Next week marks Labour’s first budget in over 14 years, but how exactly do MPs debate the Government's taxation plans, and how much influence do they really have over public finances? With many new MPs unfamiliar with Westminster’s quirky traditions, we ask: what are the ‘Do’s and Don'ts’ of parliamentary etiquette? Plus, the new Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran MP, talks NHS reform, social care, ‘assisted dying’, and the challenge of leading a committee of newly-elected MPs.
With Labour’s first Budget due next week, Ruth and Mark walk through the elaborate process which sets the parameters for Commons debates on the Government’s taxation plans – and which may set limits on MPs’ ability to amend them. They also explore whether a better system is needed to scrutinise both tax policies and government spending.
Amid reports of MPs quaffing cartons of milk and munching apples in the Commons Chamber, they offer a guide to parliamentary etiquette, the ‘Do’s and Don'ts’ that Honourable Members must observe to stay in Mr Speaker’s good books and maintain good-tempered debate. Don’t wear jeans or chinos. Don’t call other MPs “you”. Keep speeches short and to the point and tell the Chair if there’s a good reason why you should be called to speak in a particular debate. And Mark has a warning for MPs scrolling through messages on their phones at the back of the Chamber.
Plus, the new Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, Layla Moran MP, discusses NHS reform, outlines how she plans to highlight the costs of neglecting social care reform, and suggests that her committee won’t need to revisit its earlier reports on 'assisted dying'. With a majority of newly elected MPs on her committee she also describes her plans to build a cohesive and effective team to scrutinise this key area of government policy.
Layla Moran MP
Layla Moran is the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, a seat she has held since 2017. She was elected Chair of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee in September 2024. In 2020, Layla ran for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats, finishing second to current leader Ed Davey. Following the leadership race, she became the party's Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and International Development, a role she held for four years. Prior to that, she was the Education Spokesperson from 2017 to 2020, and she also served on the Public Accounts Committee from 2017 to 2019.
The Budget: how is it debated?
Government tax and spending plans: how much influence do backbench MPs have?
House of Commons chamber: what are new MPs getting wrong and and what are the "do's and don'ts" of etiquette in the Chamber?
Health and Social Care: how will the new Select Committee tackle the issue of social care?
Will the Health Committee conduct an inquiry into the 'Assisted Dying' Bill?
Hansard Society
House of Commons
Health and Social Care Committee
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You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
Ruth Fox: Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm. Finally, it's really here. 118 days after the general election, the first budget of this Labour government will be delivered next week. So we'll take you through what happens in one of Parliament's more complicated events.
Mark D'Arcy: Are you embarrassing yourself with these basic mistakes in parliamentary etiquette? Our guide for new MPs on what they're getting wrong in the Commons Chamber.
Ruth Fox: And the new chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran, stops by to talk NHS reform, assisted dying, and getting new MPs up to speed for life on the committee corridor.[00:01:00]
Mark D'Arcy: But first, Ruth, let's talk about the budget. It's finally here. You can argue that there's been a huge political vacuum left in the absence of Labour having an immediate Budget as soon as they took office, but finally next week, it's going to arrive. An all singing, all dancing financial statement with details of tax and spending plans for the coming year and probably for time beyond that as well.
And all sorts of incredible intricate. technical complexities about how the budget is debated, what the parameters of the debate are, how the documents around the budget are extracted from Exchequer, and much, much more. And it can look quite opaque to people watching from outside, as all sorts of slightly strange rituals are enacted.
Ruth Fox: Yeah, so should we take listeners through it step by step, Mark, so that when they're watching next week, they can follow. And some of this actually happens at quite a bit of speed. So it's quite tricky.
Mark D'Arcy: It's, it's all very rapid. [00:02:00] But the first thing that happens is that the Speaker leaves the chair to be replaced by the senior deputy speaker, the Chairman of Ways and Means.
And this is a historical oddity that goes back to, I think, the Restoration Era, where at one point the Speaker was seen as a tool of the monarchy. And so when the Commons wanted to discuss money matters, it resolved itself into a committee of ways and means that was not chaired by Mr Speaker. And that has persisted pretty much ever since through the ensuing centuries.
It's the one big parliamentary event that the Speaker doesn't chair as of right....
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In order to raise income, the government needs to obtain approval from Parliament for its taxation plans. The Budget is the means by which the House of Commons considers the government’s plans to impose 'charges on the people' and its assessment of the wider state of the economy.
The House of Commons will formally appoint the members of some of its select committees this week, following internal elections in the parliamentary parties. Questions remain about if and how the minor parties will be represented. Also this week, 78 Presentation Bills will receive their First Reading: one MP alone will present 30 of them. MPs will debate the Employment Rights Bill for the first time, though much of the policy detail is deferred to later regulations. And both Houses will vote on regulations implementing the first round of compensation payments for victims of the contaminated blood scandal, marking an important step in addressing this decades-long scandal.
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.
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?
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.
