Parliament Matters
By Hansard Society
Join two of the UK's leading parliamentary experts, Mark D'Arcy and Ruth Fox, as they guide you through the often mysterious ways our politicians do business and explore the running controversies about the way Parliament works. Each week they will analyse how laws are made and ministers held accountable by the people we send to Westminster. They will be debating the topical issues of the day, looking back at key historical events and discussing the latest research on democracy and Parliament. Why? Because whether it's the taxes you pay, or the laws you've got to obey... Parliament matters!
Mark D'Arcy was the BBC's parliamentary correspondent for two decades. Ruth Fox is the Director of the parliamentary think-tank the Hansard Society.
- ❓ Submit your questions on all things Parliament to Mark and Ruth via our website here: hansardsociety.org.uk/pm#qs
- 📱 Follow us across social media @HansardSociety and...
- ✅ Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates related to the Parliament Matters podcast and the wider work of the Hansard Society: hansardsociety.org.uk/nl.
Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust • Founding producer Luke Boga Mitchell; episode producer Richard Townsend.
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Latest episode
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What's the point of petitioning Parliament?
It’s Parliament Week, and Ruth and Mark are joined by researchers Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Richard Hussey to celebrate an unsung hero of Westminster: the petitioning system. Once on the verge of irrelevance, this mechanism has seen record leve… -
The Assisted Dying Bill: Is More Parliamentary Time Needed?
Could one of the most consequential Private Members’ Bills in nearly fifty years - the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which seeks to legalise assisted dying - be sidelined not due to its content but because MPs fear they won’t have time… -
The Official Opposition: How to be effective in Parliament
Following Kemi Badenoch’s election, this episode explores the unique challenges she faces as the new Leader of the Opposition. What does it take to build an effective Opposition? What strategic decisions, policy initiatives, and personnel choices … -
How will Donald Trump’s return reverberate in the UK Parliament?
This week we turn the spotlight on Kemi Badenoch’s debut as Leader of the Opposition at Prime Minister’s Questions, as she sparred with Keir Starmer for the first time. We examine her strategy, topic choices and what it will take to position herse… -
Urgent Questions: Answering your questions about how Parliament works
In this episode we discuss a range of intriguing listener’s questions about the traditions and workings of Parliament.Mark and Ruth start with a listener’s critique of their discussion of etiquette in the House of Commons chamber in the… -
The Budget: Why aren’t MPs told first?
And why and how MPs are barred from commenting on ongoing court cases -
Budget rules explained and parliamentary etiquette tips
Plus: Layla Moran MP gears up for action as Health and Social Care Committee chair -
The end of hereditary peers in the House of Lords?
The Government’s bill to exclude the last vestiges of the hereditary peerage from the House of Lords has cleared its Second Reading debate in the House of Commons – but should it have proposed a more ambitious reform of the Upper House?… -
Electing party leaders: who should decide?
The Conservative leadership race is heating up, but should MPs alone choose their leader? Should MPs who resign their party's whip face by-elections? On 29 November, MPs are expected to debate the controversial 'assisted dying' bill - will it stym… -
Select Committee chair elections: who won and can they work together?
In this episode, we explore the outcomes and implications of the latest Select Committee Chair elections in Parliament. The newly elected chairs will play a pivotal role in scrutinising the government, but can they effectively work together? We ta…
