Comment and analysis from the Hansard Society research team and more.
Analysis, insight and commentary on the Westminster Parliament and other legislatures in the UK and around the world, from the Hansard Society research team and leading experts, politicians and parliamentary officials.
The House of Commons recently held elections for the chairs of its select committees in the new Parliament. But how did this year's elections compare to those of previous years? Were they more competitive? How well were women and ethnic minority MPs represented among the candidates and winners? And what level of parliamentary experience do the newly elected chairs bring to the table?
Before taking their seats, Members of Parliament must legally swear an oath or make an affirmation of allegiance to the Crown. For some MPs this can be uncomfortable, creating a conflict between personal beliefs and legal obligations. Some MPs find themselves compelled to express sentiments they do not genuinely hold, or risk their constituents being deprived of representation. Unlike oaths taken by other office holders, the parliamentary oath does not address public expectations of MPs, nor does it guide MPs in understanding their duties. It has become a symbolic formality, a shibboleth, that could be usefully reformed.
Before the General Election, the Government rushed through legislation - in the form of two Statutory Instruments - to temporarily restrict the supply of 'puberty blockers' to under-18s for gender dysphoria. One of those Instruments has now been the subject of a judicial review, before MPs have had any opportunity to consider it. Reasonable people can hold different views on the policy merits, but the way that a policy of such political and legal salience was implemented demonstrates some of the anomalies and weaknesses in the delegated legislation system – particularly how the parliamentary calendar can undermine MPs’ role in scrutinising such Instruments - and why the system needs reform.
Thousands of prisoners will be released on license early, once they have completed 40% rather than 50% of their sentence, if a Statutory Instrument is approved by the House of Commons today (25 July 2024). This is not the first time delegated legislation has been used to address the prison overcrowding crisis by implementing what are significant and contentious policy changes. This underscores the importance of a robust scrutiny system for such legislation; but in practice the treatment of the three pieces of delegated legislation concerned demonstrates many of its systemic weaknesses.
The composition of the opposition in the new Parliament is very different from that of recent Parliaments, including the period following the Labour landslide of 1997. For the time being at least, we are in a new era of multi-party opposition. What might be some of the procedural implications of this shift?
