Parliament Matters

Order! Order! Nusrat Ghani on how she keeps MPs in line during the Budget debate

How do you keep order when the House of Commons is packed, passions are running high and the country is watching? Deputy Speaker Nusrat Ghani joins us for an exclusive i

The Budget: Who checks the Chancellor?

How do you respond to a Budget you’ve only just heard, and spot what the Chancellor would rather you missed? Treasury Committee Chair Meg Hillier joins us to explain how

Parliament under pressure: Select committees in the age of lawfare

Are House of Commons select committees equipped to meet the new challenges facing parliamentary scrutiny? Liam Byrne, the Labour former minister leading a review of the c

This is No Way to Run a Country: A conversation with former veterans minister Johnny Mercer

Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer joins us to discuss his new book, No Way to Run a Country: An Outsider’s Journey into the Heart of our Broken Politics, and his str

PMQs: Parliament Matters Questions

Recorded at Queen Mary University of London as part of Student Week, welcoming students at the start of the new academic year, this special live edition features three ex

MPs reject the assisted dying bill: What happened, and what next?

MPs have rejected the assisted dying bill – but why did a proposal they had previously supported lose this time, and what happens now?   Andrew Lewin MP, a supporter of

Andy Burnham’s rewired state: Can Parliament provide the circuit breaker?

Andy Burnham made his despatch box debut as Prime Minister in the House of Commons this week with one of the longest ministerial statements on record and a promise to str

Joanna Cherry: The SNP, Westminster, and a decade of political battles

Joanna Cherry joins us this week to discuss her newly published memoir, in which she looks back on some of the most contentious battles in British and Scottish politics i

Unparliamentary: Colourful tales from the Canadian Parliament

Canada’s Parliament shares its Westminster roots with the UK, but it has developed its own distinctive traditions, procedures and political culture. In this episode, Char

Labour’s last chance saloon? Burnham’s new Cabinet faces familiar parliamentary problems

Andy Burnham has unveiled his ministerial team. So, we assess what his appointments reveal about the Government’s priorities, the political calculations behind them, and

How do we protect politicians in a dangerous age?

Following the murder of Ann Widdecombe, we reflect on the dangers facing those in Parliament and public life. Earlier this year, former Lord Chancellor Sir Robert Bucklan

Nigel Farage leaves Parliament: What now happens to the standards investigation?

Nigel Farage has quit the House of Commons to force a by-election in his constituency. In a blistering attack on what he called the media “pile-on” and a political stitch

New PM, new Clerk of the House of Commons: A new chapter at Westminster?

With a new Prime Minister preparing to take office and the Commons appointing its first female Clerk, we discuss these two pivotal appointments that will help shape how P

The Burnham question: A new approach to whipping Westminster?

What would an Andy Burnham government actually look and feel like? This week we explore how Andy Burnham might govern, drawing on his experience as a Cabinet minister, hi

Andy Burnham’s March on Westminster: How Could He Become Prime Minister?

Three by-elections delivered three very different results this week. To discuss the implications, we are joined by Professor Philip Cowley, a leading expert on MPs, party

Brexit, 10 years on: Parliament and the democratic crisis

This month marks the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum – a vote that unleashed four years of extraordinary political turmoil. Judges were branded "enemies of the

The Cabinet Manual: Why Britain's constitutional "highway code" needs updating

The Cabinet Manual has been described as the “highway code” of the UK constitution, a guide that brings together the laws, conventions, precedents and procedures under wh

The £5m question: Who funds our politicians?

In this episode, we explore the rules governing MPs’ financial interests, gifts and donations, as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faces questions over a £5 million gift fro

Is the Government censoring the Mandelson Papers?

The row over Lord Mandelson’s appointment as Britain’s ambassador to Washington flared up again this week after the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) accused the

Labour’s leadership tangle: What does it mean for Parliament?

A battle for Downing Street touched off by a ministerial resignation, a chunky new King’s Speech, and an increasingly unpredictable political environment provide plenty f