Why Parliament Works

In his long and distinguished parliamentary career Lord Hague of Richmond has seen the Commons - and more recently, the Lords - from every conceivable angle: backbencher, junior minister, leader of the opposition, shadow foreign secretary, first secretary of state, foreign secretary and of course Leader of the House. In this episode Jacob Rees-Mogg discusses the "hidden wiring" of parliament with one of his most experienced predecessors to learn more about why parliament works.

Following the UK's exit from the European Union the three principles of parliamentary of sovereignty as defined by A.V. Dicey, that great constitutional theorist, once again fully apply to Westminster. These are that Parliament is the supreme lawmaking body and can enact laws on any subject; that Parliament cannot bind its successor; and that no court or law, or other body for that matter, can question the validity of Parliament’s enactments. In this episode Jacob Rees-Mogg discusses Dicey's work and the relevance of parliamentary sovereignty today with Professor Vernon Bogdanor of King's College London, who returns to the podcast following his more general interview in the first series' opening episode. 

Sir John Fortescue is underappreciated today despite being the leading political thinker in England in the 15th century. His concept of a dominium politicum et regale, articulated in the midst of the Wars of the Roses, recognised that the governance of England rests on political consultation rather than unfettered executive fiat. In this episode Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg explores Sir John's life and times with Dr Hannes Kleineke of the History of Parliament Trust. 

The 'How Parliament Works' textbook, co-authored by Lord Lisvane (see S1 E6), defines the usual channels as "the informal and private contacts between the whips and business managers of the two sides of each House". In this episode Lord Young of Cookham, a former Leader of the House and Chief Whip, explains why these interactions are so important for the smooth running of the Commons. He also reflects on his lengthy ministerial career, the workings of the 2010-15 coalition government and his time as both a minister and backbencher in the House of Lords.

The United Kingdom’s 21st century constitution can directly trace its commitment to the concept of consent from the people back to the 1297 Statute Concerning Tallage. In this episode Dr Sophie Ambler of the University of Lancaster puts the 1297 Statute into its 13th century context - reflecting on it as the culmination of a story that began in 1215 with the much more widely known Magna Carta and continued with the drama of Simon de Montfort's brutal rise and fall.

The second series of 'Why Parliament Works' explores elements of Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg's Wheeler-Booth Memorial Lecture to the Study of Parliament Group, delivered on 8 January 2021. Here is the lecture in full, which argues that the unseen parts of parliament are more - not less - democratic than you think.

With kind permission of the Erskine May Memorial Trust, Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg reads from  chapter 20 of the 25th edition of Erskine May - "The process of debate in the House of Commons by motion, question and decision."

Mark Hutton, co-editor (with Sir David Natzler) of the 25th edition of 'Erskine May' , discusses his work helping shape one of the UK Parliament's - and the UK constitution's - most important texts. This episode concludes the first season of 'Why Parliament Works' with Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House of Commons.

Scouts CEO Matt Hyde reflects on UK Parliament Week, before Jacob Rees-Mogg takes questions from Scouts in south London about the UK's parliamentary democracy.

In what might just be a ministerial first, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle is interviewed by Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg. Mr Speaker used their interview to reflect on his first 12 months in the job - including his unexpected diagnosis of type 1 diabetes during the general election and masterminding the extraordinary changes made to allow scrutiny to continue during the coronavirus pandemic. Picture credit: UK Parliament / Jess Taylor