Events

The EU (Withdrawal) Bill: Principles, Powers and Parliaments

1 Jul 2017
EU flag missing a star, symbolising Brexit

On 12 September, the day after the EU (Withdrawal) Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons, this major one-day public event brought together leading parliamentarians and legal and constitutional specialists from across the UK to discuss the critical issues raised by the Bill and its prospects in the UK’s parliaments and assemblies.

are available on the UK in a Changing Europe website.

Professor Anand Menon, Director, ESRC UK in a Changing Europe

The Government's approach

  • Daniel Denman, Director, Legal Advisors, Department for Exiting the EU

Legislating for Brexit: the issues

  • Professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, Anniversary Chair in Law, Queen Mary University of London

  • Chair: Dr Ruth Fox, Director and Head of Research, Hansard Society

  • Michael P. Clancy OBE, Director, Law Reform, Law Society of Scotland

  • Professor Mark Elliott, Professor of Public Law, University of Cambridge; Legal Adviser, House of Lords Constitution Committee

  • Lord Lisvane, Member, House of Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee; former Clerk of the House of Commons

  • Chair: Marie Demetriou QC, Brick Court Chambers

  • Professor Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Union Law, Cambridge University, and ESRC UK in a Changing Europe

  • Martha Spurrier, Director, Liberty

  • Chair: Professor Dan Wincott, Professor of Law and Society, Wales Governance Centre, Cardiff University

  • Professor Colin Harvey, Professor of Human Rights Law, Queen's University Belfast, and ESRC UK in a Changing Europe

  • Dr Jo Hunt, Reader in Law, Cardiff University, and ESRC UK in a Changing Europe

  • Professor Stephen Tierney, Professor of Constitutional Theory, Edinburgh University, and ESRC UK in a Changing Europe; Legal Adviser, House of Lords Constitution Committee

  • Chair: Professor Richard Rawlings, Professor of Public Law, University College London, and Honorary Distinguished Professor, School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University

A panel (subject to parliamentary business) including:

  • Hilary Benn MP, Chair, House of Commons Committee on Exiting the EU (Labour)

  • Sir Bill Cash MP, previous Chair, House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee (Conservative)

  • Joanna Cherry QC MP, Member, House of Commons Committee on Exiting the EU (SNP)

  • Dr Stephen Farry MLA, Deputy Leader and Brexit spokesman, Alliance Party

  • Eluned Morgan AM, Baroness Morgan of Ely, Member, National Assembly for Wales External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee (Labour)

The event is funded by the ESRC UK in a Changing Europe initiative, and co-convened by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre and the Hansard Society.

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 8-12 December 2025

Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces questions in the Chamber and before the Treasury Committee about the Budget. MPs debate the Railways Bill for the first time, continue “ping-pong” on the Employment Rights Bill, and are expected to conclude proceedings on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The Conservative Party chooses the topic for Wednesday’s Opposition Day debate. In the Lords, Peers debate the English Devolution Bill, continue Committee scrutiny of the Crime and Policing Bill and of the assisted dying bill. Select Committees probe the Afghan data breach, Bank of England interest rates, and problems with the Whole of Government Accounts, and take evidence from the Energy Secretary and the Leader of the House.

07 Dec 2025
Read more

News / 2024: The year our party system finally broke? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 118

This week we spotlight our new book Britain Votes 2024, featuring research by leading political scientists such as public opinion expert Professor Sir John Curtice. We explore how Labour secured a landslide on just a third of the vote, why the election broke so many records, and what these reveal about the fragility of UK democracy. We also cover the Budget fallout, the role of the Treasury Committee in the appointment of the new head of the OBR, more backbench dissent, ex-MPs shifting to the Greens and Reform, and a brewing row over delayed mayoral elections.

05 Dec 2025
Read more

News / 101 resolutions and a Finance Bill. How the Budget becomes law - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 117

It’s Budget week, so we look at what happens after the Chancellor sits down and how the days announcements are converted into the Finance Bill. We speak to Lord Ricketts, Chair of the European Affairs Committee, about whether Parliament is prepared to scrutinise the “dynamic alignment” with EU laws that may emerge from the Government’s reset with Brussels. And we explore the latest twists in the assisted dying bill story, where a marathon battle is looming in the New Year after the Government allocated 10 additional Friday sittings for its scrutiny. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

28 Nov 2025
Read more

News / Is the House of Lords going slow on the assisted dying bill? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 116

In this episode we look at the latest Covid Inquiry report addressing the lack of parliamentary scrutiny during the pandemic and the need for a better system for emergency law-making. With the Budget approaching, we explore how the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, might discipline ministers who announce policies outside Parliament and why a little-known motion could restrict debate on the Finance Bill. Sir David Beamish assesses whether the flood of amendments to the assisted dying bill risks a filibuster and raises constitutional questions. Finally, we hear from Marsha de Cordova MP and Sandro Gozi MEP on their work to reset UK–EU relations through the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

22 Nov 2025
Read more

Blog / The assisted dying bill: Is the number of Lords amendments a parliamentary record?

The assisted dying bill has attracted an extraordinary number of amendments in the House of Lords, prompting questions about whether the volume is unprecedented. This blog examines how its amendment count compares with other bills in the current Session, and what the historical data shows about previous amendment-heavy legislation.

20 Nov 2025
Read more