Our Annual General Meeting updated Members on the work of the Society and provided a look ahead to our future plans. Our special guest speaker was Hansard Society member Sir Peter Riddell, former political editor and chief political commentator at The Times and author of numerous books about Parliament and politics.
Sir Peter joined us to discuss the general election campaign and the challenges facing the new Parliament.
6:00-7:30pm, 12 June 2024
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 and Accounts are available online.
Approval of the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting
Report of the Directors and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022
Re-appointment of Independent Examiners
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.
Any other business
With the general election taking place on 4 July 2024, Sir Peter will be looking at the election campaign and the challenges which are set to face new and returning Members of Parliament. With the possibility of a sudden great change in the composition of the House of Commons, we will consider what can be learnt from the past and what opportunities now exist for progress.
The Rt Hon Sir Peter Riddell CBE is the former Political Editor and Chief Political Commentator at The Times and the author of twelve books on politics, Parliament and political careers. He served as Chair of the Hansard Society from 2007-2012 and then as Director of the Institute for Government until 2016. He was subsequently appointed as the Commissioner for Public Appointments until he stepped down in Autumn 2021. He has always had close links with the academic world and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a recipient of the British Academy President’s Medal.
The UK Spending Review outlines how Government funds will be allocated over several years. Unlike the Budget, which raises revenue, the Review decides how it is spent. But how is it approved? What role does Parliament play if it doesn’t vote on the Review itself? This blog explores how the Spending Review works, how it differs from the Budget, and how Parliament holds the Government to account through the Estimates process.
On Friday 13 June, the House of Commons will once again debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. Specifically, it will hold a second day of Report Stage, during which the whole House will debate and vote on amendments. This briefing explains the structure of Report Stage, what happened on the first day of Report Stage, how amendments are selected and grouped, on which amendments a decision can still be taken, and the likely sequence of events this Friday, including whether a final vote will take place.
The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, will deliver a statement on the Spending Review. MPs will resume Report Stage of the assisted dying bill and debate key legislation on football governance, mental health, and planning and infrastructure. Peers and MPs are expected to resolve their standoff over AI and copyright in the Data (Use and Access) Bill. The Commons Defence Committee will hear from the lead reviewers of the Strategic Defence Review, while a Lords Committee will examine the Chagos Archipelago sovereignty issue. The Hansard Society’s Director will give evidence to the Modernisation Committee about access to the House of Commons and its procedures.
In this episode, we explore why ministers keep bypassing Parliament to make major announcements to the media — and whether returning to the Despatch Box might help clarify their message. We unpack the Lords' uphill battle to protect creators’ rights in the Data Use and Access Bill, challenge claims that the Assisted Dying Bill lacks scrutiny, and examine early findings from a Speaker’s Conference on improving security for MPs, as threats and intimidation against politicians continue to rise. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.
Our evidence on treaty scrutiny has been published by the House of Lords International Agreements Committee. Our submission outlines the problems with the existing framework for treaty scrutiny and why legislative and cultural change are needed to improve Parliament's scrutiny role. Our evidence joins calls for a parliamentary consent vote for the most significant agreements, a stronger role for Parliament in shaping negotiating mandates and monitoring progress, and a sifting committee tasked with determining which agreements warrant the greatest scrutiny.
