Hansard Society for Parliamentary Democracy

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What's coming up in Parliament this week? (14-18 October)

This week, attention will be on the 20 MPs set to present their Private Members' Bills in the House of Commons on Wednesday, with particular focus on Kim Leadbeater’s 'assisted dying' bill. MPs will debate key Government legislation, including a bill to remove the remaining 90 hereditary peers from the House of Lords and another bill aimed at strengthening protections against terrorism through Martyn’s Law. Meanwhile, media reports suggest the formal internal party processes to choose members of the House of Commons Select Committees will begin this week.

News / Electing party leaders: who should decide? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 48

The Conservative leadership race is heating up, but should MPs alone choose their leader? Should MPs who resign their party's whip face by-elections? On 29 November, MPs are expected to debate the controversial 'assisted dying' bill - will it stymie other Private Members’ Bills? Meanwhile, Nigel Farage is pushing for a parliamentary debate and vote on the government's deal regarding the Chagos Islands. Will he get his way?

Briefings / 14 things to look out for in Parliament this Autumn

When parliamentarians return to Westminster on October 7, all eyes will be on the Budget — the major parliamentary event on the immediate horizon. However, as the Government’s legislative agenda picks up speed and select committees get underway, there will be many other important developments to track. In the months ahead, we’ve identified 14 key issues worth watching closely, particularly as some of them may provide crucial signals about how this Government’s approach to and treatment of Parliament compares to its predecessors.

Blog / Select committee chair elections: what do the results tell us about the new Parliament?

The House of Commons recently held elections for the chairs of its select committees in the new Parliament. But how did this year's elections compare to those of previous years? Were they more competitive? How well were women and ethnic minority MPs represented among the candidates and winners? And what level of parliamentary experience do the newly elected chairs bring to the table?

Events / The inaugural Churchill-Attlee Democracy Lecture, given by the Rt Hon Theresa May MP

To mark the Hansard Society’s 80th anniversary, we have launched the Churchill-Attlee Democracy Lecture in honour of our first members, Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. The inaugural lecture was given by former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Theresa May MP on 14 May 2024. All proceeds from ticket sales went to our 80th Anniversary Appeal. See below for a video recording and transcript of the event.

Blog / MPs and the parliamentary oath of allegiance: A shibboleth under scrutiny?

Support / 80th Anniversary Appeal: support our work to make Parliament more effective

Reports / Proposals for a New System for Delegated Legislation: A Working Paper

Services / Statutory Instrument Tracker® app

General election insights from Parliamentary Affairs

The evolution of election campaigning

How have election campaign strategies evolved over the past 15 years to shape today's political landscape? This special collection of articles from our journal, Parliamentary Affairs, highlights the increasing sophistication and personalisation of national and constituency-level campaigns. It explores how political parties target key voter groups, leverage constituency visits from party leaders for electoral gains, and increasingly rely on digital campaigning.

Our current priorities

Acts of Parliament in the Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, Westminster. (© UK Parliament / Parliamentary Archives)

Improve the way we make laws and regulations

We have crafted a cross party solution to tackle a pressing constitutional problem: the growth in government by diktat fuelled by excessive dependence on delegated legislation, the problems with which were illustrated so starkly during Brexit and the pandemic. Our plan would introduce more robust scrutiny procedures to address the democratic deficit and stop Parliament being reduced to a legislative rubber-stamp.

Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, 18 October 2023. ©UK Parliament / Andy Bailey

Support the next generation of MPs after the general election

We are developing a programme of support to better prepare the next generation of MPs to perform their core function as legislators and scrutineers. The House of Commons is a complex institution: MPs need practical and procedural advice and resources, particularly in the early months after the election, to enable them to make the most of their knowledge and skills on behalf of their constituents and the country.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, at Prime Minister's Questions, 13 December 2023. ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED]

Transform the language and rules of the House of Commons

We are conducting a review of the Standing Orders, customs and practices of the House of Commons. Since 1945, the government-controlled Standing Orders have been systematically reviewed only six times. This initiative is designed to demystify the way the House of Commons works so that parliamentary procedures and processes are easier to communicate, understand and engage with for both MPs and the public.

Blog

Blog / Select committee chair elections: what do the results tell us about the new Parliament?

The House of Commons recently held elections for the chairs of its select committees in the new Parliament. But how did this year's elections compare to those of previous years? Were they more competitive? How well were women and ethnic minority MPs represented among the candidates and winners? And what level of parliamentary experience do the newly elected chairs bring to the table?

Blog / MPs and the parliamentary oath of allegiance: A shibboleth under scrutiny?

Before taking their seats, Members of Parliament must legally swear an oath or make an affirmation of allegiance to the Crown. For some MPs this can be uncomfortable, creating a conflict between personal beliefs and legal obligations. Some MPs find themselves compelled to express sentiments they do not genuinely hold, or risk their constituents being deprived of representation. Unlike oaths taken by other office holders, the parliamentary oath does not address public expectations of MPs, nor does it guide MPs in understanding their duties. It has become a symbolic formality, a shibboleth, that could be usefully reformed.

Blog / Puberty blockers legislation: has the parliamentary calendar undermined accountability?

Before the General Election, the Government rushed through legislation - in the form of two Statutory Instruments - to temporarily restrict the supply of 'puberty blockers' to under-18s for gender dysphoria. One of those Instruments has now been the subject of a judicial review, before MPs have had any opportunity to consider it. Reasonable people can hold different views on the policy merits, but the way that a policy of such political and legal salience was implemented demonstrates some of the anomalies and weaknesses in the delegated legislation system – particularly how the parliamentary calendar can undermine MPs’ role in scrutinising such Instruments - and why the system needs reform.

