The assisted dying bill: How could the Parliament Act be used? 🎧 A special episode of our Parliament Matters podcast

We explore how the Parliament Act works and the political and constitutional trade-offs involved in relying on it to deliver the assisted dying bill.

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Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 23-27 February 2026

MPs will debate the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; changes to the Charter for Budget Responsibility; student loan repayments; support for bereaved children; and St David’s Day. They will also consider the Armed Forces Bill, the Industry and Exports (Financial Assistance) Bill, and the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill. Cabinet Ministers Steve Reed, Wes Streeting, Douglas Alexander, and Lisa Nandy face departmental questions. In the Lords, Peers will scrutinise the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, the Crime and Policing Bill, and the National Insurance Contributions Bill, alongside debates on UK–EU relations and transnational repression. Select Committees will question the Bank of England Governor, former OBR chairs, standards regulators, and Ministers, including an inquiry into trade sanctions.

News / The forgotten pioneer: Who was Margaret Bondfield, Britain’s first female Cabinet Minister? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 132

Why is Britain’s first female Cabinet Minister largely forgotten? Historian Nan Sloane discusses her new biography of Margaret Bondfield, the trade unionist who became the first woman in the British Cabinet. Rising from harsh shop-floor conditions to national prominence, Bondfield took office as Minister of Labour in 1929 at the onset of the Great Depression. As economic crisis split the Labour Party, her reputation never recovered. Was she a pioneer, pragmatist, or unfairly judged? Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

Events / The Ukrainian Parliament after four years of war - Dr Sarah Whitmore

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Dr Sarah Whitmore will be speaking to us about how the Ukrainian Parliament has functioned under wartime conditions. 6:00pm-7:30pm on Tuesday 24 February 2026 at the Houses of Parliament, Westminster

News / What happens when you lose the party whip? A conversation with Neil Duncan-Jordan MP - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 131

Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan reflects on rebelling against the whip and calling for Keir Starmer to resign, as we assess the fallout from the Mandelson–Epstein affair and its implications for the Government’s legislative programme and House of Lords reform. We examine Gordon Brown’s sweeping standards proposals, question whether they would restore public trust, revisit tensions over the assisted dying bill in the Lord and discuss two key Procedure Committee reports on Commons debates and internal elections. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

Blog / Once again, there is still no alternative: the costed proposals for Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster

The Restoration and Renewal Client Board’s latest report once again confirms what Parliament has known for nearly a decade: the cheapest, quickest and safest way to restore the Palace of Westminster is for MPs and Peers to move out during the works. The “full decant” option was endorsed in 2018 and reaffirmed repeatedly since. Remaining in the building could more than double costs, extend works into the 2080s, and increase risks to safety, accessibility and security. With the Palace already deteriorating and millions spent each year on patchwork repairs, further delay would itself be an expensive course of action, one that defers decisions without offering a viable alternative.

News / Are UK elections under threat? A conversation with the chair of the Electoral Commission, John Pullinger - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 123

News / Is being Prime Minister an impossible job? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 121

News / Assisted dying bill: How could the Parliament Act be used? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 128

Blog / Assisted dying bill: How does Committee Stage work in the House of Lords?

Britain Votes: The 2024 General Election

Edited by Alistair Clark, Louise Thompson and Stuart Wilks-Heeg (Published: November 2025)

The general election of 2024 was a record-breaking election. It was a contest that produced the highest swing in the post-war era, delivering a Labour landslide and reducing the Conservatives to their lowest ever level of parliamentary representation. This special edition of our journal, Parliamentary Affairs, explains how and why this remarkable electoral turnaround was achieved.

Britain Votes: The 2024 General Election brings together contributions from leading electoral scholars including Professor Sir John Curtice, Professor Tim Bale, Professor Eunice Goes, Professor Ailsa Henderson, Professor James Mitchell, Professor Justin Fisher, and Professor Philip Cowley. It is edited by Professor Alistair Clark, Dr Louise Thompson and Professor Stuart Wilks-Heeg.

Read selected chapters free for a limited time.
Listen to the editors discuss the book's key findings on our Parliament Matters podcast.
Buy the book at all good bookshops or online from Oxford University Press.

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Blog

Blog / What role does Parliament play in the Spending Review?

The UK Spending Review outlines how Government funds will be allocated over several years. Unlike the Budget, which raises revenue, the Review decides how it is spent. But how is it approved? What role does Parliament play if it doesn’t vote on the Review itself? This blog explores how the Spending Review works, how it differs from the Budget, and how Parliament holds the Government to account through the Estimates process.

Blog / The Planning and Infrastructure Bill: What happens when detail is deferred?

The Hansard Society has long raised concerns about the Government's increasing tendency to present undeveloped legislation that lacks detailed policy and grants ministers broad delegated powers to fill in the gaps later. This practice undermines effective parliamentary scrutiny, by preventing MPs and Peers from fully assessing how powers may be used, (or misused), in the future. The weak system for overseeing delegated legislation—especially in the Commons—exacerbates the problem. Several powers in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently before Parliament highlight these ongoing issues.

