Barrister Catherine Atkinson has been elected chair of the House of Commons Justice Committee, which scrutinises the Ministry of Justice
Atkinson, MP for Derby North, said: ‘Rigorous parliamentary scrutiny matters more than ever.’
She was appointed by former prime minister Keir Starmer as justice minister with responsibility for victims and tackling violence against women and girls, serving just over two months before Starmer’s resignation.
She succeeds former chair Andy Slaughter, now serving as solicitor-general. Atkinson practised for 17 years from Deka Chambers, specialising in personal injury, inquiries, inquests, employment law and public family cases.
