News

Meet Parliament’s human rights watchdog - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 90

2 May 2025
©
©

As calls grow louder for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, we talk with Parliament’s in-house human rights watchdog: Lord Alton of Liverpool, Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. A former Liberal MP who now serves as a crossbench peer, Lord Alton was an unexpected choice to lead the Committee – traditionally chaired by a member of the House of Commons, and usually by a party politician. But his tireless advocacy on human rights around the world, especially his campaigning against China’s treatment of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, has earned him widespread respect across the political spectrum and many cross-party allies.

LISTEN
Subscribe

In a wide-ranging conversation, Lord Alton talks about his ongoing push for a “Hillsborough Law” to impose a duty of candour on public officials involved in future disasters, to prevent cover-ups. He also discusses his Committee's work on the new Mental Health Bill, and his efforts to ensure the government’s flagship green energy initiative, Great British Energy, does not spend public money on equipment like solar panels that are made with forced labour.

Meanwhile, it's been all quiet on the assisted dying bill front at Westminster this week, but not in the Scottish Parliament. Ruth and Mark discuss how the approach to a Members Bill on assisted dying in Edinburgh compares favourably to the handling of Kim Leadbeater’s Private Members Bill at Westminster.

Plus, the appointment of a new Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod brings back memories for Mark of how this key House of Lords official has found themselves caught up at the centre of political controversies in the recent past.

Listen on our YouTube channel (captioned)

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Our guest

Lord Alton of Liverpool. ©

Lord Alton of Liverpool

David Alton became the youngest member of the House of Commons when he won the Liverpool Edge Hill by-election for the Liberal Party in March 1979. He was re-elected just weeks later in the general election and went on to represent Liverpool as an MP for the Liberals, and later the Liberal Democrats. He became particularly known for his opposition to abortion – a stance that often put him at odds with his party. In 1987 he introduced a private member’s bill seeking to reduce the legal time limit for abortion from 28 weeks to 18 weeks. Although the bill passed its Second Reading in 1988 it was talked out and did not become law. After standing down from the Commons in 1997, he renounced his party allegiance and, as Lord Alton of Liverpool, joined the Crossbenchers in the House of Lords. Following the 2024 general election, he was elected Chair of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights.

Resources

Lord Alton of Liverpool

Parliament

Scottish Parliament

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.

Ruth Fox: Coming up in this week's episode, Parliament's human rights watchdog on when to growl, when to bark, and when to bite.

Mark D'Arcy: A new Black Rod takes charge in the Palace of Westminster,

Ruth Fox: And it's all quiet on the assisted dying front in Westminster, but not in the Scottish Parliament.

Mark D'Arcy: And first Ruth, let's talk about human rights. There's a regular drumbeat of criticism at the moment and human rights rulings, particularly to do with immigration cases, but on plenty of other subjects as well, attacks on [00:01:00] the whole concept of the UK being signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, which remember, British lawyers were actually instrumental in drafting after the Second World War and also on judges and the rulings that they've been making.

And it's an issue that's beginning to go to the heart of all sorts of questions about the way the rule of law works in this country. So we thought it was a good moment to go and talk to Parliament's in-house human rights watchdog, the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, which is a committee of both MPs and peers, a select committee, and it's chaired by a slightly surprising person, Lord Alton. Lord Alton was once David Alton, a Liberal MP who was elected in 1979, who eventually left the House of Commons and a bit later on became a non-aligned non-party peer and has carved out quite a role for himself on all sorts of human rights issues, and also looking at things like the influence of China.

When we talked to him in the Palace of Westminster amid the occasional clank of scaffolding and the odd helicopter going past and so forth, so apologies [00:02:00] for the noises off, we began by asking him about what he's perceived to be the Government's attitude to human rights law.

A lot of governments start to chafe at the effect of human rights decisions that cause them a bit of trouble. His committee's just spoken to the Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood, and before that to the Attorney General Lord Hermer. So did he detect perhaps just the start of an irritation with human rights law from those very senior figures?

Lord Alton of Liverpool: I think that they ...

Read more

Subscribe to Parliament Matters

Use the links below to subscribe to the Hansard Society's Parliament Matters podcast on your preferred app, or search for 'Parliament Matters' on whichever podcasting service you use. If you are unable to find our podcast, please email us here.

Apple Podcast logo

Apple

©

YouTube Podcasts

Spotify logo

Spotify

More ways to subscribe
Parliament Matters homepage

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 13-14 May 2026

Parliament returns on Wednesday with the State Opening and the King’s Speech marking the start of a new parliamentary session. Many traditions will be observed, including presentation of the Outlawries Bill and the Select Vestries Bill and an order instructing the Metropolitan Police to prevent “stoppages in the street”. In the Commons, the Speaker will remind MPs of their duties and responsibilities, before debate begins on the Loyal Address. The Education Committee will take evidence on the benefits of children reading for pleasure, and the Home Affairs Committee will consider responses to antisemitism.

10 May 2026
Read more

Briefings / The assisted dying bill: How could the Parliament Act be used?

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – the bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales – fell at the close of the 2024-2026 parliamentary session, after running out of time in the House of Lords. Attention has now shifted to whether the bill could return in the next session and, if so, whether it could be enacted using the procedures set out in the Parliament Act. This briefing explains the Parliament Act procedure, examines previous uses of the Act and the procedural lessons that may be drawn from them, and looks at the constitutional issues involved.

07 May 2026
Read more

News / What now? The local election fallout hits Westminster - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 141

Labour’s disastrous local election results have intensified speculation about Keir Starmer’s future. But if pressure on the leadership continues to grow, how exactly do Labour’s leadership rules work – and what would it take to mount a serious challenge? Now that the Scottish and Welsh elections are over, attention will turn to governing. How do the devolved parliaments return to business? And in Wales, where the Senedd will install a non-Labour First Minister and government for the first time in its history, how will the process work? Could a new administration trigger fresh tensions with Westminster and Whitehall? Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

09 May 2026
Read more

News / Dynamic alignment and Henry VIII powers: What will the Government’s EU reset mean for Parliament? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 139

A major “EU reset” bill could allow Ministers to dynamically align UK law with EU rules using so-called Henry VIII powers, raising fresh questions about Parliament’s role and scrutiny. We are joined by Professor Catherine Barnard to explore the trade-offs and implications. We also examine Parliament’s surprise block on Church of England governance reforms and ask whether shutting down Parliament for a two-week prorogation – when it cannot be recalled – is wise in an increasingly unstable world. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

17 Apr 2026
Read more

Submissions / Written Parliamentary Questions - Our evidence to the House of Commons Procedure Committee

The use of Written Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) is rising sharply. Since July 2024, MPs have tabled questions at unprecedented levels. By late 2025 MPs were tabling over 600 per sitting day, more than double the long-term average. WPQs are a cornerstone of parliamentary scrutiny, helping MPs obtain information, challenge government policy and put issues on the public record. But this surge raises important questions about how Parliament balances transparency and accountability with the practical limits of the system. The House of Commons Procedure Committee is now examining the issue and has just published our submission containing our latest data and analysis.

06 Mar 2026
Read more

Categories

Themes

Contact

Legal

Fundraising Regulator logo