Publications / Data

How long does it take for a new House of Commons to get fully up and running?

19 Apr 2020
Queen Elizabeth Tower, UK Houses of Parliament

There will be gaps in a new House of Commons' scrutiny of the government and engagement with the public until the events required at the start of a Parliament have taken place and all the necessary institutions and processes have been re-established. The length of time taken over procedures at the start of a Parliament therefore matters.

Last updated: 10 August, 2020 {: .small}

Our 'Back to Business' collection of procedural guides provides information about the key events and procedures at the start of a new Parliament.

The chart below shows the timings of key House of Commons events at the start of the 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019 Parliaments, in terms of sitting days.

Information about converting sitting days to calendar days can be found below the chart. {: .small }

The sitting days shown on the chart can be roughly converted to calendar days by bearing in mind that the House of Commons normally sits for four days per calendar week, and – most importantly – by factoring-in the placing of the relevant sitting day relative to the House's recesses (which are shown on the lower rows of the chart), especially the long summer recess.

For example, the new House of Commons' 30th sitting day fell less than two months after the start of the Parliament in 2010 and 2015 (because it preceded the summer recess), but over two months afterwards in 2019-20, and nearly four months afterwards in 2017; in the latter two cases, it fell after two recesses.

In 2020, House of Commons calendar timings were affected by the fact that between the Easter and Whitsun recesses the House sat for only three days per week, owing to the restrictions on proceedings arising from the Coronavirus crisis.

Precise dates for most House of Commons events can be found via House of Commons Votes and Proceedings (each daily edition of which includes the sitting-day number at top left). Further information, where needed, can be found in House of Commons Hansard and news items on the House of Commons website.

News / What are the Usual Channels? A short history of Westminster whipping - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 108

In this episode, we talk to political journalist Seb Whale about his new book, The Usual Channels, which reveals the hidden world of Westminster’s whips. Seb charts how party discipline has evolved – from the stormy politics of the 1970s and the Maastricht battles of the 1990s to the legendary “black book,” the Brexit showdowns and the short-lived Liz Truss premiership. He explains how the whips’ office has adapted to a modern Parliament – especially with the influx of women MPs – and why, even today, whips still wield decisive influence over MPs’ careers and remain indispensable despite the pressures of contemporary politics. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

26 Sep 2025
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Blog / Treaty scrutiny: addressing the accountability gap

In this guest blog, Lord Goldsmith KC, Chair of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee (IAC), sets out the findings of the Committee’s latest report urging reform of Parliament's outdated system for scrutinising treaties. The report warns that Westminster lags behind other legislatures in overseeing these vital policy instruments. Rejecting successive governments' defence of the status quo, it argues that government objections to reform are unconvincing and meaningful accountability is overdue.

23 Sep 2025
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News / Assisted dying bill - special series #17: Peers give the Bill a Second Reading, but progress is paused for committee evidence - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 107

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has cleared another key hurdle: it was given a Second Reading in the House of Lords without a formal vote. But Peers have agreed to set up a special select committee to hear evidence from Ministers, professional bodies and legal experts before the Bill goes any further. That decision pushes the detailed clause-by-clause scrutiny back to mid-November and could shape the Bill’s prospects in unexpected ways. In this episode we explore the procedural twists and political manoeuvring behind that decision. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

20 Sep 2025
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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
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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
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