Licence to scrutinise: spooks, hereditary peers and assisted dying

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Licence to scrutinise: spooks, hereditary peers and assisted dying - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 60

13 Dec 2024

In this week’s episode the ‘assisted dying’ bill takes centre stage as the newly chosen members of the Public Bill Committee gear up for detailed scrutiny of the legislation. With 23 members, including two ministers, this committee promises a mix of seasoned voices and first-time MPs debating a very difficult issue. We are joined by Hansard Society researcher, Matthew England, who breaks down the committee’s composition, party balance, and the strategic dynamics that will influence the bill’s trajectory.

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We also explore the ongoing debate over hereditary peers in the House of Lords. Ruth and Mark dissect the Second Reading of the bill to abolish their voting rights, highlighting the passionate arguments on both sides. From constitutional principles to fiery rhetoric about political assassinations, the debate reveals deeper tensions about the future of Lords reform.

Meanwhile, the Intelligence and Security Committee is back, with a new lineup tasked with overseeing Britain’s intelligence services. We discuss the significance of this committee’s work in ensuring transparency and accountability in the shadowy world of national security.

Finally, the Liaison Committee prepares for its first grilling of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. What themes will emerge, and can select committee chairs hold the PM to account effectively? Ruth and Mark consider the challenges of this high-profile session.

Join us for sharp analysis and behind-the-scenes insights into the workings of Parliament. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Our guest

Matthew England

Matthew England

Matthew is a Researcher at the Hansard Society whose work focuses mainly on delegated legislation and parliamentary procedure. Matthew recently produced the Society's briefing on the Assisted Dying Bill and the Private Member's Bill process, which analyses each of the parliamentary stages that the Bill will need to pass through to become law. Before joining the Hansard Society, Matthew worked in the office of a Member of Parliament, focusing on scrutiny of legislation.

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Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There are consequently 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: You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/PM.

[00:00:17] Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

[00:00:24] Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark Darcy. Coming up this week.

[00:00:27] Ruth Fox: The cast list is announced for the detailed scrutiny of the bill to legalise assisted dying.

[00:00:32] Mark D'Arcy: The tumbrils roll as the hereditary peers bewail their impending exclusion from the House of Lords.

[00:00:38] Ruth Fox: And license to scrutinise. The parliamentarians who are to keep an eye on our spooks have been chosen by the government.

[00:00:52] Mark D'Arcy: But first Ruth, once again, the first item on our agenda is the Assisted Dying Bill. It's probably the most eye catching action going on in Parliament at the moment. And this week's development is, as you were just saying, they've announced the cast list for the Public Bill Committee that is going line by line, as they say, to trawl through the wording of the bill, to look at the policy issues it brings up.

[00:01:14] And it's quite an interesting lineup that they've got, a mixture of experience, but quite a lot of first time MPs in there. And our colleague Matthew England from the Hansard Society has been combing through the membership of the committee, and he's come in to brief us about what he's learned. So Matthew, first of all, looking at that cast list, which are the names that caught your eye?

[00:01:34] Matthew England: Thanks for having me on the podcast, it's quite strange to be on this end of the microphone. So the names that stand out first are the fact that there are two ministers on the committee. That's quite normal with a government bill to have ministers on the committee, but with a Private Member's Bill there is usually a minister, but in this case we have two ministers whose portfolios cut across the relevant areas.

[00:01:54] So we have Stephen Kinnock, who is the Minister for Care in the Department for Health and Social Care, and part of his portfolio is end of life care. And we also have Sarah Sackman, who is the former Solicitor General, and is now Minister for the Courts.

[00:02:08] Mark D'Arcy: She was actually quite a short lived former Solicitor General, because she only came into Parliament in July, and she was immediately made Solicitor General by Keir Starmer then, one of the law officers.

[00:02:17] And now she's taken over a portfolio in the Ministry of Justice, and that's the reason that she's now in this committee, in this line up.

[00:02:24] Ruth Fox: So Matthew, it's actually quite a big committee, isn't it?

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