About / Legal

How we are funded

Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, UK

The Hansard Society is an independent charity registered in England and Wales (charity number 1091364).

We have a diverse funding base that serves to protect our independence – we are not dependent on any single external funder.

Two-thirds of our annual income is generated through the Society’s services, particularly our international education programme and the sale of our quarterly journal and other publications. As a non-profit organisation, this income is then re-invested in our research and education projects and our wide-ranging public events programme. It also helps us to undertake a substantial amount of non-funded work such as providing evidence and advisory support to parliamentary committees and other public inquiries both at home and abroad.

Some of our projects are supported through individual donations and grants from charitable trusts, foundations, research councils, parliaments, government departments, and corporate sponsors. We are extremely grateful for their generous support. However, the credibility and reputation of our work depends on it being independently produced. The Society thus retains full, independent control of all our projects including research scope and methods, editorial decisions in relation to all resource materials and publications, and the choice of speakers at our events. Committed to ethical research and transparency we always publish our findings and recommendations regardless of the views of any funder and wherever possible aim to make our work freely available to other researchers and the wider public.

In 2016 we received funds from the following (by income band):

  • Economic and Social Research Council / Department for International Development (jointly funded project)

  • European Commission

  • House of Commons

News / Growing the Greens: Ellie Chowns MP on Parliament, polling and Zack Polanski - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 124

What is it like to be part of a small but growing parliamentary party? We talk with the leader of the Green Party group at Westminster, Ellie Chowns, about the challenges of operating with limited numbers, the practical realities of parliamentary life, and how institutional structures shape the influence of smaller parties. We discuss our political culture, the Greens’ approach to leadership, internal decision-making, and the party’s longer-term ambitions for electoral and parliamentary reform and a more representative system.

14 Jan 2026
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News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 12-16 January 2026

The result of the election for the next Lord Speaker will be announced. In the Commons, Government amendments addressing the “family farm tax” will be considered during Committee Stage of the Finance (No. 2) Bill. The Hillsborough Law is expected to complete its remaining stages in the Commons, and the Sentencing and the Diego Garcia Bills the same in the Lords. Peers will consider the assisted dying bill for a sixth day in Committee. MPs will debate an e-petition calling for a new general election, new towns, financial support during the pandemic, and the importance of the Arctic and High North. Select Committees will hear evidence from former OBR chair Richard Hughes on the UK’s fiscal framework, two Cabinet Ministers on AI and copyright, and the Housing and Courts Ministers on their responsibilities.

11 Jan 2026
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News / Are UK elections under threat? A conversation with the chair of the Electoral Commission, John Pullinger - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 123

With the Government investigating allegations of foreign influence in British politics, we are joined by John Pullinger, Chair of the Electoral Commission, to take stock of the health and resilience of the UK’s electoral system. Our discussion ranges widely over the pressures facing elections and campaigning today, and what issues Parliament may need to grapple with in a future elections bill.

09 Jan 2026
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News / Is being Prime Minister an impossible job? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 121

Why do UK Prime Ministers seem to burn out so quickly? We are joined by historian Robert Saunders to examine why the role has become so punishing in recent years. From Brexit and COVID to fractured parties, rigid governing conventions and relentless media scrutiny, the discussion explores what has gone wrong – and what kind of leadership and political culture might be needed to make the job survivable again.

23 Dec 2025
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News / The King and Parliament: The relationship between politics and the royals - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 122

In this episode we are joined by author and former royal correspondent Valentine Low to explore the evolving relationship between Downing Street and the Palace and why it matters for Parliament. Drawing on his book Power and the Palace, we explore how royal influence has shifted from Queen Victoria’s overt political interventions to Elizabeth II’s studied neutrality. Along the way, we connect historical episodes – where monarchs helped shape diplomacy and constitutional outcomes – to today’s flashpoints, from the prorogation and dissolution of Parliament to referendums and royal finances and the looming constitutional headaches of future hung parliaments.

03 Jan 2026
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