Blog / Breaching the 0.7% international aid target: a case study in legislative failure

The Prime Minister’s plan to cut international aid breaches the Government’s legal duty to meet the 0.7% spending target, raising constitutional concerns. Should an Act allow for premeditated non-compliance? Can a statutory duty imposed on Government by Parliament be overturned by a ministerial statement? And when a law’s purpose is abandoned, should it be amended or repealed? The fate of this Act exposes the flaws in declaratory legislation, weak parliamentary scrutiny, and executive dominance of Parliament.

Blog / Six things we learnt from the 2024 election of select committee members

Following a series of internal parliamentary party elections, the House of Commons nominated the members of its select committees last October. But what do the election results tell us about the makeup of the select committees? Are the parties represented proportionally? Are men and women equally represented? How many ethnic minority MPs were elected to committees? What role did parliamentary experience and the size of an MP's majority play?

Blog / Select committee chair elections: what do the results tell us about the new Parliament?

The House of Commons recently held elections for the chairs of its select committees in the new Parliament. But how did this year's elections compare to those of previous years? Were they more competitive? How well were women and ethnic minority MPs represented among the candidates and winners? And what level of parliamentary experience do the newly elected chairs bring to the table?

Blog / MPs and the parliamentary oath of allegiance: A shibboleth under scrutiny?

Blog / Puberty blockers legislation: has the parliamentary calendar undermined accountability?

Blog / How delegated legislation is being used to tackle the prisons crisis

Blog / A House more divided: Practice and procedure in a multipolar Parliament

Publications

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?

Briefings / Assisted dying bill: what will happen on Friday 20 June?

On Friday 20 June, MPs will cast one of the most important votes of their parliamentary careers: the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This final vote in the Commons will determine whether the Bill proceeds to the House of Lords. Before reaching that stage, MPs must complete the remaining votes from the Report Stage. This briefing outlines what happened during the last day of Report Stage, identifies which amendments and new clauses may still be voted on, and sets out the expected sequence of events for the day, including the proceedings for Third Reading.

Briefings / Assisted dying bill: what will happen on Friday 13 June?

On Friday 13 June, the House of Commons will once again debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. Specifically, it will hold a second day of Report Stage, during which the whole House will debate and vote on amendments. This briefing explains the structure of Report Stage, what happened on the first day of Report Stage, how amendments are selected and grouped, on which amendments a decision can still be taken, and the likely sequence of events this Friday, including whether a final vote will take place.

Submissions / Parliamentary scrutiny of treaties - Our evidence to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee

Our evidence on treaty scrutiny has been published by the House of Lords International Agreements Committee. Our submission outlines the problems with the existing framework for treaty scrutiny and why legislative and cultural change are needed to improve Parliament's scrutiny role. Our evidence joins calls for a parliamentary consent vote for the most significant agreements, a stronger role for Parliament in shaping negotiating mandates and monitoring progress, and a sifting committee tasked with determining which agreements warrant the greatest scrutiny.

Submissions / Framework legislation and Henry VIII powers: Our evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee 2025

The Hansard Society provided written evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee as part of its inquiry into framework legislation and Henry VIII powers. Our Director subsequently gave oral evidence to the Committee on XXX. Our written evidence and a transcript of the oral evidence session are included on this page. Our evidence argued that

Briefings / Assisted dying - The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Rolling news

Submissions / Status and rights of independent MPs in Parliament – Our evidence to the House of Commons Procedure Committee

Submissions / Evidence to the House of Commons Modernisation Committee: Priorities and strategic aims

Briefings / The assisted dying bill: How does the amendment process work?

Journal

Journal / The evolution of election campaigning: Insights from Parliamentary Affairs

How have election campaign strategies evolved over the past 15 years to shape today's political landscape? This special collection of articles from our journal, Parliamentary Affairs, highlights the increasing sophistication and personalisation of national and constituency-level campaigns. It explores how political parties target key voter groups, leverage constituency visits from party leaders for electoral gains, and increasingly rely on digital campaigning.

Journal / Parliamentary Affairs call for papers: Special section on the state of British politics in 2024/5

This call for papers is for a special section of Parliamentary Affairs on the state of British politics in 2024/5. It will identify the key institutions, issues and challenges that need to be addressed by any new Government taking over in 2025, following the general election expected at the end of 2024.

Journal / Marking 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement – Parliamentary Affairs special collection

To mark 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, we have curated a special collection of articles from our journal Parliamentary Affairs. The articles cover a range of themes, from devolution and the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly to peacebuilding, consociation and women's rights.

Journal / Marking 20 years since Parliament approved military action in Iraq – Parliamentary Affairs special collection

To mark 20 years since the House of Commons voted to approve military action in Iraq on 18 March 2003, we have curated a special collection of articles from our journal Parliamentary Affairs. The articles cover a range of themes from the Hutton Inquiry and the Iraq Dossier to war powers and the Government's use of secret intelligence.

Journal / Parliamentary Affairs 75th Anniversary special collection on House of Lords reform

To mark the Parliamentary Affairs 75th Anniversary Lecture, delivered by the Speaker of the House of Lords on the topic of reform of the Upper House, we have curated a special collection of articles from the journal archives, exploring Lords reform from unique perspectives and different historical contexts since the journal's inaugural issue in December 1947.

Latest / Highlights

Britain Votes: The 2024 General Election

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