There were chaotic scenes in the House of Commons this week - as bad as anything seen during the Brexit convulsions – as the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle made a hash of handling the SNPs Opposition Day debate on a ceasefire in Gaza. Furious MPs signed a motion expressing no confidence in the Chair. But why and how did the Speaker end up in this position and can he survive?

Is it really a big deal or is it just political game-playing? Has a rubicon been crossed if the Speaker contravened the letter and the spirit of the Commons rules to protect MPs and their families from threats and intimidation outside Parliament? And what on earth will the public make of it all?

It's reported in a new biography of Keir Starmer that a future Labour Government would make use of Citizens' Assemblies to help resolve contentious issues. So Mark and Ruth also discuss whether this is just the latest constitutional fad or a useful addition to the public policy process. 

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With the House of Commons in recess this week Mark and Ruth catch up with listener's questions on a wide range of parliamentary topics.

What was the point of debating an e-petition about the date of the general election? Was there ever a time when the Prime Minister gave a proper answer at PMQs? If the Speaker were to throw an MP out of the House of Commons Chamber for bad behaviour how would he do it? Is whipping in the best interests of democratic government? Sinn Fein MPs don't take their seats in Parliament so how are their office operations funded compared to other MPs? Do former Members of Parliament have security passes and access to the parliamentary estate? What are the hospitality facilities in Parliament like and who and what are they for? What is the capacity of Parliament that would need to be supported if they were to vacate the Palace of Westminster for repairs? The 'Wright Report': what is it and how much of it has been implemented? And to what extent are written parliamentary questions simply performative?

• 🎓 Access resources about issues mentioned in this episode via our website here: hansardsociety.org.uk/news/parliament-matters-podcast-e20
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Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

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It was supposed to be another culture wars attack line, but Rishi Sunak’s transgender jibe at Prime Minister’s Questions this week landed him in hot water. Is this misstep a sign of things to come in the general election campaign?

Could Britain fight a war? We look at the political implications of a new Defence Select Committee report exploring the state of readiness of the country’s armed forces. And we explore just why the cross-party Committee is so annoyed with the Government.

Every year thousands of mothers across the country experience birth trauma but it’s rarely discussed. Theo Clarke MP is trying to change that by being open about her own personal experience and co-chairing a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) inquiry about the issue. We talk to her about the campaign, what she hopes to achieve and the wider value of APPGs at Westminster. 

Resources

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Birth Trauma co-chaired by Theo Clarke MP – for further information and to submit evidence go to: https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/birth-trauma

• 🎓 Access resources about other issues mentioned in this episode via our website here: hansardsociety.org.uk/news/parliament-matters-podcast-e19
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Support the Hansard Society by making a donation. We don't have a wealthy founder or an endowment. That's why donations are so important – they help to support our work AND our independence: hansardsociety.org.uk/donate

Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

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Does Parliament have a potty-mouth problem? The Speaker of the House of Commons took MPs to task this week for their behaviour, amid accusations of a dramatic increase in the use of bad language in the Chamber. But is it really that fruity? And if he’s so concerned, isn’t it time the Speaker started to eject some MPs from the Chamber?

The Government has struck a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party to restore power sharing in Northern Ireland, so we look ahead at what needs to happen to get the Assembly back up and running after nearly two years in suspended animation.

We also discuss the decision by Mike Freer MP to stand down at the next election following threats to his life, what the Second Reading votes on the Rwanda Bill tell us about its future prospects in the House of Lords, and possible difficulties ahead for the proposal to exclude MPs from the parliamentary estate if accused of serious offences.

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Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust • Produced by Luke Boga Mitchell, Hansard Society

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The Conservatives are on course for a shattering defeat and need to replace their leader again, says Sir Simon Clarke MP. We discuss the latest in the Conservative Party soap opera and what it means for parliamentary business ahead.

Peers have voted not to ratify the UK-Rwanda treaty. At least they got a choice. The Commons Home Affairs Committee wants MPs to have a similar debate and vote, but the Government is refusing. We talk to former parliamentary lawyer Alex Horne about what is going on and what changes he thinks are needed to improve scrutiny of treaties by Parliament.

And Mark catches up with Dame Karen Bradley, Chair of the Commons Procedure Committee. With a growing number of international hot-spots in danger of fizzing out of control, Dame Karen’s Committee has proposed the Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, should come to the bar of the House of Commons to answer questions from MPs. But how will this work in practice?

