Earlier this week, the Liberal Democrat Conference was pretty much an Ed Davey-fest. Davey’s extraordinary (and rather clever) general election campaign of daily photo opportunities designed to illustrate Lib Dem policies, and make readers and viewers smile, played a major part in winning his party 72 seats in the new House of Commons.
Continuing the unorthodox approach, Davey opened his keynote speech by leading the conference in a singalong version of Abba’s ‘Take a Chance On Me’ and closed it by promising to be the “responsible opposition” to the Labour government.
How he fulfils that promise will have a big bearing on how many of those 72 seats the party can retain. But it will also be important for Labour. An early indication of how Davey intends to deploy his much-strengthened resources came with the negotiation on which two major select committees would have Liberal Democrat chairs.
The outcome of the behind-closed-doors wrangle that goes on at the start of each parliament was significant. So, too, is the consequent appointment of two senior MPs to fill the roles. It tells us a lot about Davey’s priorities and has important implications for the food and drink industry.
Lib Dems will lead the two most important committees for UK food and drink. Alistair Carmichael – MP for Orkney & Shetland, the party’s popular and longest continuously serving MP, and a former Cabinet minister in the Cameron-Clegg coalition – will chair the Efra Select Committee. Meanwhile, Layla Moran – MP for Oxford West & Abingdon and one of parliament’s most courageous voices on the Gaza conflict – will lead the Health Select Committee.
Carmichael is, perhaps, a surprising choice for the Efra role. He was also government deputy chief whip, so he has huge reserves of native wit and low cunning. He is an islander (born in Islay) representing an island community.
Before being elected, he worked as a procurator fiscal (prosecutor): he does inquisitorial with relish. He’s a robust debater, not afraid to be the instigator of a stooshie (look it up). But he’s shrewd and radical. He will hold industry bosses – indeed all witnesses – to account, but he will listen and speak up for them and, as important, for shoppers, where he thinks they are being wrongly traduced.
My guess is Carmichael will also use his committee to hold Labour to account on policy on rural affairs – critical to so many of the newly Liberal Democrat country town constituencies, and an area of perceived weakness for Keir Starmer’s team. Meanwhile, Moran is set to become the principal parliamentary examiner of Wes Streeting’s programme of NHS reform. That particular personal interaction should be well worth watching.
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There is another dimension. Food and obesity policy are likely to bear a more than passing resemblance to Henry Dimbleby’s controversial proposals for radical action. I would expect to see Carmichael and Moran – both of whom will, incidentally, now have the seniority to be called early in debates – co-ordinate their work for high-profile examination of the food and drink industry’s contribution to rebuild the NHS, and play its role as the most important industry in UK national life.
Carmichael and Moran will be unafraid to hear from food and drink industry critics like Dimbleby and others, but they will be even-handed. That will require a thoughtful, engaged and highly visible approach from our industry leaders and their representative organisations. Ducking below the nearest available parapet will not hold water.
In the parliaments after the Brexit vote, select committee chairs like Hilary Benn, Neil Parish (before his regrettable self-immolation) and Sarah Wollaston became important convenors for intelligent and influential debate about government policy. In many cases they forced beneficial change. Expect Carmichael and Moran to do the same.
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