The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee was seeking a new chairman in May, following the departure of Neil Parish at the beginning of the month.
Mr Parish, who resigned as MP for Tiverton and Honiton after admitting inappropriate behaviour in Parliament, is the committee’s longest serving chairman, having been elected in 2015. A farmer and former MEP, he was generally acknowledged as a forthright defender of the industry, particularly over the issue of seasonal workers.