women.

She later served as solicitor general, constitutional affairs minister, and Commons leader.

From 2007 to 2015, Ms Harman was deputy Labour leader under both Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband - and twice served as acting leader of the opposition when both men stood down as party leader.

Ordained as an Anglican priest before he entered politics, he was a Foreign Office minister and deputy Commons leader in Mr Brown's government.

Sir Chris was chair of the Commons Privileges Committee when claims that Mr Johnson had misled MPs about parties held in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns were referred to it in April 2022.

But he stepped away from the investigation because he had already publicly criticised the then-prime minister's handling of Partygate, and Ms Harman was chosen by MPs to take over the role.

Mr Byrne, who received 216 votes, replaces Darren Jones, who was promoted to the shadow cabinet last month as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury.

He served in Gordon Brown's cabinet from 2008 to 2010, leaving a note for Liberal Democrat successor David Laws, which read: "Dear Chief Secretary, I'm afraid there is no money. Kind regards - and good luck! Liam."

Mr Byrne has since insisted this was a joke between politicians - but the note has been frequently quoted by Conservative ministers to criticise Labour's stewardship of the country's finances ever since.

Ms Smith, who secured 227 votes, served in shadow cabinets under both Jeremy Corbyn, whom she backed for Labour leader in 2015, and Sir Keir Starmer, before resigning from the front bench in 2021.