Message from our Co-Presidents

The Hansard Society for the first time has Co-Presidents. Recognising the importance of our work with both Houses of Parliament we are delighted to welcome Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons and Rt Hon Baroness Hayman, the Lord Speaker as our Co-Presidents. The Hansard Society aims to strengthen parliamentary democracy and encourage greater public involvement in politics and we look forward to working with both the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker to achieve these aims. Read the messages from our Co-Presidents below.

It is one of my ambitions as Speaker of the House of Commons to reach out more to the world beyond Westminster – to be a robust public advocate for democratic politics and the work of Parliament.

That is why I am delighted to be Co-President of the Hansard Society. The role of the Hansard Society is to promote effective parliamentary democracy through education, information and opportunities for participation. Through my time on the Hansard Society Council, I know how effective this work is and I hope you will take up the many opportunities to get involved. It is your Parliament and our parliamentary democracy depends on listening and responding to what you have to say about it.

Rt Hon John Bercow MP
Speaker of the House of Commons

As Lord Speaker, one of my most important responsibilities is to explain and promote the role of the House of Lords, in particular its revising and scrutiny functions. Engaging the public with the wide-ranging work of the House of Lords is vital and I’ve been delighted to work with the Hansard Society on a variety of projects to open up our work to the public.

In particular, I value the Hansard Society’s work in connecting young people with our democratic processes and encourage you to take part in future projects and activities.

Rt Hon Baroness Hayman
Lord Speaker