Political storm clouds are gathering over Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement. What does it mean for Parliament, party discipline and the Government’s economic credibility. We speak to Dr Marie Tidball MP about her first months in Westminster - and the accessibility challenges facing disabled MPs. Plus, why did Peers get a vote on postponing local elections, but MPs didn’t?

With MPs facing a bleak economic outlook, proposed welfare cuts, and local elections on the horizon, how long can Ministers hold the line? Ruth and Mark dissect signs of unrest on Labour’s backbenches, with a growing number of voices warning against what they see as a return to “austerity 2.0.” We explore the growing calls for a shift in economic strategy — from a wealth tax to rethinking the triple lock — and the dangers for Reeves if her current path begins to look like a “doom loop”.

Also this week, Dr Marie Tidball MP joins us to share her first-hand experiences as a newly elected Labour MP (for Penistone and Stocksbridge) — and the accessibility hurdles facing disabled parliamentarians in Westminster’s historic (and often inaccessible) corridors of power. She tells us about the challenges of navigating the place of Westminster’s physical and procedural barriers.

We also explore why the unelected House of Lords got a vote on the Goverment’s plans to postpone some local elections — but MPs didn’t? It’s all to do with delegated legislation!  

And we answer listener’s questions. 

1. Is anonymous evidence to Select Committees common?
2. What’s behind the Government’s new ‘business motion’ to control time in the House of Lords Chamber on Thursdays, until the end of the Session?
3. And which podcasts do Mark and Ruth listen to?

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

Presenters: Mark D'Arcy and Ruth Fox

Producer: Richard Townsend

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