Parliament Matters

Three by-elections delivered three very different results this week. To discuss the implications, we are joined by Professor Philip Cowley, a leading expert on MPs, party discipline and the realities of parliamentary power.

The Conservatives secured their first Scottish by-election victory since 1967, taking Aberdeen South from the SNP.

Meanwhile, the SNP held on in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, limiting the damage from what could have been a bruising night.

But it is Andy Burnham’s Labour victory in Makerfield that could have the biggest long-term consequences for British politics.

We examine the political and parliamentary choreography required as Burnham begins his march back to Westminster, and we assess whether a carefully managed transition from Keir Starmer is possible, or even desirable.

Are we witnessing the opening moves in a political dance of death between a sitting Prime Minister and the man many now see as his likely successor?

And if Labour’s leadership question is approaching a decisive moment, which historical precedent is most relevant? Will it resemble the swift but dignified end of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership; the chaotic collapse of Boris Johnson’s government; or the slower, more managed departure of Theresa May?

We explore the strategic arguments for and against a full Labour leadership contest. Would a competitive election strengthen Burnham’s authority and legitimacy, or expose divisions within the party at precisely the wrong moment? How much influence will Labour’s members, affiliates, and MPs have over the process? And would Burnham be better served by assuming the leadership quickly, or by using a managed transition to develop a governing programme and build a team around him?

We also discuss the challenges Burnham could face if he does reach Number 10. Despite his prominence, relatively little is known about how he would govern nationally. What difficulties might he encounter in managing the parliamentary party? And what would a change in leadership mean for the wider workings of Parliament, from ministerial reshuffles to the balance of power across the select committee corridor?

Finally, attention turns to Parliament’s agenda. The priority order for Private Members’ Bills in both the Commons and Lords is now clear. MPs will return to the assisted dying bill on 11 September, but it enters the new session only second in the queue rather than first. What difference could that make to the parliamentary tactics surrounding the legislation? And which other Private Members’ Bills deserve close attention in the months ahead?
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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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month marks the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum – a vote that unleashed four years of extraordinary political turmoil. Judges were branded "enemies of the people", MPs denounced as "saboteurs", political parties fractured, and Prime Ministers rose and fell amid relentless parliamentary drama.

Historian Dr Robert Saunders of Queen Mary University of London has written a new paper arguing that Brexit was more than a bitter political dispute: it amounted to a full-blown democratic crisis.

In this episode, Robert joins Ruth and Mark to explore why Britain’s political system struggled to interpret and implement the referendum instruction, and why Parliament and the major parties appear to have learned so little from the experience.

The conversation then turns to current events. In the wake of the horrific attacks in Southampton and Belfast, they ask whether the same political and social forces that fuelled the Brexit revolt are now at play over immigration.

Robert last appeared on the podcast at Christmas to discuss why the job of Prime Minister increasingly looks impossible. With Sir Keir Starmer now facing fresh turmoil following the resignation of the Defence Secretary, John Healey, the discussion returns to that theme: could this latest setback prove fatal to Starmer’s premiership, or might he survive as a “Zombie Prime Minister”, still in office but with his authority destroyed?
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🎓 Learn more using our resources for the issues mentioned in this episode.

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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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Cabinet Manual has been described as the “highway code” of the UK constitution, a guide that brings together the laws, conventions, precedents and procedures under which the Government operates. First published in 2011, it has not been updated since, despite a decade and a half of constitutional change. So why is the Government revising it now? What needs updating? Should Parliament have a role in approving it? And how important is the Manual as a guide to the UK’s unwritten constitution?

The Government has described its response to the Mandelson Humble Address as an “unprecedented piece of Government transparency”. But after publishing more than 1,500 pages of documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as Ambassador to the United States, what have MPs and the public actually learned? Has the disclosure shed any light on the key questions that prompted Parliament to demand the papers in the first place? And, with the exercise costing at least £1 million, what lessons should be learned about how Humble Addresses are handled in future?

