Events / Members

The Modernisation Committee’s potential for reform

19 Nov 2024
Kemi Badenoch faces Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on 11 December 2024. © House of Commons
© House of Commons

The House of Commons has appointed a new Modernisation Committee and issued a call for views on what it should address.

So what is the Modernisation Committee, and what should it be doing?

Our Director, Dr Ruth Fox, led Hansard Society members in an online discussion on Modernisation Committee reforms.

6:30-7:45pm, Tuesday 19 November 2024 online via Zoom

This is a meeting for Hansard Society members and their friends. Not already a member of the Hansard Society? Join us now!

A new Modernisation Committee has been established to explore potential reforms to the House of Commons’ procedures, standards and working practices.

Chaired by the Leader of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, the Committee has issued a call for views. We invite members and their friends to join us in discussing the Society’s planned response. Whether you have views of your own, would like to ask questions, or would simply like to hear what others think, this is a key moment in the parliamentary cycle for us all to reflect and shape the Hansard Society’s contribution to the debate.

Dr Ruth Fox is Director of the Hansard Society and co-host of our weekly Parliament Matters podcast. Ruth’s research focuses on parliamentary strengthening, constitutional reform, and public attitudes to politics. She is the co-author of The Devil is in the Detail: Parliament and Delegated Legislation, the first detailed study of the parliamentary scrutiny of delegated legislation for decades. She regularly gives evidence to parliamentary select committees and contributes to a wide range of current affairs programmes on radio and television, commentating on parliamentary process and political reform.

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.

07 Feb 2026
Read more

News / A Humble Address: How MPs confronted the Mandelson scandal - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 130

It has been a bruising week for the Prime Minister after the House of Commons backed a Conservative “Humble Address” demanding documents on Sir Keir Starmer’s vetting of Lord Mandelson for the Washington Ambassadorship. We explain how the procedure works, what role the Intelligence and Security Committee may play in decisions on disclosure, and how legislation to strip a peerage could be introduced. Plus, the latest on the Restoration and Renewal of Parliament as yet another report lands with a new set of costings. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

06 Feb 2026
Read more

News / Why MPs can’t just quit: The curious case of the Chiltern Hundreds - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 129

Why can’t MPs simply resign, and why does leaving the House of Commons still involve a medieval-sounding detour via the Chiltern Hundreds or its less glamorous cousin the Manor of Northstead? This week we unravel the history, constitutional logic and legal fudges behind this curious workaround, with some memorable resignations from the past along the way. We also assess the Government’s legislative programme as the Session heads toward its expected May close, including the striking lack of bills published for pre-legislative scrutiny. Finally, as Parliament begins the five-yearly process of renewing consent for the UK’s armed forces, we examine why an Armed Forces Bill is required and hear from Jayne Kirkham MP on how her Ten Minute Rule Bill helped extend the new Armed Forces Commissioner’s oversight to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

01 Feb 2026
Read more

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

As the assisted dying bill grinds through the House of Lords under the weight of more than a thousand amendments, Lord Falconer has signalled that time is running out. With the Bill unlikely to complete its Lords stages this Session, he has openly raised the possibility of using the Parliament Act to override the upper House in the next Session. In this episode we explore what that would mean, how it could work in practice, and the political choices now facing ministers and Parliament. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

30 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Who really sets MPs’ pay – And why you might be wrong about it. A conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of IPSA - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 126

What are MPs actually paid and what does the public fund to help them do their job? In this conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) we explore the delicate balance between supporting MPs to do their jobs effectively and enforcing strict standards on the use of public money. We discuss how IPSA has shifted from a rule-heavy “traffic cop” to a principles-based regulator, why compliance is now very high, and the security risks and pressures facing MPs‘ offices as workloads rise and abuse becomes more common. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ACAST | YouTube | Other apps | RSS

21 Jan 2026
Read more