The creation of the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly in 2022 threw a fresh spotlight on the UK Parliament’s participation in such international inter-parliamentary bodies. What do they do? Do they add value? And what is the role at Westminster of the UK assembly Delegations? Watch leading Delegation Members discuss these questions and more.
[CLOSED] 7 February 2023 Webinar
The creation of the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA) in 2022 saw the UK Parliament becoming a member of its first new international inter-parliamentary assembly for 30 years. This fresh spotlight showed that the UK Delegations to such bodies are among Parliament’s least visible aspects.
This free webinar brought together leading Members of UK Delegations to discuss what the Delegations do, how they work, and whether the arrangements at Westminster that surround them need reform.
In November 2022, Politico’s influential ‘London Playbook’ newsletter sarcastically called the PPA “absolutely, definitely not a talking shop”.
Are international inter-parliamentary assemblies more than ‘talking shops’, and their meetings anything other than ‘foreign jollies’?
Do international inter-parliamentary bodies add value to international affairs, and, if so, what and how?
At Westminster, with arrangements around the Delegations’ appointment and operation uncodified, the creation of the Delegation to the PPA has been based largely on precedent.
What is the status of the international inter-parliamentary Delegations at Westminster? Who do they represent?
Where do the Delegations fit in the scrutiny of the UK Government’s actions in international organisations? How do – or should – they relate to Select Committees?
Do arrangements for the Delegations need reform? In particular, should the Delegations formally be appointed by Parliament rather than the Government, as suggested by the Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) in 2016?
Rt Hon Sir Oliver Heald KC MP / @OliverHealdUK Leader, UK Delegation to the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA)
Lord Peter Ricketts GCMG GCVO / @LordRickettsP Member, UK Delegation to the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA); former UK Permanent Representative to NATO, Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, National Security Adviser, and HM Ambassador to France
Rt Hon Alec Shelbrooke MP / @AlecShelbrooke Leader, UK Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) Chair: Cristina Leston-Bandeira Professor of Politics, University of Leeds; Chair, International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN); Hansard Society member and past Co-Editor of the Hansard Society journal, Parliamentary Affairs; past Chair of the UK Study of Parliament Group (SPG)
In this fourth instalment of our special mini-podcast series, we take you inside the Public Bill Committee as it scrutinises the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - a landmark proposal seeking to legalise assisted dying. The Committee is in full swing, debating amendments, and tensions are running high. We sit down with Sarah Olney MP, a key player in the discussions, to unpack the latest developments.
In this episode we dissect the fallout from Labour’s WhatsApp purge following the Andrew Gwynne affair and what it means for political communication at Westminster. We also explore the latest news from the House of Commons Modernisation Committee, discussing its focus on improving accessibility to Parliament, legislative scrutiny, and the debate over MPs holding second jobs.
The assisted dying bill (Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill) is now at the Committee stage, where a Public Bill Committee reviews the bill clause by clause. This briefing outlines the Committee’s role, how MPs propose changes to the bill and where these are published, how the Chair selects and groups amendments, and how these are debated and voted on.
The assisted dying bill is about to undergo detailed scrutiny by the Public Bill Committee - a group of 23 MPs tasked with reviewing the Bill’s text and proposing amendments to refine and improve it. But what exactly happens during this amendment process? Former House of Commons Clerk, Paul Evans CBE, breaks it down. Plus, we hear from Dr Ben Spencer MP, a former consultant psychiatrist turned parliamentarian, who has proposed dozens of amendments to the Bill.
Stay informed with updates and analysis on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as it moves through Parliament. Learn about the debates, procedures, decisions, and key milestones shaping the assisted dying legislation.
