PODCAST · government
Parliament Matters
by Hansard Society
Join two of the UK's leading parliamentary experts, Mark D'Arcy and Ruth Fox, as they guide you through the often mysterious ways our politicians do business and explore the running controversies about the way Parliament works. Each week they will analyse how laws are made and ministers held accountable by the people we send to Westminster. They will be debating the topical issues of the day, looking back at key historical events and discussing the latest research on democracy and Parliament. Why? Because whether it's the taxes you pay, or the laws you've got to obey... Parliament matters! Mark D'Arcy was the BBC's parliamentary correspondent for two decades. Ruth Fox is the Director of the parliamentary think-tank the Hansard Society. ❓ Submit your questions on all things Parliament to Mark and Ruth via our website here: <a href="https://hansardsociety.org.uk/
Episodes
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Parliament under pressure: Select committees in the age of lawfare
Are House of Commons select committees equipped to meet the new challenges facing parliamentary scrutiny? Liam Byrne, the Labour former minister leading a review of the committee system, joins us to explore whether committees have the powers, resources and support they need in the modern scrutiny...
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This is No Way to Run a Country: A conversation with former veterans minister Johnny Mercer
Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer joins us to discuss his new book, No Way to Run a Country: An Outsider’s Journey into the Heart of our Broken Politics, and his struggle to change veterans’ policy from inside Westminster and Whitehall. Mercer entered Parliament after serving in Afghanistan,...
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PMQs: Parliament Matters Questions
Recorded at Queen Mary University of London as part of Student Week, welcoming students at the start of the new academic year, this special live edition features three expert guests: historian Dr Robert Saunders; Private Members’ Bill specialist Dr Daniel Gover; and historian Dr Catherine Haddon…
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MPs reject the assisted dying bill: What happened, and what next?
MPs have rejected the assisted dying bill – but why did a proposal they had previously supported lose this time, and what happens now? Andrew Lewin MP, a supporter of the bill, hot-foots it from the Chamber to give us his immediate reaction. He describes the atmosphere when the result was...
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Andy Burnham’s rewired state: Can Parliament provide the circuit breaker?
Andy Burnham made his despatch box debut as Prime Minister in the House of Commons this week with one of the longest ministerial statements on record and a promise to strengthen the Prime Minister’s grip on Whitehall while transferring power and resources away from it. We examine the new Office…
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Joanna Cherry: The SNP, Westminster, and a decade of political battles
Joanna Cherry joins us this week to discuss her newly published memoir, in which she looks back on some of the most contentious battles in British and Scottish politics in the last two decades. She arrived at Westminster in 2015 as one of 56 SNP MPs elected in a historic landslide that…
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Unparliamentary: Colourful tales from the Canadian Parliament
Canada’s Parliament shares its Westminster roots with the UK, but it has developed its own distinctive traditions, procedures and political culture. In this episode, Charlie Feldman – former President of the Canadian Study of Parliament Group and author of Unparliamentary, a collection of stories...
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Labour’s last chance saloon? Burnham’s new Cabinet faces familiar parliamentary problems
Andy Burnham has unveiled his ministerial team. So, we assess what his appointments reveal about the Government’s priorities, the political calculations behind them, and the parliamentary tests that lie ahead. We begin with the appointment of the new Chief Whip, Anneliese Midgley MP, who takes on...
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How do we protect politicians in a dangerous age?
Following the murder of Ann Widdecombe, we reflect on the dangers facing those in Parliament and public life. Earlier this year, former Lord Chancellor Sir Robert Buckland was appointed to lead the independent review into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Sir David Amess MP, examining...
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Nigel Farage leaves Parliament: What now happens to the standards investigation?
Nigel Farage has quit the House of Commons to force a by-election in his constituency. In a blistering attack on what he called the media “pile-on” and a political stitch-up by the Westminster establishment, he insisted that the “people of Clacton should be the judge of my actions.” So, this week...
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New PM, new Clerk of the House of Commons: A new chapter at Westminster?
With a new Prime Minister preparing to take office and the Commons appointing its first female Clerk, we discuss these two pivotal appointments that will help shape how Parliament works in the years ahead. We explore the challenges they will face in managing Parliament, examine fresh warnings…
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The Burnham question: A new approach to whipping Westminster?
