Events / Webinars

More than just ‘talking shops’? The role of international inter-parliamentary assemblies

7 Feb 2023
Plenary sitting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on 21 November, 2022. ©NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Plenary sitting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on 21 November, 2022. ©NATO Parliamentary Assembly

The creation of the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly in 2022 threw a fresh spotlight on the UK Parliament’s participation in such international inter-parliamentary bodies. What do they do? Do they add value? And what is the role at Westminster of the UK assembly Delegations? Watch leading Delegation Members discuss these questions and more.

[CLOSED] 7 February 2023 Webinar

Video recording of the webinar: More than just ‘talking shops’? The role of international inter-parliamentary assemblies. Recorded on 7 February 2023.

The creation of the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA) in 2022 saw the UK Parliament becoming a member of its first new international inter-parliamentary assembly for 30 years. This fresh spotlight showed that the UK Delegations to such bodies are among Parliament’s least visible aspects.

This free webinar brought together leading Members of UK Delegations to discuss what the Delegations do, how they work, and whether the arrangements at Westminster that surround them need reform.

In November 2022, Politico’s influential ‘London Playbook’ newsletter sarcastically called the PPA “absolutely, definitely not a talking shop”.

  • Are international inter-parliamentary assemblies more than ‘talking shops’, and their meetings anything other than ‘foreign jollies’?

  • Do international inter-parliamentary bodies add value to international affairs, and, if so, what and how?

At Westminster, with arrangements around the Delegations’ appointment and operation uncodified, the creation of the Delegation to the PPA has been based largely on precedent.

  • What is the status of the international inter-parliamentary Delegations at Westminster? Who do they represent?

  • Where do the Delegations fit in the scrutiny of the UK Government’s actions in international organisations? How do – or should – they relate to Select Committees?

  • Do arrangements for the Delegations need reform? In particular, should the Delegations formally be appointed by Parliament rather than the Government, as suggested by the Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) in 2016?

Rt Hon Sir Oliver Heald KC MP / @OliverHealdUK Leader, UK Delegation to the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA)

Lord Peter Ricketts GCMG GCVO / @LordRickettsP Member, UK Delegation to the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA); former UK Permanent Representative to NATO, Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, National Security Adviser, and HM Ambassador to France

Rt Hon Alec Shelbrooke MP / @AlecShelbrooke Leader, UK Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) Chair: Cristina Leston-Bandeira Professor of Politics, University of Leeds; Chair, International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN); Hansard Society member and past Co-Editor of the Hansard Society journal, Parliamentary Affairs; past Chair of the UK Study of Parliament Group (SPG)

Careers / Treasurer and Trustees

We are currently recruiting for a new Treasurer and three new Trustees to join our Board. If you have experience in financial management, fundraising, digital communications and stakeholder partnerships we particularly want to hear from you!

01 Aug 2025
Read more

News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #15 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 103

On Friday 12 September, the House of Lords will debate the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. We explore what lies ahead for the Bill in the Upper House with Sir David Beamish, former Clerk of the Parliaments – the Lords’ most senior official. Sharing an insider’s guide to the Chamber’s unique, self-regulating procedures, Sir David explains how the legislative process differs from the Commons, and what that could mean for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’s potentially long and contested passage. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

13 Aug 2025
Read more

News / The day the King marched on Parliament: King Charles I, five MPs and the road to civil war - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 102

In this episode we speak with historian Jonathan Healey about one of the most extraordinary days in parliamentary history when King Charles I entered the Commons Chamber with soldiers aiming to arrest five MPs. This dramatic moment, vividly recounted in Healey’s new book The Blood in Winter, marked a crucial turning point toward civil war. We explore the power struggles, propaganda, and the geography that shaped the fate of a nation and the Westminster Parliament. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

01 Aug 2025
Read more

News / Parliament gagged by super-injunction? A conversation with Joshua Rozenberg - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 101

Legal expert Joshua Rozenberg joins us this week to unpack the legal and constitutional ramifications of one of the most troubling intersections of government secrecy, national security, and parliamentary accountability in recent memory. Thousands of Afghans who had worked with British forces were placed at risk of Taliban revenge attacks after a catastrophic government data leak in 2022 exposed their details. In response, ministers secured a “super-injunction” – so secret that even its existence could not be reported – effectively silencing public debate and preventing parliamentary scrutiny for almost two years. The breach, only revealed this week, led to a covert resettlement scheme which has already cost taxpayers millions of pounds. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

18 Jul 2025
Read more

News / One year on: How is Parliament performing? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 100

In our 100th episode, we take stock of Parliament one year after the 2024 general election. With a fractured opposition, a dominant Labour government, and a House of Commons still governed by rules designed for a two-party system, how well is this new Parliament really functioning? Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

11 Jul 2025
Read more