In the tenth episode of our podcast, we take a look at how business is raised at late notice in Parliament – through Urgent Questions, Oral Ministerial Statements and Written Ministerial Statements. We take a look at the similarities between Urgent Questions (or UQs as they’re commonly known) and Ministerial Statements, discuss why they’ve been increasingly granted in recent years, and listen in to some recent examples from the House of Commons Chamber. Do let us know via our website what you think of the series and any areas of parliamentary procedure you’d like us to untangle for you, and fo ..read more

In this episode, we’re delving into the world of All Party Parliamentary Groups Bills or APPGs as they’re known – groups of MPs from across the House who meet to discuss particular topics, or countries of specific interest to them. From Nigeria to Norway, national parks to the night time economy, if you can think of it there’s probably an APPG on it! In this podcast we take a look at who sits on them, how they’re formed, how they’re run and where you can find out more. In the next episode we’ll be looking at how government ministers deliver statements and respond to urgent questions in the Com ..read more

In the latest episode of our series on how parliament works, we delve into the world of Private Members’ Bills – legislation published by backbench MPs on often very specific and niche policies or constituency issues. We take a look at how they’re chosen for debate, the vast number of Private Members’ Bills that are published each year, and the route only a slim few take to make it onto the statute book. In the next episode we’ll be looking at All Party Parliamentary Groups – the cross-party groups of MPs formed to discuss issues in specific countries, or very specific policy areas. Do let us ..read more

In episode seven of our series on how Parliament works, we look at the rules that govern the running of Parliament – known as the Standing Orders. We take a look at when they were written and why, the historic language they’re written in and give you the tools to decipher them. We also talk through who and what is Erskine May – often known as the Bible of Parliamentary procedure. In the next episode we’ll be looking at Private Members’ Bills – how backbench MPs and members of the House of Lords can attempt to bring a piece of policy into law by themselves. Do let us know via our website what y ..read more

In episode six of our series on how parliament works, we look at the what happens in Parliament when the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers the annual Budget Statement. We take a look at when Budgets take place, some of the quirks of the parliamentary process on the day it’s actually delivered and how MPs debate the contents of the Budget in the days and months that follow. We also listen back to clips from some notable Budgets from the past thirty-odd years and go down the rabbit hole with some obscure Budget-related facts! In the next episode we’ll be looking at the Standing Orders – the f ..read more

In the fifth episode of our series on how parliament works, we delve into the world of select committees – what they are, what they cover and who sits on them. We take a look at the difference between departmental and cross-cutting committees, how the committees gather evidence from varying sources, and how they hold the Government to account. We also listen in to one of the most memorable select committee appearances in recent years… In the next episode we’ll be looking at the Budget – what it is, how it’s presented to Parliament each year, and the procedures in place for MPs to scrutinise th ..read more

In the fourth episode of our series on how parliament works, we continue looking at how MPs pass laws – this time in the House of Lords. We discuss the differences between the stages of a Bill in the Commons and Lords, what happens when the Commons and Lords disagree, and how a Bill goes on to receive Royal Assent. It’s a speedy, bite-sized episode rounding up the key points you need to know. In the next episode we’ll be looking at Select Committees – groups of MPs from across all parties in both the Commons and Lords, that hold the Government to account on specific subject areas, often mirror ..read more

In the third episode of our series looking at how parliament works, we examine how MPs pass laws – the different types of bills that exist and the stages a bill goes through in the House of Commons. We discuss the difference between public bills, private members’ bills and hybrid bills, take a look at how a bill is introduced to Parliament, and then what happens at each of the five stages a bill has to go through to pass through the House of Commons. In the next episode we’ll be looking at how a bill passes through the House of Lords – taking a look at the similarities and differences with the ..read more

In the second episode of our series looking at how parliament works, we’re examining the UK Parliamentary calendar – when Parliament sits, for how long it sits, and why it sits for the set periods of time it does. We examine the effects of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act on the cycle of general elections, what a parliamentary session is and the recesses that split it up, and what happens to legislation when sessions come to an end. We also run through a typical day in the House of Commons Chamber. In the next episode we’ll be looking at how a bill passes in the House of Commons – running throug ..read more

Welcome to the first episode of our new podcast series Parliament Unpacked. Each fortnight we’ll be releasing a new podcast episode focusing in on a particular area of parliamentary procedure, from the traditional parliamentary timetable, to how MPs raise urgent issues in Parliament, to the differences between the legislative processes in the UK and devolved parliaments. In this week’s first episode, each of the team took on the challenge of giving an overview of one of the UK’s parliaments in under 60 seconds, listing the key facts and figures about its formation, the number of representative ..read more