What would an Andy Burnham government actually look and feel like? This week we explore how Andy Burnham might govern, drawing on his experience as a Cabinet minister, his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester, and his own writings on constitutional reform. We ask whether a Burnham government would...
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Andy Burnham’s March on Westminster: How Could He Become Prime Minister?
Three by-elections delivered three very different results this week. To discuss the implications, we are joined by Professor Philip Cowley, a leading expert on MPs, party discipline and the realities of parliamentary power. The Conservatives secured their first Scottish by-election victory since...
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Brexit, 10 years on: Parliament and the democratic crisis
This month marks the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum – a vote that unleashed four years of extraordinary political turmoil. Judges were branded "enemies of the people", MPs denounced as "saboteurs", political parties fractured, and Prime Ministers rose and fell amid relentless...
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The Cabinet Manual: Why Britain's constitutional "highway code" needs updating
The Cabinet Manual has been described as the “highway code” of the UK constitution, a guide that brings together the laws, conventions, precedents and procedures under which the Government operates. First published in 2011, it has not been updated since, despite a decade and a half of...
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The £5m question: Who funds our politicians?
In this episode, we explore the rules governing MPs’ financial interests, gifts and donations, as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faces questions over a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Ruth and Mark are joined by Duncan Hames, a former MP and now Director of UK...
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Is the Government censoring the Mandelson Papers?
The row over Lord Mandelson’s appointment as Britain’s ambassador to Washington flared up again this week after the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) accused the Government of improperly redacting documents linked to his appointment. Back in February, ministers were forced to release…
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Labour’s leadership tangle: What does it mean for Parliament?
A battle for Downing Street touched off by a ministerial resignation, a chunky new King’s Speech, and an increasingly unpredictable political environment provide plenty for us to discuss with our special guest, Professor Meg Russell, the former Director of the Constitution Unit. We begin with the...
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What now? The local election fallout hits Westminster
After an awful set of elections for Labour across England, Scotland and Wales, are the Prime Minister’s days numbered? Could the Cabinet revolt? Might a rival formally launch a leadership challenge? Or might it take another defining crisis – a further final straw – to trigger a revolt by the...
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Keir Starmer’s week of parliamentary torture over Mandelson appointment
Keir Starmer has faced “ordeal by Parliament” this week. A tense statement in the House of Commons over his handling of Peter Mandleson’s nomination as Ambassador to the United States was followed by an emergency debate and then an awkward session of PMQs. Meanwhile the Foreign Affairs Committee...
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Dynamic alignment and Henry VIII powers: What will the Government’s EU reset mean for Parliament?
A bill to deliver the Government’s proposed “EU reset” is set to be a centrepiece of May’s King’s Speech. It will reportedly give Ministers powers to update UK law in line with certain EU rules (so-called “dynamic alignment”) in areas such as animal and plant health (known as Sanitary and...
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Will key Government bills pass by the end of the parliamentary Session?
The Government has announced that the State Opening of Parliament and King’s Speech will take place on Wednesday 13 May - just as we predicted last Autumn! However, Ministers have not confirmed when prorogation – marking the end of the current Session – will take place. It is likely to be the…
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Who really decides Immigration Rules: Parliament or the Home Secretary?
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood MP, is planning sweeping changes to the immigration system. So, this week we put immigration law under the microscope. Jonathan Featonby of the Refugee Council joins us to explain how major shifts to refugees’ rights, settlement routes and visa rules can be...
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Jury trials under threat? The Courts and Tribunals Bill explained
The Government’s plan to restrict the right to a jury trial for certain defendants cleared its Second Reading in the Commons this week – but the fight is far from over. The proposals in the Courts and Tribunals Bill are already provoking fierce criticism, including from a determined group of…
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Is the assisted dying bill being filibustered?
In this episode we continue our special series tracking the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the Private Member’s Bill that would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. With Committee Stage in the House of Lords progressing slowly – and time in the parliamentary...
