This event marked official launch of the second edition of Exploring Parliament, a new book which brings together academic insights with real-world perspectives to bring parliament to life for readers. The book’s 73 authors – leading academic experts and parliamentary practitioners – offer an unrivalled insider’s guide to the UK parliament, providing an accessible yet in-depth exploration of how parliament works, its key functions, and the realities of law-making and scrutiny in the UK.

Who are the key players in parliament? How is parliament organised and run? How is the government held to account? How are laws made? And what challenges does parliament face in the future? To explore these questions and more, we were joined by the editors of Exploring Parliament – who made opening remarks, reflecting on the book’s unique approach, and a panel of the book’s authors who discussed their chapters and insights.

This was followed by a Q&A session. Panellists included:

Professor Nicholas Allen, Professor of Politics at Royal Holloway, University of London

Dr Sean Haughey, Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool

Chloe Mawson, Clerk Assistant at the House of Lords

Dr Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government

Margaret McKinnon, Director Member and Members’ Staff Services Team at the House of Commons

Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit at University College London (UCL)

The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

Introductory remarks were also delivered by the editors Professor Cristina Leston Bandeira, Dr Louise Thompson and Dr Alexandra Meakin.

We would like to thank the Study of Parliament Group for kindly supporting this event.