Contribution
I beg to move,
That Mr Speaker be requested to convey to Mr Thomas Goldsmith, on his retirement from the office of Clerk of the House, this House’s gratitude for his long and distinguished service, for his wise contribution to the development of the procedure of the House, for his continuing focus on the interests of the House as a whole and of Members individually, his professionalism and courageous and inclusive leadership in the discharge of his duties as head of the House Administration, and for the courteous and helpful advice always given to individual honourable Members.
It is a pleasure to move the motion to give the House the opportunity to pay tribute to Tom Goldsmith, who leaves the House at the end of this month after, as you said, Mr Speaker, 30 years of outstanding service to this place. He has held a large variety of posts. He has been a Clerk to a number of the busiest and most high-profile Select Committees, including the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Justice Committee and the Energy and Climate Change Committee. He has also worked in a number of procedural roles including Clerk of Committees and Principal Clerk of the Table Office as well as stints in the Public Bill Office and the Table Office earlier in his career.
Tom has been committed to making the House and the services that support all of us work. That has been a common focus of his roles, including as Clerk of the Administration Committee, heading up what was then the Office of the Chief Executive, as Secretary to the House of Commons Commission and Head of the Governance Office, and, over the last few years, as Clerk of the House. I have seen some of his work at first hand as Chair of the Modernisation Committee; Tom has demonstrated a great commitment to improving the accessibility of this place for all its Members, staff and visitors.
As you said, Mr Speaker, Tom was head of the Committee Office during the pandemic and led the successful work to quickly set up hybrid and virtual Committees, enabling Select Committees to continue performing their critical roles on behalf of this House. We remember those days as very difficult, but looking back I think that that is an understatement. Having people like Tom in charge of making the necessary changes meant that this place could continue to function.
Tom was appointed the 52nd Clerk of the House of Commons in March 2023, taking over the role in October from Sir John Benger. In his three years as Clerk of the House, he has been a public servant of the highest calibre. Whether for Members in government or opposition, on the Front Benches or the Back Benches, he is a source of wisdom and invaluable assistance and has always, always put the interests of this House first—even, as you said, Mr Speaker, at the expense of not always agreeing with those who proposed a different view.
Tom has seen an extraordinary amount of change during his tenure. Following the 2024 general election, we sit in a Chamber where over half of all MPs have less than five years of parliamentary experience. That required Tom to lead the House service through its largest induction programme for new Members. For so many newer Members, and, indeed, for those of us who have been here a little longer, Tom’s calm and courteous approach has been deeply reassuring. I know that Members right across the House will have greatly valued his guidance when navigating the complexities of our procedures and traditions. On a personal level, I have very much valued his advice and guidance, whether in opposition or since getting into government.
The grandeur of the role has not changed Tom. As you said, Mr Speaker, as a young man he grew up in the east end and was the first in his family to go to university. He has opened up opportunities and access to this place. He introduced a system of direct recruitment for Clerks, which ensured that they are a more diverse and representative group. He regularly welcomes schoolchildren to Parliament, including from his secondary school Ilford County high school.
Beyond his work in the Chamber, Tom is widely respected as the co-author of the eighth and ninth editions of “How Parliament Works”, which has done so much to demystify this House and help make it a more accessible place to the wider world. Outside Parliament, he is an accomplished jazz pianist. In my exchanges at business questions I have been forced to admit my enjoyment of musical theatre and country and western. I have to admit, however, that my music taste does not quite stretch to jazz. Nevertheless, he is an accomplished jazz pianist. As the shadow Leader of the House said earlier, it is fitting that he is so well practised at improvisation; it has meant that he has been so successful in keeping the business of this House running smoothly.
From November, Tom will take up an appointment as a commissioner as part of the Civil Service Commission. He will undoubtedly bring a huge amount of skill and expertise to helping to maintain a civil service appointed on merit with the skills that it needs to deliver public services across our country. On behalf of the Government, I wish Tom all the very best for the next chapter in his life, and I wish his successor Eve Samson well as she takes up her role as Clerk of the House next month. I commend this motion to the House.