Founded in 1944, the Hansard Society is the UK’s leading source of independent research and advice on Parliament and parliamentary affairs.
Latest
Evidence to the House of Commons Liaison Committee: The effectiveness and influence of the select committee system
In our April 2019 submission to the House of Commons Liaison Committee inquiry into the select committee system, we made wide-ranging recommendations including a review of the select committee core tasks, and a restructuring of the system to provide for improved scrutiny of delegated legislation and legislative standards and to accommodate post-Brexit needs.
The Brexit ‘flextension’: Five implications for Parliament
The Brexit ‘flextension’ has five implications for Parliament, some of which require action speedily now that parliamentarians have returned from the Easter recess.
The Brexit ‘flextension’: Legislative provisions and Withdrawal Agreement ratification
The UK has legislated quickly to accommodate the Brexit ‘flextension’, which lasts potentially to the end of October. But legislating in time for the UK to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement by 22 May would involve an extremely tight timetable.
Finding of support for a ‘strong leader’ helps provoke responses to 2019 Audit of Political Engagement
This post rounds up the wide range of responses to our 2019 Audit of Political Engagement made in the first week after its publication. The post focuses on several commentators who offered considered rather than purely alarmist responses to the Audit’s finding of majority support for a ‘strong leader willing to break the rules’.
The public think politics is broken, and are willing to entertain radical solutions
The latest annual Audit of Political Engagement shows opinions of the system of governing are at their lowest point in 15 years - worse now than in the aftermath of the MPs’ expenses scandal. The public are pessimistic about the country’s problems and their solution, with sizeable numbers willing to entertain radical political changes as a result.
Themes
The Brexit ‘flextension’: Five implications for Parliament
The Brexit ‘flextension’ has five implications for Parliament, some of which require action speedily now that parliamentarians have returned from the Easter recess.
The Brexit ‘flextension’: Legislative provisions and Withdrawal Agreement ratification
The UK has legislated quickly to accommodate the Brexit ‘flextension’, which lasts potentially to the end of October. But legislating in time for the UK to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement by 22 May would involve an extremely tight timetable.
Finding of support for a ‘strong leader’ helps provoke responses to 2019 Audit of Political Engagement
This post rounds up the wide range of responses to our 2019 Audit of Political Engagement made in the first week after its publication. The post focuses on several commentators who offered considered rather than purely alarmist responses to the Audit’s finding of majority support for a ‘strong leader willing to break the rules’.
Westminster Lens: Brexit Statutory Instruments Dashboard
In the run-up to the UK’s exit from the EU on 29 March 2019 we will be tracking the progress made by government and Parliament in preparing the statute book for exit day. Our analysis draws on parliamentary data and our own Statutory Instrument Tracker which we built several years ago to support our research on delegated legislation.
Changing EU ‘exit day’: how might the Statutory Instrument be expedited through Parliament?
Now the UK and EU have agreed an extension to the Article 50 period beyond 29 March, ‘exit day’ in UK law needs to be changed by Statutory Instrument (SI). With just a few days to secure approval of the SI, its passage will need to be expedited through both Houses of Parliament.
Evidence to the House of Commons Liaison Committee: The effectiveness and influence of the select committee system
In our April 2019 submission to the House of Commons Liaison Committee inquiry into the select committee system, we made wide-ranging recommendations including a review of the select committee core tasks, and a restructuring of the system to provide for improved scrutiny of delegated legislation and legislative standards and to accommodate post-Brexit needs.
Audit of Political Engagement 16
Find out what the public thinks about politics, politicians, political parties, the system of governing, and more in our latest Audit of Political Engagement.
Indicative Votes: Options, voting methods and voting systems
What are the issues that need to be considered when determining the processes and procedures for indicative votes? This briefing looks at how the options might be chosen, the structuring of the decision-making process, and what the rules need to address, as well as voting methods and criteria.
Evidence to the House of Lords Liaison Committee: Review of investigative and scrutiny committees
In November 2018 the House of Lords Liaison Committee published our evidence to its review of investigative and scrutiny committees. We made wide-ranging recommendations aimed at improving legislative scrutiny, facilitating more effective horizon-scanning and addressing post-Brexit scrutiny challenges.
Evidence to the House of Commons Procedure Committee: Motions under section 13(1) of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018
In our evidence on procedural arrangements for the ‘meaningful vote’ on the prospective UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, we argue that the possibly unique nature and extraordinary political circumstances of the vote justify an extraordinary and imaginative remedy.
Launch of ‘Britain Votes 2017’
On 20 March, Professor Sir John Curtice and a panel of leading commentators outlined their findings at the launch of the first major study of the 2017 general election, ‘Britain Votes 2017’.
Deepening democracy: reconciling parliaments and people through public engagement
Join us for the launch of our new Global Research Network on Parliaments and People, with a keynote speech on ‘Deepening Democracy’ by Baroness Amos.
Opening up the Usual Channels: next steps for reform of the House of Commons
In a speech to the Hansard Society on 11 October, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP proposed three key reforms for the House: the establishment of the House Business Committee approved in 2010; reform of Private Members’ Bills; and the creation of a mechanism for Members to request a recall of the House.
The EU (Withdrawal) Bill: Principles, Powers and Parliaments
On 12 September, the day after the EU (Withdrawal) Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons, this major one-day public event brought together leading parliamentarians and legal and constitutional specialists from across the UK to discuss the critical issues raised by the Bill and its prospects in the UK’s parliaments and assemblies.
Launch of the Audit of Political Engagement 14: the 2017 report
Join the authors of the 2017 Audit of Political Engagement as they present their findings alongside a panel of leading commentators, and explore how one of the most consequential acts of democratic decision-making ever seen in this country has shaped levels of political engagement across the UK.