Events / Spaces

Holding regulators to account: Parliament and the Financial Services and Markets Bill

31 Aug 2022
Canary Wharf at dusk

If regulators gain new powers laid out in the Financial Services and Markets Bill, how can Parliament hold them to account? Listen to our research team discuss this and more on Twitter Spaces.

[Ended] 12pm, Wednesday 31 August

The Financial Services and Markets Bill is scheduled for its Second Reading on Wednesday 7 September. To help you understand the Bill's approach to delegated powers and Retained EU Law (REUL), the Hansard Society research team held a free Twitter Space covering a number of key questions, including:

  • What are the Government's proposals for modifying and revoking Retained EU Law relating to financial services?

  • How can Parliament hold financial services regulators to account given the new powers laid out in the Bill?

  • How does the Bill fit within the wider delegated legislation system?

News / Whipping Yarns: A Chief Whip's tale - A conversation with former Chief Whip Simon Hart - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 87

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’.

11 Apr 2025
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Guides / How is Parliament recalled?

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.

07 Aug 2024
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Submissions / Evidence to the House of Commons Modernisation Committee: Priorities and strategic aims

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.

01 Apr 2025
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Briefings / The Assisted Dying Bill: A guide to the Private Member's Bill process

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.

27 Nov 2024
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News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #9 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 85

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.

28 Mar 2025
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