The legislative process is underway following the King’s Speech, so what bills are planned? This week, Professor Philip Cowley, an expert on parliamentary rebellions, joins the podcast to discuss managing a mega-majority. Intriguingly, he reveals why Keir Starmer reminds him of Robert Redford.
The legislative sausage machine has cranked into action so Mark and Ruth dissect the government’s programme following the King’s Speech. They examine the proposals for major new bills on planning and devolution aimed at galvanising the economy, along with revamped legacy bills the Government is adopting from the previous administration. Where might political tensions and difficulties arise? What insights did the King’s Speech offer on parliamentary matters, and can we expect more bills beyond those identified in the legislative programme?
This week, parliamentary rebellions expert Professor Philip Cowley joins the podcast to discuss the challenges of managing a mega-majority in Parliament. What lessons can Labour learn from the Blair years? Have changes in Parliament over the last 25 years made rebellions more likely? And in a surprising revelation, Phil explains why Keir Starmer reminds him of Robert Redford!
As the initial exhilaration fades and the hard legislative grind begins, many new MPs in previous parliaments have struggled with the enormity of the job and its impact on their lives. We look at what will it be like for the generation of 2024?
Professor Philip Cowley
Professor Philip Cowley is a political scientist at Queen Mary University of London in the School of Politics and International Relations. Specialising in political parties, parliaments, and elections, his extensive research includes numerous books and articles on voting behavior and parliamentary rebellions. He regularly contributes to House Magazine with his column, "The Professor Will See You Now". Previously he co-edited the Hansard Society's quarterly journal, Parliamentary Affairs, and served as co-convenor of the Political Studies Association's Elections, Public Opinion and Parties specialist group.
What are the significant new bills highlighted in the King’s Speech?
Which legacy bills from the previous administration will the government revisit?
How long is the current parliamentary session expected to last?
Why is the government using a statutory instrument for early prisoner release to manage prison overcrowding?
Why hasn’t the Government introduced the proposed 80-year age cap for House of Lords members?
How will the Labour government handle potential rebellions and dissent among backbench MPs?
What roles and challenges do the new MPs elected in the 2024 general election face?
Parliament Matters is supported by a grant from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, a Quaker trust which engages in philanthropy and supports work on democratic accountability.
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00:00:02:07 - 00:00:16:09 You're listening to Parliament matters, a Hansard society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm. 00:00:16:11 - 00:00:40:02 Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox and I'm Mark D'Arcy. Coming up, the legislative sausage machine cranks into action and there are big new bills on planning and devolution to galvanize the economy. What will it be like for generation 2024 as the new MPs get down to work. And managing a mega majority? 00:00:40:08 - 00:00:52:00 What lessons can Labour learn from the Blair years? Parliamentary rebellions expert Phil Cowley weighs in. 00:00:52:02 - 00:01:15:11 But first, Ruth, we've got to talk about the King's Speech. 36 bills, plus four draft bills. It's a big programme. It's going to be a lot of work for the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the next few months, but it's not unprecedentedly big. No, I mean, it's at the higher end of the spectrum in recent years, but you can go back to 2005 after the election. 00:01:15:11 - 00:01:32:01 Then there were high number of bills, 40 odd, but it is a lot. It will be a hard grind over the course of the session. Interestingly, we don't know how long the session will be. The government hasn't said. Lucy Powell, the leader of the House of Commons, has intimated in some press appearances yesterday that it could be 18 months, possibly longer. 00:01:32:01 - 00:01:54:15 So we'll have to see. But there is a lot to get your teeth into. There's some big political bills which will come on to, but there's also, interestingly, quite a number of bills that the previous government didn't get through when it called the election. And the government's revisiting some of those. It's rebranding some of them. It'll no doubt amend some of them and bring them back in slightly different form, but essentially to achieve the same objectives.
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In our latest ‘Whipping Yarn’, we talk with Simon Hart, former Conservative Chief Whip during Rishi Sunak’s Premiership. Hart opens up about his time in one of Westminster’s most demanding and discreet roles, chronicled in his new book, ‘Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip’.
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.
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.
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.
In this ninth instalment of our special mini-podcast series, we continue to explore the latest developments in the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, often referred to as the assisted dying bill. We are joined by Dr Marie Tidball MP to discuss the amendments she has secured for a Disability Advisory Board and an independent advocate for people with learning disabilities.