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Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust • Produced by Luke Boga Mitchell, Hansard Society

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The Rwanda Bill is through the Commons. Rishi Sunak has faced down his internal critics and diffused a backbench rebellion. The Bill now heads off to the House of Lords: What mayhem awaits it?

This week’s air strikes against Houthi camps in Yemen to protect Red Sea shipping also prompted debate about the role Parliament should play when the Government deploys military force. Dr James Strong joins us in the studio to discuss Parliament and war powers.

And one of the best books about Westminster for many years has been penned by the political commentator Ian Dunt. As luck would have it, Ruth and Mark were with Ian at the parliamentary nerdathon, the Study of Parliament Group annual conference, in Oxford. So, they got him to talk about his diagnosis of the problems with Parliament and his solutions.

• 🎓 Access resources about issues mentioned in this episode here: hansardsociety.org.uk/news/parliament-matters-podcast-e16
• 🔗 Does Parliament decide on war? Revisiting the Syria vote 10 years on – James Strong
• 🔗 Why are MPs speaking more often but for less time? Five possible reasons – Caroline Bhattacharya and Stephen Holden Bates
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Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust • Produced by Luke Boga Mitchell, Hansard Society

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The Post Office Horizon scandal is the largest miscarriage of justice in British history. James Arbuthnot is one of the ‘heroes’ at the heart of the drama unveiled in ITV’s Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.

A Conservative MP and now a Peer in the House of Lords, he championed the plight of his constituents for over a decade, leading a parliamentary campaign to investigate malpractice at the Post Office.

As the public and media debate about the scandal continues to rage, James Arbuthnot joins Ruth and Mark to discuss how the campaign in Parliament started, why Ministers failed to respond, and why it has taken so many years – and a television drama – to galvanise the Government into action.

• 🎓 Access resources about issues mentioned in this episode here: hansardsociety.org.uk/news/parliament-matters-podcast-e15
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Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust • Produced by Luke Boga Mitchell, Hansard Society

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What should be on your radar when Parliament returns on 8 January 2024? Exploring the year ahead in Parliament, we discuss how the uncertainty about the date of the general election may affect scrutiny of the new laws proposed by the Government.

Once the Prime Minister has decided on the date and asks the King to dissolve Parliament, some of these new laws may get pushed through Parliament in super-quick time during what is known as the ‘legislative wash-up’. But is this a good way to make new laws? And what influence do MPs and Peers have if time for scrutiny is squeezed?

When the election is called, it is vital that the rules and processes underpinning the general election campaign are free and fair to all sides. But the Chair of the Electoral Commission recently issued a warning about the risk of election failure. So, we explore what is happening with our election infrastructure, what changes are currently going through Parliament, and what the political parties think about them.

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A core purpose of Parliament is to make the laws that govern us all. But how are our laws made at Westminster?

We have received several questions from listeners about how the process works and what the interplay is between the two Houses: Commons and Lords.

So, in this special explainer we discuss the process from beginning to end: from when the Government first presents a Bill to Parliament to the point at which it receives Royal Assent, becomes an Act and is the law of the land.

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Legendary political journalist Michael Crick joins us in the studio, to discuss the progress each party is making in selecting their candidates with the general election now less than a year away.

Michael has been tracking candidate selections and reporting the results each week via his @TomorrowsMPs Twitter account. He explains how he is ‘lifting the secrecy on politics in the raw’ for what have hitherto been Britain’s ‘hidden elections’.

Who are the candidates and what are their backgrounds? Are there going to be more women MPs or more MPs from ethnic minority backgrounds? How much control do the central party machines exercise over local constituency choices? And who are the candidates we should keep an eye on, who might be the up-and-coming names in the next Parliament?

If they do get elected these candidates will need to get their offices up and running quickly. Dr Rebecca McKee is the author of a recent report about Parliament’s ‘unsung heroes’ – namely, MPs staff. Who they are and what they do? Rebecca joins us in the studio to talk about what newly-elected MPs need to think about to avoid recruitment pitfalls and get the best possible start to their parliamentary careers.

• 🎓 Access resources about issues mentioned in this episode here: hansardsociety.org.uk/news/parliament-matters-podcast-e12
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