Support the Hansard Society's 80th Anniversary Appeal

Support

80th Anniversary Appeal: support our work to make Parliament more effective

The Hansard Society was founded on 2 August 1944 by MP Stephen King-Hall with initial financial support from Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. The Society was established to spark interest in and spread knowledge about the proceedings of Parliament. Our founders believed that a deeper understanding of Parliament was crucial if the institution was to be protected for future generations and made more effective. Our name was inspired by their view that making Hansard – the record of parliamentary debates – more accessible would be a public service.

Donate to our 80th Anniversary Appeal

Eight decades of achievement

Over the last 80 years we have proudly served as Parliament’s constructive “critical friend”. For example, it was the Society that:

organised the first ever parliamentary tours and educational programmes, leading Parliament to create its own education service;
pioneered online public consultations for Select Committees;
hosted the first public hustings for the election of the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker
proposed that the Prime Minister should be regularly questioned by a Select Committee, and all select committees should adopt a set of core tasks to better hold the government to account;
highlighted the lack of proper induction of MPs through our Year in the Life: From ember of public to Member of Parliament research, prompting greater co-operation between the political parties and parliamentary authorities to provide a better welcome to Westminster for new MPs;
brokered a solution between the Leader of the House of Commons and the Backbench Business Committee that paved the way for what is now the most popular parliamentary e-petitions system anywhere in the world.

A domestic focus with international influence

While our principal focus has always been Westminster, our expertise has been sought globally:

Post-war Germany: at the behest of the British Military Governor and Commander-in-Chief in Germany, we organised educational visits for German politicians prior to the first Bundestag election in 1949, to learn about the role Parliament plays in our national life.
South Africa: we supported the transition to democracy following the 1994 general election, providing advice and training to new members of the South African Parliament.
Eastern Europe: in the late 1990s we supported parliamentarians and journalists in newly independent eastern Europe, including Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada.
Hansard Scholars Programme: between 1986 and 2020, we promoted international understanding of parliamentary democracy by hosting over 1,500 undergraduate and 200 postgraduate “future leaders” from more than 60 countries. Alumni include a former Democratic Governor of Montana and the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh.

Our recent impact

Our mission remains crucial today:

Research that makes a difference: our work on delegated legislation was used in the 2019 Supreme Court prorogation case and more recently was cited in the judgment in June quashing the law lowering the threshold on public protests.
Thought leadership: our journal, Parliamentary Affairs, has published cutting-edge research on representative democracy for over 75 years.
Civic education: we supported 43,000 students and their teachers in running Mock Elections in schools during the recent general election campaign. We’ve run Mock Elections at every UK general election for over 50 years, making it one of the oldest civic education projects anywhere in the world.
Public engagement: over 3 million people viewed our social media posts explaining how Parliament gets back to work after the recent general election (July 2024).

Support our mission

Funding the Hansard Society’s work is a continuous challenge. We do not have a wealthy benefactor or an endowment. As an independent charity we rely on donations from supporters – including on several previous landmark birthdays from Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – to maintain our independence and continue our vital work.

If you value our efforts, please consider marking our 80th birthday with a donation to our Anniversary Appeal. Thank you.

Donate to our 80th Anniversary Appeal

Our work to make Parliament more effective is focused on practical remedies

Acts of Parliament in the Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, Westminster. (© UK Parliament / Parliamentary Archives)

Improve the way we make laws and regulations

We have crafted a cross party solution to tackle a pressing constitutional problem: the growth in government by diktat fuelled by excessive dependence on delegated legislation, the problems with which were illustrated so starkly during Brexit and the pandemic. Our plan would introduce more robust scrutiny procedures to address the democratic deficit and stop Parliament being reduced to a legislative rubber-stamp.

Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, 18 October 2023. ©UK Parliament / Andy Bailey

Support the next generation of MPs after the general election

We are developing a programme of support to better prepare the next generation of MPs to perform their core function as legislators and scrutineers. The House of Commons is a complex institution: MPs need practical and procedural advice and resources, particularly in the early months after the election, to enable them to make the most of their knowledge and skills on behalf of their constituents and the country.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, at Prime Minister's Questions, 13 December 2023. ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED]

Transform the language and rules of the House of Commons

We are conducting a review of the Standing Orders, customs and practices of the House of Commons. Since 1945, the government-controlled Standing Orders have been systematically reviewed only six times. This initiative is designed to demystify the way the House of Commons works so that parliamentary procedures and processes are easier to communicate, understand and engage with for both MPs and the public.

Join us and step up for parliamentary reform

Follow in the footsteps of our first members, Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, and join a community of like-minded people across the country who think we need a more effective Parliament.

Apply now

From top: Stephen King-Hall (founder), Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee (founding members). (© National Portrait Gallery, London (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0))

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What's coming up in Parliament this week? 18-22 November 2024

MPs will debate creating an independent Armed Forces Commissioner to support service members and their families. Five Cabinet Ministers and the Bank of England Governor are among those giving evidence to Select Committees. Peers will consider the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill in Grand Committee. MPs will consider the £2.26 billion Financial Assistance to Ukraine Bill, funded by frozen Russian assets. The House of Commons will also debate Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).

Webinars / The Assisted Dying Bill: How will Parliament decide? A briefing on the parliamentary process

As we approach the Second Reading of the Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Commons later this month, join us for this online briefing to learn more about the parliamentary process behind this Private Member’s Bill (PMB). This event is ideal for anyone interested in what might unfold in the upcoming debate, the distinct procedural challenges PMBs encounter compared to government bills, and how these parliamentary rules could ultimately shape the outcome of the Assisted Dying Bill. 6:00pm - 7:15pm, Tuesday 26 November 2024 Online (via Zoom)

News / The Assisted Dying Bill: Is more parliamentary time needed? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 55

Could one of the most consequential Private Members’ Bills in nearly fifty years - the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which seeks to legalise assisted dying - be stopped not due to its content but because MPs fear they won’t have time to scrutinise it properly?

News / The Official Opposition: how to be effective in Parliament - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 54

Following Kemi Badenoch’s election, this episode explores the challenges she faces as the new Leader of the Opposition. What does it take to build an effective Opposition? What strategic decisions, policy initiatives, and personnel choices must she navigate? What resources and procedural tools can she use to challenge the Government and build a compelling public profile? How does she balance party cohesion with presenting a credible alternative government and preparing for future elections?

News / Urgent Questions: Answering your questions about how Parliament works - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 52

In this episode, we discuss a variety of intriguing questions from listeners about the traditions and inner workings of Parliament. Topics include conduct in the Commons chamber, the practice of whipped votes, the origins of the Private Members' Bill ballot, and the unusual presence of ministers on select committees. We also discuss why MPs often refer to question numbers rather than asking questions directly in the Chamber, and consider the prospects for a future House of Lords committee dedicated to scrutinising EU-related issues affecting Northern Ireland.