Kemi Badenoch sparred with Keir Starmer for the first time at Prime Ministers’ Questions. We assess her debut as Leader of the Opposition and the impact she made in the chamber. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s return to the White House is expected to reshape British policy across multiple fronts - we look at how it could influence Parliament’s agenda in the coming years. Finally, we head to Belfast for insights from political expert, David Phinnemore, on the constitutional conundrum unfolding in Northern Ireland.
This week we turn the spotlight on Kemi Badenoch’s debut as Leader of the Opposition at Prime Minister’s Questions, as she sparred with Keir Starmer for the first time. We examine her strategy, topic choices and what it will take to position herself as a credible challenger in the House of Commons Chamber and beyond.
Then we analyse Donald Trump's re-election and its potential ripple effects on UK policies, from trade tariffs to defence commitments. How might a shift in US foreign policy affect British alliances, and what could this mean for Parliament's upcoming agenda? And might Nigel Farage, the new MP and UK Reform Party leader, leverage his connection with President Trump and if so how it could affect Keir Starmer’s government?
The long-awaited Ministerial Code has finally been published. The Prime Minister’s new guidelines set out the do’s and don’ts for Ministers and tighten up some of the rules on ministerial conduct. The “seven principles of public life” – selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership – provide an ethical framework to the document. Ruth and Mark break down the changes, from empowering the independent advisor on ministerial interests to initiate investigations to the newly required quarterly declarations of ministers' interests and monthly reporting of gifts and hospitality.
Finally, we explore Northern Ireland Assembly’s upcoming democratic consent vote on the Windsor Framework, which governs the nation’s post-Brexit trade rules. Professor David Phinnemore of Queen’s University Belfast joins us to explore why this vote matters, how it’s viewed differently by the nationalist and unionist parties in the Assembly, the possible outcomes, and the broader implications for the UK-EU relationship and UK politics.
David Phinnemore
David Phinnemore is Professor of European Politics at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland. His research interests are focused on European integration, EU treaty reform and EU enlargement. In recent years he has focused on the implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland and UK-EU relations, including the Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework. He currently coordinates the ESRC-funded project "Governance for 'a place between’: the Multilevel Dynamics of Implementing the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland".
Kemi Badenoch’s debut at Prime Minister’s Questions
Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States and its implications for British politics
Changes to the new Ministerial Code
The forthcoming ‘democratic consent vote’ in the Northern Ireland Assembly on whether core parts of the Windsor Framework should continue to be applied
Hansard Society
UK Government
Ministerial Code (November 2024)
Queen's University Belfast
What do voters in Northern Ireland currently think about the Windsor Framework/Protocol? (David Phinnemore, Katy Hayward and Lisa Claire Whitten)
Q&A on the Democratic Consent Vote 2024 (David Phinnemore and Katy Hayward)
The Protocol/Windsor Framework and the 2024 Democratic Consent Vote (David Phinnemore and Lisa Claire Whitten)
UK in a Changing Europe
The Windsor Framework and the 2024 democratic consent process (David Phinnemore)
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Intro: [00:00:00] You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm.
Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.
Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. Coming up.
Ruth Fox: There's a new sheriff in town. Kemi Badenoch takes on Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions. We assess her debut as Leader of the Opposition.
Mark D'Arcy: How will the second coming of Donald Trump reverberate through the UK Parliament?
Ruth Fox: And we go to Belfast to hear from political expert David Phinnemore about the constitutional conundrum unfolding in Northern Ireland.
Mark D'Arcy: But first Ruth, Kemi Badenoch takes her first PMQs. [00:01:00] It's always an event when a new Leader of the Opposition steps up to the plate, or in this case, the despatch box, to question a Prime Minister, and it's always interesting and it's always dissected, and I don't think anybody should underestimate quite how difficult a gig it is.
Kemi Badenoch. Medium sized cabinet minister in the last government, always looked a bit like the front runner in the Conservative leadership election, once it was clear who the runners were, and once the electorate had eliminated other possible contenders. And there she was, standing in front of Sir Keir Starmer, trying to deliver a blow, establish herself, win the confidence of the troops behind her. Only a third of MPs had, more or less, had voted for her, in the election phase that took place amongst Conservative MPs before it went out to the members, so she had quite a lot at stake.
And I, I find myself remembering David Cameron's debut all those years ago against Tony Blair, where he immediately struck a blow by delivering quite an effective [00:02:00] line. He was the future once.
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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.
