Is Parliament at the root of the country's problems? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 105

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Is Parliament at the root of the country's problems? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 105

5 Sep 2025

Does Parliament itself lie at the root of some of Britain’s political and economic difficulties? Lord Goodman argues that it does and so makes the case for urgent parliamentary reform. This week we also examine the implications of a Downing Street reshuffle that has created a “Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister,” raising new questions about accountability in the Commons. The discussion ranges from Angela Rayner’s uncertain position, Nigel Farage’s controversial US appearance, and the Greens’ leadership contest, to the growing use of artificial intelligence in parliamentary work.

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This week we ponder the creation of a post unprecedented in modern government: Darren Jones as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister. Ruth and Mark analyse what this role might mean for scrutiny, Commons procedure, and the balance of power at the heart of government, particularly with Angela Rayner’s future unresolved. From there, they turn to Nigel Farage’s decision to criticise Britain’s free speech laws before a US Congressional committee – an intervention that may weaken rather than strengthen his position – and to the Greens’ choice of a leader outside Westminster, with all the opportunities and risks that entails.

They also consider how artificial intelligence is beginning to shape the way MPs work, from the appearance of formulaic phrases in Hansard to pilot schemes using AI tools for correspondence and drafting.

Finally, in an extended interview, Conservative peer Lord Paul Goodman argues that economic renewal cannot be achieved without reforming Parliament itself: fewer, better-prepared bills, more serious scrutiny, and more experienced Ministers, including some drawn from outside Parliament.

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Our guest

Lord Goodman of Wycombe

Paul Goodman worked as a researcher for Conservative MPs in the 1970s and 1980s before moving into journalism in 1990 as the news editor of the Catholic Herald. The following year he went on to write for the Telegraph, where he became comment editor in 1995. He continued writing for the Daily Telegraph after being elected to Parliament in 2001 as the Conservative member for Wycombe. He stood down at the 2010 general election and became editor of the influential ConservativeHome blog. In 2024 he retired from editing and was ennobled as Lord Goodman of Wycombe to join the House of Lords, where he sits as a Conservative peer. He continues to write regularly for the Telegraph.

Resources

Lord Goodman of Wycombe, Being an MP is a dog’s life. We can’t fix politics with the current system - Too few have grasped that the problem of politics is at root a problem of Parliament, Daily Telegraph, 22 July 2025
Zoe Crowther, MPs Are Divided Over Whether They Should Use AI To Do Their Jobs, Politics Home, 27 August 2025

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There may consequently be minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

Intro: [00:00:00] You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm.

Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. Coming up in this episode.

Ruth Fox: Is the way Parliament works at the root of the country's problems? One old Westminster hand, peer Lord Goodman, certainly thinks so.

Mark D'Arcy: Deck chairs on the Titanic or a decisive new phase in Keir Starmer's government? What impact will the latest Downing Street changes have?

Ruth Fox: And is chat GPT now writing Commons speeches? Are we witnessing the rise of the cyber MP?

Mark D'Arcy: But first, Ruth, let's talk about that Downing [00:01:00] Street reshuffle, the creation of what begins to look like an embryonic Prime Minister's department right at the top of the government machine. It will have ramifications for Parliament, not least because its Chief Secretary, the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, now chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, a new post, is Darren Jones, who is a Member of Parliament, who will be a presence in the Commons.

Ruth Fox: Yeah, apparently he's got status as a, as a Minister, Minister of State. So as you say, he's gonna be a presence in the Commons. He can be in and out of the tea rooms talking to colleagues. Um, he can be questioned by MPs.

Mark D'Arcy: He will be bound by the Ministerial Code.

Ruth Fox: Bound by the Ministerial Code. Well, can he be questioned by MPs?

This is gonna be the question I think for Parliament. There is no Prime Minister's department. Prime Minister's Questions is once a week of course, but it's the Prime Minister who answers so..

Mark D'Arcy: It wouldn't be a very good innovation if they stopped having the PM answering some of them.

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