Political storm clouds are gathering over Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement. What does it mean for Parliament, party discipline and the Government’s economic credibility. We speak to Dr Marie Tidball MP about her first months in Westminster - and the accessibility challenges facing disabled MPs. Plus, why did Peers get a vote on postponing local elections, but MPs didn’t?
With MPs facing a bleak economic outlook, proposed welfare cuts, and local elections on the horizon, how long can Ministers hold the line? Ruth and Mark dissect signs of unrest on Labour’s backbenches, with a growing number of voices warning against what they see as a return to “austerity 2.0.” We explore the growing calls for a shift in economic strategy — from a wealth tax to rethinking the triple lock — and the dangers for Reeves if her current path begins to look like a “doom loop”.
Also this week, Dr Marie Tidball MP joins us to share her first-hand experiences as a newly elected Labour MP (for Penistone and Stocksbridge) — and the accessibility hurdles facing disabled parliamentarians in Westminster’s historic (and often inaccessible) corridors of power. She tells us about the challenges of navigating the place of Westminster’s physical and procedural barriers.
We also explore why the unelected House of Lords got a vote on the Government’s plans to postpone some local elections — but MPs didn’t. It’s all to do with delegated legislation!
And we answer listener’s questions.
Is anonymous evidence to Select Committees common?
What’s behind the Government’s new ‘business motion’ to control time in the House of Lords Chamber on Thursdays, until the end of the Session?
And which podcasts do Mark and Ruth listen to?
Dr Marie Tidball MP
Marie Tidball was elected in 2024 as the Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire. She is a member of the House of Commons Education Committee and has also served as a member of the Public Bill Committee of MPs appointed to scrutinise the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – the bill to legalise assisted dying – which she supported in principle at its Second Reading. She is also Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism. Before becoming an MP, she studied criminology and was awarded a doctorate on autistic adult defendants in the criminal justice system. As an MP with physical disabilities, she has spoken out about the everyday difficulties that she faces navigating the parliamentary estate.
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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. And coming up in this week's episode.
Ruth Fox: How long can Parliament bear Rachel Reeves' economic doom loop?
Mark D'Arcy: We look at the pressure points where MPs may push the Chancellor for an alternative economic strategy
Ruth Fox: And why the unelected lords got a vote on delaying local elections, but elected MPs didn't.
Mark D'Arcy: But first, Ruth, let's talk about Rachel Reeves' big Spring Statement. It wasn't supposed to be that big. An event, a kind of update, looking at the latest forecasts and bringing the [00:01:00] economic strategy into conformity with the forecasts. Simples, you might think. But not so much when the economic outlook is so dire.
And that's before you take account of Donald Trump planning to slap tariffs on UK exports to America and give another kicking to the British economy. So a lot of gloom and doom surrounding the Chancellor's forecast and a lot of Labour MPs gritting their teeth. I'm not sure that there were many new voices added to the quite predictable list of critics who spoke up during the statement, but I think all the same, there must be concerns for the Labour Party managers now about the discipline of their troops on those green benches.
Ruth Fox: Yeah. What of course is unclear is whether and when the Government's gonna have to bring votes to the House to push through this program. Particularly, of course, the welfare cuts, we know that there's gonna have to be some, but exactly when, you know, will it be imminently, will it be several months down the track by which time [00:02:00] events may have unfolded further and other pressures may be alive. But I think if you, as you say, if you look at who was speaking out in the chamber, pretty much the usual suspects.
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In our latest ‘Whipping Yarn’, we talk with Simon Hart, former Conservative Chief Whip during Rishi Sunak’s Premiership. Hart opens up about his time in one of Westminster’s most demanding and discreet roles, chronicled in his new book, ‘Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip’.
If a crisis or major national event occurs during a period when Parliament is adjourned, there are often demands from MPs, the media and the public for Parliament to be ‘recalled’. But the House of Commons Standing Orders stipulate that only Government Ministers - in reality, the Prime Minister - can ask the Speaker to recall the House. In recent years the House of Lords has generally been recalled at the same time as the House of Commons.
In response to the Modernisation Committee's call for views on 17 October 2024, we submitted evidence outlining key areas we believe the Committee should prioritise. Our submission recommended a focus on: strengthening legislative scrutiny, with particular emphasis on reforming the delegated legislation system; enhancing financial scrutiny, especially in relation to the Budget and the Estimates; addressing strategic gaps in parliamentary scrutiny; making more effective use of parliamentary time; and reviewing the Standing Orders, language and rituals of the House of Commons.
This briefing explains what to watch for during the Second Reading debate of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 29 November. It outlines the procedural and legislative issues that will come into play: the role of the Chair in managing the debate and how procedures such as the 'closure' and 'reasoned amendments' work. It looks ahead to the Committee and Report stage procedures that will apply if the Bill progresses beyond Second Reading. It also examines the government's responsibilities, such as providing a money resolution for the Bill and preparing an Impact Assessment, while addressing broader concerns about the adequacy of Private Members’ Bill procedures for scrutinising controversial issues.
In this ninth instalment of our special mini-podcast series, we continue to explore the latest developments in the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, often referred to as the assisted dying bill. We are joined by Dr Marie Tidball MP to discuss the amendments she has secured for a Disability Advisory Board and an independent advocate for people with learning disabilities.
