The MP for the Cotswolds has missed out on a vacant position left by 'porn MP' Neil Parish.

The former Conservative MP Parish resigned earlier this month after admitting to watching pornography in the House of Commons.

Cotswolds MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown was one of five in the running to chair the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee left vacant by Parish.

After four rounds of voting, MP for Scarborough and Whitby Sir Robert Goodwill, who is a working farmer, came out on top.

A total of 474 votes were cast for the five Conservative candidates, with Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing explaining: “The counting went to four rounds, 420 valid votes were cast in the fourth round – excluding those ballot papers whose preferences had been exhausted.

“The quota to be reached was therefore 211 votes and the candidate who has been elected to chair, with 243 votes, is Sir Robert Goodwill.”

Derek Thomas (St Ives) was eliminated after the first round, then Anthony Mangnall (Totnes) followed by Clifton-Brown.

This meant the final round was fought between Goodwill and Dr Neil Hudson (Penrith and The Border).

Raising a point of order, Goodwill thanked his fellow candidates for the “good-natured way” in which the contest was carried out.

He added: “Can I thank all the people that voted for me and I hope I’ll be able to carry forward this committee and follow on from the excellent work by my predecessor Neil Parish.”

On his website, Sir Robert states he is a farmer on a 250-acre farm at Terrington near Malton, in North Yorkshire, where his family have farmed since 1850.