Blog / How delegated legislation is being used to tackle the prisons crisis

Thousands of prisoners will be released on license early, once they have completed 40% rather than 50% of their sentence, if a Statutory Instrument is approved by the House of Commons today (25 July 2024). This is not the first time delegated legislation has been used to address the prison overcrowding crisis by implementing what are significant and contentious policy changes. This underscores the importance of a robust scrutiny system for such legislation; but in practice the treatment of the three pieces of delegated legislation concerned demonstrates many of its systemic weaknesses.

Blog / A House more divided: Practice and procedure in a multipolar Parliament

The composition of the opposition in the new Parliament is very different from that of recent Parliaments, including the period following the Labour landslide of 1997. For the time being at least, we are in a new era of multi-party opposition. What might be some of the procedural implications of this shift?

Blog / Mock Elections 2024: The results are in!

Blog / How should Parliament handle the Seventh Carbon Budget - and why does it matter?

Blog / Creeping ministerial powers: the example of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Blog / Two Houses go to war: the Safety of Rwanda Bill and the origins of the Parliament Act

Subscribe • Donate • Join

There has never been a more important time to support us in developing solutions to improve the way Parliament works

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get our latest research, insights and upcoming events delivered to your inbox. Our subscribers also receive special early-bird discounts on many of our premium training programmes and other services.

Make a donation

The Hansard Society does not have an endowment or a wealthy benefactor. Your donation will help us continue to deliver authoritative, independent research on Parliament and free public events.

Join our growing network

Become a member for as little as £1.25 per month and join our growing network of people who care about parliamentary democracy and want our political institutions to prosper in the future.

Apply now

Learn more

Publications

Briefings / 14 things to look out for in Parliament this Autumn

When parliamentarians return to Westminster on October 7, all eyes will be on the Budget — the major parliamentary event on the immediate horizon. However, as the Government’s legislative agenda picks up speed and select committees get underway, there will be many other important developments to track. In the months ahead, we’ve identified 14 key issues worth watching closely, particularly as some of them may provide crucial signals about how this Government’s approach to and treatment of Parliament compares to its predecessors.

Guides / How is Parliament recalled?

If a crisis or major national event occurs during a period when Parliament is adjourned, there are often demands from MPs, the media and the public for Parliament to be ‘recalled’. But the House of Commons Standing Orders stipulate that only Government Ministers - in reality, the Prime Minister - can ask the Speaker to recall the House. In recent years the House of Lords has generally been recalled at the same time as the House of Commons.

Briefings / Back to Business: Swearing-in

The swearing-in of MPs usually begins the day after the Speaker’s election and can take several days; no other business is generally conducted before the King’s Speech. Why must MPs swear in? They can choose to take the 'Oath of Allegiance' of make a 'solemn Affirmation': what's the difference? How do Members of the House of Lords swear in?

Briefings / Back to Business: Setting up Select Committees

The chairs of most House of Commons Select Committees are now elected. But how is the distribution of Select Committee chairs between the parties determined? What is the process for electing the chairs and members ? Will term limits affect any potential chairs? Select Committee seats are allocated to reflect the balance of parties in the House: will the minor parties have any representation?

Briefings / Back to Business: Parliamentary Calendar - Sessions, sittings and recesses

A General Election in July poses challenges to the normal parliamentary calendar over the Summer. When Parliament sits will affect the timing of some of the key procedures at the start of the Parliament such as the setting up of Select Committees. It will also affect the timing of the Budget. So what will happen with the Summer and party conference recesses?

Briefings / Back to Business: The Budget and Estimates

Briefings / Back to Business 2024: A guide to the start of the new Parliament

Briefings / Back to Business: State Opening of Parliament and King's Speech

Briefings / Back to Business: Executive Summary

Journal

Journal / The evolution of election campaigning: Insights from Parliamentary Affairs

How have election campaign strategies evolved over the past 15 years to shape today's political landscape? This special collection of articles from our journal, Parliamentary Affairs, highlights the increasing sophistication and personalisation of national and constituency-level campaigns. It explores how political parties target key voter groups, leverage constituency visits from party leaders for electoral gains, and increasingly rely on digital campaigning.

Journal / Parliamentary Affairs call for papers: Special section on the state of British politics in 2024/5

This call for papers is for a special section of Parliamentary Affairs on the state of British politics in 2024/5. It will identify the key institutions, issues and challenges that need to be addressed by any new Government taking over in 2025, following the general election expected at the end of 2024.

Journal / Marking 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement – Parliamentary Affairs special collection

To mark 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, we have curated a special collection of articles from our journal Parliamentary Affairs. The articles cover a range of themes, from devolution and the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly to peacebuilding, consociation and women's rights.

Journal / Marking 20 years since Parliament approved military action in Iraq – Parliamentary Affairs special collection

To mark 20 years since the House of Commons voted to approve military action in Iraq on 18 March 2003, we have curated a special collection of articles from our journal Parliamentary Affairs. The articles cover a range of themes from the Hutton Inquiry and the Iraq Dossier to war powers and the Government's use of secret intelligence.

Journal / Parliamentary Affairs 75th Anniversary special collection on House of Lords reform

To mark the Parliamentary Affairs 75th Anniversary Lecture, delivered by the Speaker of the House of Lords on the topic of reform of the Upper House, we have curated a special collection of articles from the journal archives, exploring Lords reform from unique perspectives and different historical contexts since the journal's inaugural issue in December 1947.