At our AGM we will be updating Members on the work of the Society and looking ahead to the next year. Our guest speaker is political journalist Michael Crick, who will be talking about his Tomorrow's MPs project, tracking candidate selection processes for the next general election.
6:00-7:30pm, 14 March 2023
This is a Members only hybrid event: in person at our base in Westminster and on Zoom.
The agenda and associated papers for the meeting will be sent direct to Members in advance of the meeting. Our Annual Report for the year ending 31 December 2021 is available for immediate download.
Approval of the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting
Report of the Directors and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021
Appointment of Auditors
Re-appointment of Trustees
Reflections on the last year and future plans: update by the Rt Hon the Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Chair) and Dr Ruth Fox (Director) followed by Q & A.
Michael will be talking about his @TomorrowsMPs project, shedding light on the candidate selection processes for the next general election. He is tracking when and how parties pick candidates for Westminster seats and who is being selected where. He will be sharing his insights into the next generation of future members of the House of Commons (and therefore future Government Ministers), what the selections tell us about the contenders, the winners and the state of the political parties locally and nationally. He will also be reflecting on the challenges he has faced in lifting the lid on the selection processes underway in 650 constituencies across the country.
Michael Crick is a political journalist who has worked for Channel 4 News, Channel 4 Dispatches, LBC Radio, BBC Panorama, BBC Newsnight and MailPlus. He recently launched a new podcast, Mugshots, profiling the people who make the headlines and shape our world. He is also the author of several books, including biographies of the Hansard Society’s former Chair, Professor Sir David Butler, and most recently of Nigel Farage.
In our latest ‘Whipping Yarn’, we talk with Simon Hart, former Conservative Chief Whip during Rishi Sunak’s Premiership. Hart opens up about his time in one of Westminster’s most demanding and discreet roles, chronicled in his new book, ‘Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip’.
If a crisis or major national event occurs during a period when Parliament is adjourned, there are often demands from MPs, the media and the public for Parliament to be ‘recalled’. But the House of Commons Standing Orders stipulate that only Government Ministers - in reality, the Prime Minister - can ask the Speaker to recall the House. In recent years the House of Lords has generally been recalled at the same time as the House of Commons.
In response to the Modernisation Committee's call for views on 17 October 2024, we submitted evidence outlining key areas we believe the Committee should prioritise. Our submission recommended a focus on: strengthening legislative scrutiny, with particular emphasis on reforming the delegated legislation system; enhancing financial scrutiny, especially in relation to the Budget and the Estimates; addressing strategic gaps in parliamentary scrutiny; making more effective use of parliamentary time; and reviewing the Standing Orders, language and rituals of the House of Commons.
This briefing explains what to watch for during the Second Reading debate of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 29 November. It outlines the procedural and legislative issues that will come into play: the role of the Chair in managing the debate and how procedures such as the 'closure' and 'reasoned amendments' work. It looks ahead to the Committee and Report stage procedures that will apply if the Bill progresses beyond Second Reading. It also examines the government's responsibilities, such as providing a money resolution for the Bill and preparing an Impact Assessment, while addressing broader concerns about the adequacy of Private Members’ Bill procedures for scrutinising controversial issues.
In this ninth instalment of our special mini-podcast series, we continue to explore the latest developments in the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, often referred to as the assisted dying bill. We are joined by Dr Marie Tidball MP to discuss the amendments she has secured for a Disability Advisory Board and an independent advocate for people with learning disabilities.
