Melton MP 'truly humbled' to be elected to key parliamentary role

Mrs Kearns (34) won a ballot against political heavyweights Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Dr Liam Fox to take up the coveted role, which helps shape government policy on overseas matters.

She has extensive experience of working in the Foreign Office before being elected as Rutland and Melton MP in December 2020 and was part of a delegation to meet Ukrainian MPs last year in the build-up to the Russian invasion.

Mrs Kearns, who is the first female MP to serve as chair, Tweeted this morning (Thursday): “Truly humbled to be elected chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and immensely grateful to all those who kindly supported me in a well-fought contest.

“Now begins the hard work with the committee of driving forward our inquiries and scrutinising Britain’s foreign policy.

“Parliament is at its best when MPs work together, and we draw on the full expertise of the House.

“I will be reaching out to all MPs in the coming days to further discuss foreign policy priorities and how we help shape the foremost priority of government: keeping our people safe.”

Previous chair, Tom Tugendhat, resigned after being made Minister of State for Security in Prime Minister Liz Truss’ new administration.

In a statement following her election to the post, Mrs Kearns said: “International affairs affect all of our lives, from our country’s security and resilience, to our prosperity.

"I look forward to building on the committee’s work so far under our previous fantastic chair, Tom Tugendhat MP.

“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.”

Mrs Kearns has been a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee since March 2020 and she is also on the steering committee of the China Research Group.