Tory former Cabinet Office minister Sir Jeremy Quin has been elected chairman of the Commons Defence Committee.

He becomes the third chair in five months after Robert Courts joined the Government in December, having replaced Tobias Ellwood, who quit following a backlash over remarks he made about Afghanistan.

Sir Jeremy beat Conservative rival Rehman Chishti, a one-time prime ministerial hopeful, to take on the role after a ballot of fellow MPs.

Sir Jeremy received 371 votes, while Mr Chishti got 101.

Sir Jeremy was paymaster general until Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle in November, when he quit rather than continue in another job amid reports he was offered the housing portfolio.

His previous roles include defence procurement minister and policing minister.

Most importantly, I will advocate for the brave men and women that make up our Armed Forces

Sir Jeremy said: “Defence spending must grow to reflect the scale of the threat and the higher levels of geopolitical instability: investing in a defence industry which must be at the forefront of the accelerating pace of technological development.

“As chair of the Defence Committee, I will push for increased funding and resources for defence and will make the case for first-mover-advantage in our defence technology, to maintain our competitive edge.

“Most importantly, I will advocate for the brave men and women that make up our Armed Forces. The committee will always focus on defence’s ‘offer’ to servicemen and women, to ensure that we hold on to the immense expertise we already have, and enable us to recruit the talented personnel we need for the future.”