The House of Commons Administration has been tasked with delivering significant savings through its new Savings and Improvement Programme. But could cost-cutting come at the expense of Parliament’s connection with the public? We examine proposals affecting Parliament’s outreach and participation work and ask whether a shift towards digitally focused engagement is the right approach. We also look at how staffing priorities have changed across Parliament over the last decade and explore what those choices reveal about Parliament’s evolving demands and priorities.
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🎓 Learn more using our resources for the issues mentioned in this episode.

❓ Send us your questions about Parliament:

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£ - Support the Hansard Society and this podcast by making a donation today.

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

Presenters: Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox
Producer: Richard Townsend

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we explore the rules governing MPs’ financial interests, gifts and donations, as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faces questions over a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Ruth and Mark are joined by Duncan Hames, a former MP and now Director of UK Policy at Transparency International, to ask whether the current transparency regime is working, whether a requirement to declare large gifts is enough on its own to protect public confidence, and whether a fixed cap on donations should also be put in place.

At a time when political donations, gifts and hospitality are under intense scrutiny, we look at what the House of Commons Code of Conduct says MPs must declare, and why the rules require members to register financial interests and benefits that might reasonably be thought to influence their actions, speeches or votes. We also examine the wisdom of moving from a rules-based system to a principles-based system.

Duncan Hames says that transparency matters because it offers a crucial safeguard against corruption and dependency. But while transparency is essential, he argues that it is no longer sufficient. With political parties and individual politicians increasingly reliant on wealthy donors, he says the real question is not just whether money is declared, but whether gifts and donations of this scale should be permitted at all. He points to international examples of donation caps and argues that the case for limits applies to domestic as well as overseas donors.

We also explore the practical dilemmas MPs face when deciding what to register, the role of advice from parliamentary authorities, and whether the sanctions for breaches of the rules in both Houses are strong enough.

🎓 Learn more using our resources for the issues mentioned in this episode.

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£ - Support the Hansard Society and this podcast by making a donation today.

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

Presenters: Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox
Producer: Richard Townsend
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The row over Lord Mandelson’s appointment as Britain’s ambassador to Washington flared up again this week after the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) accused the Government of improperly redacting documents linked to his appointment. Back in February, ministers were forced to release papers under a Humble Address to the King, with the ISC tasked with deciding what could be withheld on national security or diplomatic grounds. But the Committee now says material has been removed for other reasons not covered by the agreement. Senior ISC member Sir Jeremy Wright MP challenged ministers in the Commons through an Urgent Question, before speaking to us about his concerns and the Government’s response.

The annual Private Members’ Bill ballot – Westminster’s version of legislative bingo – has also taken place, with MPs jostling for one of the precious top spots that can offer a realistic chance of changing the law. The big question now is whether one of those successful MPs will choose to bring back the assisted dying bill.

And we untangle the Government’s latest Russia sanctions announcement, after ministers caused confusion over whether the UK was finally banning oil products refined in third countries using Russian crude. We explain how the Russia sanctions regime works, and why – at the very moment the new sanctions came into force – ministers also issued a general trade licence exempting diesel and jet fuel from the restrictions. The Government insists the exemption is only temporary but cannot say when it will end. We explore why Parliament gets a vote on the sanctions regulations themselves, but not on the general licences that can effectively water them down, and what that says about the gap between headline sanctions announcements and the quieter reality of how they are implemented in practice. The discussion also raises wider questions about how often these behind-the-scenes exemptions are being used, including in areas such as legal services, diamonds, steel, software and technology.
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🎓 Learn more using our resources for the issues mentioned in this episode.

❓ Send us your questions about Parliament:

✅ Subscribe to our newsletter.

📱 Follow us across social media @HansardSociety / @hansardsociety.bsky.social

£ - Support the Hansard Society and this podcast by making a donation today.

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

Presenters: Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox
Producer: Richard Townsend

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.