19 January 2006
Mike Penning, has been elected to the Executive of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs.

Mike Penning beat off three other contenders in a vote of Conservative MPs for the membership of the Executive Committee of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs. It is very rare that a newcomer MP is elected as a member of the Executive Committee of this highly influential committee.

Mike Penning said:
“This is a tremendous honour and it is a great privilege to have been elected by my colleagues to this position.”

The 1922 Committee is made up of all Conservative backbench MPs. Its role is to provide a link between the leadership of the party and the backbench MPs. The Committee meets weekly to discuss the next week’s parliamentary business.

The 1922 Committee is responsible for overseeing party leadership elections.

The 1922 Committee was originally formed by a group of backbench Conservative MPs who were elected in 1922.