Annual General Meeting - with Sir Peter Riddell

Events / Members

Annual General Meeting - with Sir Peter Riddell

12 Jun 2024

Our Annual General Meeting updated Members on the work of the Society and provided a look ahead to our future plans. Our special guest speaker was Hansard Society member Sir Peter Riddell, former political editor and chief political commentator at The Times and author of numerous books about Parliament and politics.

Sir Peter joined us to discuss the general election campaign and the challenges facing the new Parliament.

6:00-7:30pm, 12 June 2024

This is a Members-only hybrid event: in person at our base in Westminster, and on Zoom.

About the Annual General Meeting

The agenda and associated papers for the meeting will be sent direct to Members in advance of the meeting. Our Annual Report and Accounts are available online.

6:00-6:30pm Annual General Meeting

Approval of the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting
Report of the Directors and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022
Re-appointment of Independent Examiners
Re-appointment of Trustees
Reflections on the last year and future plans: update by the Rt Hon the Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Chair) and Dr Ruth Fox (Director) followed by Q & A.
Any other business

6:30-7:30pm Sir Peter Riddell on the general election and looking ahead to the new Parliament

With the general election taking place on 4 July 2024, Sir Peter will be looking at the election campaign and the challenges which are set to face new and returning Members of Parliament. With the possibility of a sudden great change in the composition of the House of Commons, we will consider what can be learnt from the past and what opportunities now exist for progress.

About our guest speaker

The Rt Hon Sir Peter Riddell CBE is the former Political Editor and Chief Political Commentator at The Times and the author of twelve books on politics, Parliament and political careers. He served as Chair of the Hansard Society from 2007-2012 and then as Director of the Institute for Government until 2016. He was subsequently appointed as the Commissioner for Public Appointments until he stepped down in Autumn 2021. He has always had close links with the academic world and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a recipient of the British Academy President’s Medal.

Latest / Highlights

News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #10 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 89

Having cleared detailed scrutiny in a Public Bill Committee, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill faces its next crucial test when it returns to the House of Commons for Report Stage on 16 May. This stage is often where Private Members' Bills falter. Will opponents of Kim Leadbeater’s proposals to legalise assisted dying win enough support to amend the Bill? Can supporters of the Bill fend off attempts to change it? And could the Bill be lost altogether, because of the procedural hurdles that still stand in its way?

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 28 April - 2 May 2025

MPs will debate the Football Governance Bill for the first time and consider controversial proposals to give government access to benefit recipients’ bank data in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. The Great British Energy Bill faces a further hurdle over modern slavery concerns in solar panel supply chains. Orders on extended VE Day pub hours and banning ‘ninja swords’ will be considered. David Lammy and Shabana Mahmood face committee scrutiny, while Richard Foord seeks to require parliamentary approval for a UK–US trade deal. Mayors Andy Burnham and Kim McGuinness will give evidence on industrial strategy, and Dr Fiona Hill will speak about social mobility and education.

News / Should Parliament roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 88

After Parliament’s rare Saturday sitting to pass the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill with minimal scrutiny, we explore concerns about rushed legislation and unchecked ministerial powers. The Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle faces criticism for allegedly protecting Keir Starmer at PMQs. Meanwhile, as MPs and Peers move to block a possible Trump address to Parliament during his second UK State Visit, we discuss who controls invitations to speak and where on the parliamentary estate.

Submissions / Evidence to the House of Commons Modernisation Committee: Priorities and strategic aims

In response to the Modernisation Committee's call for views on 17 October 2024, we submitted evidence outlining key areas we believe the Committee should prioritise. Our submission recommended a focus on: strengthening legislative scrutiny, with particular emphasis on reforming the delegated legislation system; enhancing financial scrutiny, especially in relation to the Budget and the Estimates; addressing strategic gaps in parliamentary scrutiny; making more effective use of parliamentary time; and reviewing the Standing Orders, language and rituals of the House of Commons.

Briefings / The Assisted Dying Bill: A guide to the Private Member's Bill process

This briefing explains what to watch for during the Second Reading debate of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 29 November. It outlines the procedural and legislative issues that will come into play: the role of the Chair in managing the debate and how procedures such as the 'closure' and 'reasoned amendments' work. It looks ahead to the Committee and Report stage procedures that will apply if the Bill progresses beyond Second Reading. It also examines the government's responsibilities, such as providing a money resolution for the Bill and preparing an Impact Assessment, while addressing broader concerns about the adequacy of Private Members’ Bill procedures for scrutinising controversial issues.