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.
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.
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
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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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The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – the Bill to legalise assisted dying – will begin its Committee Stage in the House of Lords on Friday 14 November. In this blog, we explain how Committee Stage works in the House of Lords, including how the House debates and decides on amendments, and how long this stage is likely to take.
Ten years after the House of Commons Petitions Committee was created – does it actually work? Does it genuinely shift policy? Or is it an emotional release valve? In this special anniversary episode, we bring together four Chairs of the Petitions Committee – one current, three former – for a candid conversation about what happens after hundreds of thousands (or sometimes millions) of people click “sign”. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.
Peers begin clause-by-clause scrutiny of the assisted dying Bill, after a Joint Committee on Human Rights evidence session on its impact on disabled people. David Lammy takes Justice questions in the Commons. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill completes its Lords stages and begins Commons ping-pong. MPs hold a Remembrance Day debate on the armed forces. Prime Minister’s Questions is followed by a Conservative Opposition Day. The Lords continue detailed scrutiny of the Border Security Bill, Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and Crime and Policing Bill and debate the Sentencing Bill for the first time. Four Secretaries of State face questions from Select Committees and Dame Antonia Romeo, the Home Office Permanent Secretary, will face scrutiny of her department’s performance.
Having passed through the House of Commons, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales - must now go through its legislative stages in the House of Lords. This guide explains the special procedures for legislation in the House of Lords, and for Private Members’ Bills in particular. It answers some frequently asked questions, including how Peers might block the Bill, and gives an explanation of each stage of the process, from Second to Third Reading.
As Britain’s modern party system frays, we rewind 300+ years to Queen Anne’s reign to trace the messy, very human birth of Britain’s party politics in conversation with historian George Owers, author of Rage of Party. He charts how religion, war, and raw parliamentary management forged early party politics, as the Whigs and Tories hardened into recognisable parties. Parliament turned from an occasional royal event into a permanent institution, and the job that would later be called “Prime Minister” began to take shape through court craft and parliamentary number-crunching. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.
