Jeremy Hunt gets social care scrutiny committee job

Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, is the new chair of the health and social care select committee, sparking criticism that he is a fox “put in charge of the hens” who failed to deliver for social care while in office and will fail to scrutinise ministers in his new job.

Health and social care committee chair Jeremy Hunt. Credit: Department of Health and Social Care

Mr Hunt is the longest-serving health secretary (in office between 2010 and 2016) and has won a secret ballot to become chair of the health and social care select committee.

Tweeting about his new role, Mr Hunt said he would press the government to move quickly to build a cross-party consensus for a funding settlement for social care.

His tweet stated: ‘For my last six months as Health Secretary, social care was formally added to my responsibilities but it was not long enough to bring forward reforms or - more crucially - a funding settlement for social care.

‘That is what I will be pressing for, because the NHS will continue to fall over every winter until we fix social care, risking both patient safety and staff morale.’

Every government department has a select committee tasked with holding government ministers to account.

Jeremy Hunt tweets about his new job as chair of the Health and Social Care committee.

The Conservative party’s majority means it will chair 17 of the 27 committees but Mr Hunt’s secret ballot's outcome led to Twitter comments ridiculing the appointment.

Alongside congratulations, one person, with the handle @LenoreSimson tweeted 'Dracula has been put in charge of the blood bank'.

Another Twitter user @debsrobson tweeted: 'The fox has been put in charge of the hens'.

A Dr Andrew Green (@DrAndrewGreen) tweeted: 'The sound you hear if you open your window is the groaning of the nation's doctors and nurses'.

@LenoreSimson tweeted 'Dracula has been put in charge of the blood bank'

Committee chairs are elected by MPs at the start of each Parliament and reflect the parliament’s composition.

Mr Hunt replaces the committee's former chair Sarah Wollaston, a Liberal Democrat MP for Totnes until 2019. Last year, Ms Wollaston hit the headlines for accusing Boris Johnson of cowardice for repeatedly cancelling scheduled appearances before the Commons Liaison Committee, which she also chaired.