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Starmer, Iran, and Parliament’s role in war powers
What role does Parliament play when the UK is involved in military action? In this week’s episode, we explore the evolving practice of parliamentary war powers, sparked by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s response to recent military developments in Iran and the Middle East, where defensive…
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Mandelson, Andrew and Epstein: Should there be parliamentary committee of inquiry?
After the Greens’ triumph at the Gorton and Denton by-election we ponder the implications for Parliament. Could the result tempt more MPs to switch parties? Does this heap fresh pressure on the Prime Minister? Will party leaders need to rethink how they treat opponents whose backing they may need...
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The forgotten pioneer: Who was Margaret Bondfield, Britain’s first female Cabinet Minister?
Why is Britain’s first female cabinet minister almost invisible in our political memory? In this episode we are joined by historian and author Nan Sloane, whose new biography of Margaret Bondfield has just been published, to uncover the remarkable and largely forgotten story of this pioneering...
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What happens when you lose the party whip?
What happens when you lose the party whip? A conversation with Neil Duncan-Jordan MP Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan joins us this week to reflect on his experience as one of the new intake’s most prominent rebels. He describes defying the whip over the means-testing of the Winter Fuel Allowance and...
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A Humble Address: How MPs confronted the Mandelson scandal
It has been a bruising week for the Prime Minister after the House of Commons backed a Conservative “Humble Address” demanding documents on Sir Keir Starmer’s vetting of Lord Mandelson for the Washington Ambassadorship. We explain how the procedure works, what role the Intelligence and Security...
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Why MPs can’t just quit: The curious case of the Chiltern Hundreds
This week we explore one of Westminster’s strangest constitutional hangovers: why MPs can’t simply resign. With the Gorton and Denton by-election triggered by Andrew Gwynne’s departure, listeners asked the obvious question – why the medieval-sounding detour via the Chiltern Hundreds (or its less...
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Assisted dying bill: How could the Parliament Act be used?
The assisted dying bill – properly known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – is facing an extraordinary procedural logjam in the House of Lords. More than 1,170 amendments remain to be debated, organised into 89 groups for debate, yet only 20 of those groups have been reached after...
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Should MPs Who Switch Parties Be Forced to Face a By-Election?
In this episode, we ask whether MPs who switch parties should be forced to face a by-election – and what this month’s spate of defections says about representation, party power and voter consent. We also unpick a dizzying week in British and global politics as “hurricane Trump” batters the…
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Who really sets MPs’ pay – And why you might be wrong about it
What are MPs actually paid and what does the public fund to help them do their job? In this conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) we explore the delicate balance between supporting MPs to do their jobs effectively and enforcing strict...
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Kemi’s pre-emptive strike on Robert Jenrick
In a dramatic day at Westminster, Kemi Badenoch launched a pre-emptive strike against Robert Jenrick, sacking him from the Shadow Cabinet, suspending the Conservative Party whip, and moving before his headline-grabbing jump to Reform UK. We unpack what the defection tells us about party…
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Growing the Greens: Parliament, polling and Zack Polanski
What is it like to be part of a small but growing parliamentary party? We talk with the leader of the Green Party group at Westminster, Ellie Chowns, about the challenges of operating with limited numbers, the practical realities of parliamentary life, and how institutional structures shape the...
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Are UK elections under threat?
With the Government investigating allegations of foreign influence in British politics, we are joined by John Pullinger, Chair of the Electoral Commission, to take stock of the health and resilience of the UK’s electoral system. Our discussion ranges widely over the pressures facing elections and...
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The King and Parliament: The relationship between politics and the royals
In this episode we are joined by author and former royal correspondent Valentine Low to explore the evolving relationship between Downing Street and the Palace and why it matters for Parliament. Drawing on his book Power and the Palace, we explore how royal influence has shifted from Queen...
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Is being Prime Minister an impossible job?
Why do UK Prime Ministers seem to burn out so quickly? Joined by historian Robert Saunders, we explore why so many leaders have struggled to survive in office since the Brexit referendum. The role has always been exceptionally demanding, but have the pressures of the post-2016 era made it harder...
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What's coming up over the Christmas/New Year recess
We’re taking a short break over Christmas and New Year, but to keep you company we’ve wrapped up a selection of standout episodes as a festive gift for you. 🎁 Whether you’re travelling, cooking up a feast, putting your feet up, or stealing a quiet moment away from the chaos, dip into these great...
