Publications / Briefings

A Year in the Life: From Member of Public to Member of Parliament

20 Jun 2011
A new Member of Parliament swearing on the Koran in the House of Commons, Westminster

As part of the Hansard Society's longer-term 'A Year in the Life' study of newly-elected legislators, this 2011 report explored the experience of MPs elected in 2010. The report found that long hours and the competing demands of Westminster and constituency were damaging new MPs' family life – yet most such MPs aspired to make politics a long-term career.

Entering Parliament as a new MP is a daunting experience. Exhausted from months of campaigning, they are faced with a huge and multifaceted job for which no job description exists.

New MPs need to master the traditions and procedural complexities of the Commons, set up their offices, hire staff, find personal accommodation and re-arrange family life – and that is all before they can properly begin working as a legislator and constituency representative. The challenges are significant and there is no time to waste – the voracious demands and expectations of constituents, party and the 24/7 media are present right from the start.

The general election saw the largest turnover of MPs since 1997, with 232 new Members elected (including five returning MPs who had previously lost their seats). For this new intake there is also the added pressure of the post-expenses scandal climate: there is an expectation among the public and media that the culture and practices of Westminster will change on their watch.

So how do the new MPs approach their many and varied tasks and meet the expectations placed upon them? What do they think of Parliament and what are their hopes for the future? What has the transition from being a member of the public to becoming a Member of Parliament been like?

The findings in this briefing paper begin to answer these questions. The new MPs are working extremely long hours and, despite spending more of their working week in Westminster, it is constituency casework that takes up the largest portion of their time. They are largely satisfied with how Parliament works, but the hours, the division of time between Westminster and their constituency and the effects of IPSA’s expenses system combine to make the maintenance of any semblance of a family life a struggle for many of them. Yet despite the difficulties, the majority hope to make politics a long-term career and many aspire to take on a second job as a minister.

This briefing paper is a selected summary of interim findings of the Hansard Society’s A Year in the Life: From member of public to Member of Parliament project. It is based on the analysis of two surveys of the new MPs, conducted in August 2010 and March 2011, to which approximately one quarter of the new intake responded.

  • More than half of new MPs (56%) have taken a salary cut on becoming an MP, with almost a third (31%) taking a cut of £30,000 per annum or more.

  • The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is a source of considerable discontent for the new MPs, despite the fact that they are untainted by the expenses scandal. Eighty-five per cent of the new MPs were dissatisfied with the induction provided by IPSA and, six months on, 79% were still dissatisfied with the workings of IPSA.

  • New MPs start off expecting a 60 hour week (plus eight hours travel) but find themselves working 67 hours per week. Six months on this had increased to an average 69 hours per week.

  • A vast number of the new MPs have found the job has a significant negative impact on their personal/family lives. Comments such as ‘overwhelming’, ‘devastating’, ‘detrimental’ and ‘a struggle’ are common.

  • The new MPs split their working time 63% in Westminster and 37% in their constituencies.

  • Yet it is constituency casework that takes up the largest portion of their time (28%), followed by constituency meetings/events (21%) and the Commons Chamber (21%).

  • Seventy per cent of the new MPs are dissatisfied with Early Day Motions (EDMs). The sitting hours of the House of Commons (51%) and Private Members’ Bill procedures (43%) are the next least popular.

  • In contrast there is almost universal satisfaction with many other aspects of Parliament. More than 90% are satisfied with select committees, second readings, the business in Westminster Hall, urgent questions and ministerial statements.

  • Eighty-two per cent of the new MPs aspire to make politics a long-term career; 55% hope to become ministers.

  • The most eagerly anticipated parliamentary aspects of the role of an MP are working in all-party groups and on select committees, with 98% and 87% of the new MPs indicating they were keen to get involved with these at the start of their first year.

Our reports on the experiences of the 2005 and 2010 intakes of MPs were used by the House of Commons Administration Committee during its inquiries into post-election services. House of Commons officials used the research in particular to inform the improvement of the orientation and induction offerings provided to Members after the 2010 and 2015 general elections. The research was also used by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) during its Review of MPs' Pay and Pensions.

After 2011, the 'A Year in the Life' research was extended to Members newly elected that year to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Irish Dáil. This expansion of the research allowed the generation of comparative insights and the potential for learning and exchange of best practice among the four parliaments and assemblies involved.

Blog / Assisted dying bill: What will happen at Second Reading on Friday 19 September?

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - the Bill to legalise assisted dying - has passed through the House of Commons and now reached the House of Lords. A rare two-day Second Reading debate began on Friday 12 September and is due to resume on Friday 19 September. In this blog, we explain what happened during the first day of debate and what to expect when it resumes. We outline each of the key motions and amendments on which the House will vote, and how these votes may shape the character of later stages.

17 Sep 2025
Read more

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 15-19 September 2025

Peers will vote on the assisted dying bill’s Second Reading, while MPs will question the new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood MP and Lord Chancellor David Lammy MP. The Commons will debate the Employment Rights, English Devolution and Community Empowerment, and Sentencing Bills, as Peers examine the Planning and Infrastructure and Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bills. Committees will hear evidence on arms exports to Israel and the Online Safety Act. MPs will also debate an e-petition on SEND support and consider a Ten Minute Rule Bill on child poverty strategy, including removing the two-child limit for Universal Credit. The youngest minister in nearly two centuries will make his first appearance before a Select Committee. ❓ We value your thoughts. Please click here to let us know what you think of the Parliament Matters Bulletin in our reader survey.

14 Sep 2025
Read more

News / Assisted dying bill - special series #16: The Bill makes its debut in the House of Lords - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 106

As Peers embark on a marathon two-day Second Reading debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – the measure that would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales – we are joined by former Clerk of the Parliaments, Sir David Beamish, to decode the drama. With more than two hundred members of the House of Lords lining up to speak, Sir David explains why, despite the intensity of the arguments, no one expects the Bill to be rejected at this stage. Instead, the real fight will come later, after Peers get into the clause-by-clause detail and see what defects can be remedied. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

13 Sep 2025
Read more

Briefings / The assisted dying bill: A guide to the legislative process in the House of Lords

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.

10 Sep 2025
Read more

Briefings / Delegated powers in the assisted dying bill: Issues for the attention of the House of Lords

Like many pieces of primary legislation, the assisted dying bill leaves much of the practical and policy detail to be worked out later by Ministers through regulations. After the Bill’s Second Reading in the House of Commons, we published a briefing which drew attention to two of its delegated powers. But since then the Bill has been heavily amended, prompting new questions: how have its delegated powers evolved, do these changes strengthen or weaken the approach to the delegation of ministerial power, and are further amendments needed and if so, why?

29 Aug 2025
Read more