Events / Members

Annual General Meeting with guest speaker Michael Crick

21 Feb 2023
©
©

At our AGM we will be updating Members on the work of the Society and looking ahead to the next year. Our guest speaker is political journalist Michael Crick, who will be talking about his Tomorrow's MPs project, tracking candidate selection processes for the next general election.

6:00-7:30pm, 14 March 2023

This is a Members only hybrid event: in person at our base in Westminster and on Zoom.

The agenda and associated papers for the meeting will be sent direct to Members in advance of the meeting. Our Annual Report for the year ending 31 December 2021 is available for immediate download.

  • Approval of the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting

  • Report of the Directors and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

  • Appointment of Auditors

  • Re-appointment of Trustees

  • Reflections on the last year and future plans: update by the Rt Hon the Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Chair) and Dr Ruth Fox (Director) followed by Q & A.

Michael will be talking about his @TomorrowsMPs project, shedding light on the candidate selection processes for the next general election. He is tracking when and how parties pick candidates for Westminster seats and who is being selected where. He will be sharing his insights into the next generation of future members of the House of Commons (and therefore future Government Ministers), what the selections tell us about the contenders, the winners and the state of the political parties locally and nationally. He will also be reflecting on the challenges he has faced in lifting the lid on the selection processes underway in 650 constituencies across the country.

Our guest speaker

Michael Crick is a political journalist who has worked for Channel 4 News, Channel 4 Dispatches, LBC Radio, BBC Panorama, BBC Newsnight and MailPlus. He recently launched a new podcast, Mugshots, profiling the people who make the headlines and shape our world. He is also the author of several books, including biographies of the Hansard Society’s former Chair, Professor Sir David Butler, and most recently of Nigel Farage.

Michael Crick. ©

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 26-30 January 2026

MPs will debate the Armed Forces Bill, the Finance Bill, and the Railways Bills and legislation to prioritise UK medical students for training places will be fast-tracked through all its Commons stages in one day. Cabinet members Rachel Reeves, Pat McFadden and Peter Kyle will face oral questions. The Conservatives will select the subject of Wednesday’s Opposition Day debate. In the Lords, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, Crime and Policing Bill, Pension Schemes Bill, English Devolution Bill, and Assisted Dying Bill will make further progress, and Peers will debate a UK–EU customs union. Both Houses will mark Holocaust Memorial Day. The Defence Secretary, the Security Minister and the Prime Minister’s Chief Secretary face Select Committee hearings. Committees will also take evidence on digital ID and the UK’s relationship with the United States.

25 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Should MPs Who Switch Parties Be Forced to Face a By-Election? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 127

In this episode, we ask whether MPs who switch parties should be forced to face a by-election – and what this month’s spate of defections says about representation, party power and voter consent. We also unpick a dizzying week in British and global politics as “hurricane Trump” batters the post-war order, testing the UK-US alliance and raising awkward questions about NATO, defence spending and procurement. Plus: the Lords’ push for an under-16s social media ban, Chagos ping-pong, and stalled bills in Westminster. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

23 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Who really sets MPs’ pay – And why you might be wrong about it. A conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of IPSA - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 126

What are MPs actually paid and what does the public fund to help them do their job? In this conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) we explore the delicate balance between supporting MPs to do their jobs effectively and enforcing strict standards on the use of public money. We discuss how IPSA has shifted from a rule-heavy “traffic cop” to a principles-based regulator, why compliance is now very high, and the security risks and pressures facing MPs‘ offices as workloads rise and abuse becomes more common. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ACAST | YouTube | Other apps | RSS

21 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Kemi’s pre-emptive strike on Robert Jenrick - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 125

In a dramatic day at Westminster Kemi Badenoch sacked Robert Jenrick and suspended him from the Conservative Whip before his defection to Reform UK. We explore what it says about Conservative discipline, Reform’s recruitment drive, and whether others may follow. We then examine rows over the Hillsborough Law and proposed national security exemptions, plus procedural drama in the House of Lords over the Chagos deal. Bob Blackman MP also joins us to discuss Backbench Business Committee reforms, before we assess whether the assisted dying bill is being talked out.

16 Jan 2026
Read more

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
Read more