News

News and coverage

News, press releases, selected coverage, and media appearances and contributions.

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Hansard Society staff are happy to speak to the media about our research and recommendations. The Society’s research team features regularly in broadcast, print and online media, and staff write and contribute to news and comment articles.

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 1-5 September 2025

Four Cabinet ministers will face questions in the Commons on pressing issues, including Gaza, the Chagos Islands, people smuggling, grooming gangs, employment numbers and rising water bills. In the Lords, peers will scrutinise the Government’s approach to the Palestinian Territories, gilt yields and implementation of the Football Governance Act 2025. MPs will debate three bills while peers take up four more, alongside four Commons Private Members’ Bills. On the committee corridor, Jesse Norman, Shabana Mahmood and Alex Chalk give evidence, while the new Bishop of Coventry, Sophie Jelley, is introduced to the House of Lords. ❓ We value your thoughts. Please click here to let us know what you think of the Parliament Matters Bulletin in our reader survey.

31 Aug 2025
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News / Prime Minister's Questions: Westminster's weekly gladiatorial combat - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 104

Every Wednesday at noon, the House of Commons chamber comes alive with Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), the loudest, most theatrical half-hour in British politics. To some it’s democratic accountability; to others, a raucous playground of yah-boo antics. Loved and loathed in equal measure, PMQs is Parliament’s weekly shop window, offering a revealing glimpse of how Britain does politics. In this episode, we explore its history, purpose, and international impact, including why France briefly trialled it last year only to drop the idea. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

29 Aug 2025
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News / Prime Minister's Questions: Westminster's weekly gladiatorial combat - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 104 transcript

Every Wednesday at noon, the House of Commons chamber comes alive with Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), the loudest, most theatrical half-hour in British politics. To some it’s democratic accountability; to others, a raucous playground of yah-boo antics. Loved and loathed in equal measure, PMQs is Parliament’s weekly shop window, offering a revealing glimpse of how Britain does politics. In this episode, we explore its history, purpose, and international impact, including why France briefly trialled it last year only to drop the idea. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

29 Aug 2025
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News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #15 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 103 transcript

On Friday 12 September, the House of Lords will debate the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. We explore what lies ahead for the Bill in the Upper House with Sir David Beamish, former Clerk of the Parliaments – the Lords’ most senior official. Sharing an insider’s guide to the Chamber’s unique, self-regulating procedures, Sir David explains how the legislative process differs from the Commons, and what that could mean for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’s potentially long and contested passage. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

13 Aug 2025
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News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #15 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 103

On Friday 12 September, the House of Lords will debate the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. We explore what lies ahead for the Bill in the Upper House with Sir David Beamish, former Clerk of the Parliaments – the Lords’ most senior official. Sharing an insider’s guide to the Chamber’s unique, self-regulating procedures, Sir David explains how the legislative process differs from the Commons, and what that could mean for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’s potentially long and contested passage. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

13 Aug 2025
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