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Choosing a new Lord Speaker
This episode brings you an exclusive recording of the official hustings for the election of the next Lord Speaker. Organised by the Hansard Society and chaired by podcast co-host Ruth Fox, the event took place last week in the Robing Room of the House of Lords. Peers put questions to the two...
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Where are the Reform UK peers?
There have been three significant developments at Westminster this week: a Commons vote that the Liberal Democrats are presenting as a major breakthrough, a peerages list that raises questions of political balance, and renewed concerns about the limited powers Parliament holds to scrutinise...
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2024: The year our party system finally broke?
This week we focus on the Hansard Society’s new book, Britain Votes 2024, which brings together a powerhouse team of leading political scientists - including Professors Sir John Curtice, Phil Cowley and Tim Bale - and many other distinguished experts to dissect every facet of a record-breaking...
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101 resolutions and a Finance Bill. How the Budget becomes law
It’s Budget week, so we look at what happens after the Chancellor sits down and how the days announcements are converted into the Finance Bill. We speak to Lord Ricketts, Chair of the European Affairs Committee, about whether Parliament is prepared to scrutinise the “dynamic alignment” with EU…
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Is the House of Lords going slow on the assisted dying bill?
In this episode we look at the latest Covid Inquiry report addressing the lack of parliamentary scrutiny during the pandemic and the need for a better system for emergency law-making. With the Budget approaching, we explore how the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, might discipline ministers...
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The assisted dying bill: A conversation with its sponsor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton
In this episode, we are joined by Lord Falconer, the Labour Peer steering the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill through the House of Lords. Although he has attempted to legislate for assisted dying several times before, this is the first occasion he is working with a bill that has already...
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Do petitions work? Inside the Commons Committee that actually decides
Ten years after the House of Commons Petitions Committee was created – does it actually work? Does it genuinely shift policy? Or is it an emotional release valve? In this special anniversary episode, we bring together four Chairs of the Petitions Committee – one current, three former – for a…
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Parliament, the Monarch & the birth of party politics — How did it happen?
As Britain’s modern party system frays, we rewind 300+ years to Queen Anne’s reign to trace the messy, very human birth of Britain’s party politics in conversation with historian George Owers, author of Rage of Party. He charts how religion, war, and raw parliamentary management forged early…
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Why did Nigel Farage’s Ten Minute Rule Bill fail?
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage made headlines this week with his attempt to introduce a Ten Minute Rule Bill to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights. The proposal was swiftly defeated by a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green and Independent MPs, with Lib Dem leader…
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Parliament vs. Prince Andrew
This week, we explore how far Parliament can go in holding members of the Royal Family to account, as pressure grows for MPs to scrutinise Prince Andrew’s finances and royal titles. We ask whether Nigel Farage should get a right of reply at Prime Minister’s Questions amid his growing prominence,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join two of the UK's leading parliamentary experts, Mark D'Arcy and Ruth Fox, as they guide you through the often mysterious ways our politicians do business and explore the running controversies about the way Parliament works. Each week they will analyse how laws are made and ministers held accountable by the people we send to Westminster. They will be debating the topical issues of the day, looking back at key historical events and discussing the latest research on democracy and Parliament. Why? Because whether it's the taxes you pay, or the laws you've got to obey... Parliament matters!
Mark D'Arcy was the BBC's parliamentary correspondent for two decades. Ruth Fox is the Director of the parliamentary think-tank the Hansard Society.
❓ Submit your questions on all things Parliament to Mark and Ruth via our website here: <a href="https://hansardsociety.org.uk/
HOSTED BY
Hansard Society
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How many episodes does Parliament Matters have?
Parliament Matters currently has 162 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Parliament Matters about?
Join two of the UK's leading parliamentary experts, Mark D'Arcy and Ruth Fox, as they guide you through the often mysterious ways our politicians do business and explore the running controversies about the way Parliament works. Each week they will analyse how laws are made and ministers held...
How often does Parliament Matters release new episodes?
Parliament Matters publishes regularly with 162 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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Parliament Matters is created and hosted by Hansard Society.
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