The Conservative MP, Alicia Kearns has this afternoon been elected as Chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Ms Kearns, who worked in communications for the Ministry of Defence before becoming an MP, defeated the senior Conservatives Iain Duncan-Smith and Liam Fox, to secure the position.
She was the only candidate for the post who was currently a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Ms Kearns succeeeds, Tom Tugendhat, who was appointed to the government as Minister of Security last month. Under Mr Tugendhat, the Foreign Affairs Committee was reportedly planning a trip to Taiwan.
With tensions rising between China and Taiwan, the Chinese ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, warned at a press conference in August that there would be ‘severe consequences’ should British MPs decide to visit Taiwan.
Responding to her election, Ms Kearns said, “It is an honour to be elected Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, my heartfelt thanks to my colleagues across the House”.
“In recent years, the geopolitical landscape has seen seismic shifts. The threats we face have transformed from terrorists who behave like states, to states who behave like terrorists. The decisions we make now will have consequences for generations to come. As Chair, I will ensure that we continue to scrutinise the work of the FCDO and help keep our people safe.”
Ms Kearns came to prominence earlier in the year, as the ring leader of what was dubbed the ‘pork pie’ plot, itself named after her Rutland and Melton constituency. The plot was said to involve a number of new Conservative MPs, elected in 2019, who were said to be hostile to Boris Johnson in light of Downing Street ‘partygate’ allegations.
