Select committee elections could surprise

So our new MPs are finding their feet in Westminster and just weeks after they were elected they're out canvassing for more votes...
This time it's other MPs being frantically wooed as the House of Commons holds its first ever election for the Chairmanships of Select Committees, something that used to be in the gift of the whips.
The committees may sound dry but they're an increasingly important way of getting to the heart of tricky issues like climate change, the economy, defence and transport.
Who's in charge will make a huge difference to how effectively the new coalition will be held to account.

It's doubly new, because they're using a proportional voting system, and extra unpredictable because many of our fresh intake from the South seem keen to express an opinion.
New Forest MP Julian Lewis has been nominated for the job of leading the powerful Defence Select Committee by a flotilla of south coast MPs. Caroline Dinenage, Penny Mordaunt and Des Swayne all have close defence interests and are keen to see Dr Lewis get some consolation for missing out on a ministerial job.
He's up against fellow Hampshire MP and former Chairman James Arbuthnot, supported by the heavy divisions of Nicholas Soames, Mike Hancock and Tobias Ellwood.
There's another South of England tussle for the committee that looks into education - Children, Schools and Family. Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner, who is a former teacher, is up against Reading's Rob Wilson.
Local MPs are in the running for two other senior posts. Chichester's Andrew Tyrie is up for the Treasury committee and Christchurch MP Christopher Chope is nominated for the Public Administration committee. Here's a link to the full list.
The vote continues all day, with results tomorrow. It may all appear predictable, but with the new voting system and freshly elected MPs keen to make an impact I think the choices we'll see today could have some interesting effects down the line.

Welcome to the hustings! I'm Peter Henley, the BBC's political reporter in the south of England. From parish councils in Sussex, to European politics in Oxford, this is the blog for you.
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