Why did Nigel Farage's Ten Minute Rule Bill fail? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 112

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Why did Nigel Farage's Ten Minute Rule Bill fail? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 112

31 Oct 2025

Nigel Farage’s legislative bid to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights failed but Labour’s hesitant response has raised questions about its strategy against Reform UK. We also discuss Lucy Powell’s election as Labour’s new deputy leader and what it means for the party’s budget battles ahead. Guest Sofia Collignon explores the growing abuse faced by MPs and candidates, and the need for tougher safeguards. Finally, a listener’s question prompts a discussion about the history and purpose of Westminster Hall, the House of Commons’ parallel debating chamber.

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage made headlines this week with his attempt to introduce a Ten Minute Rule Bill to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights. The proposal was swiftly defeated by a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green and Independent MPs, with Lib Dem leader Ed Davey leading the opposition.

In this week’s episode, we look at why Farage’s bill was always doomed to fail, and why Labour’s reluctance to formally whip against it raised eyebrows. Does that hesitation point to a deeper problem – has Labour really absorbed the lesson of the Caerphilly Senedd by-election, where Plaid Cymru took a Labour seat, Reform surged, and Labour’s vote collapsed? If progressive voters are prepared to rally behind whichever party can stop Reform, should Labour be bolder in confronting them directly?

We also consider Lucy Powell’s decisive victory as Labour’s new deputy leader – an unusual role outside government that frees her from collective responsibility and could make her a key power broker in what promises to be a gruelling budget season. How far can a tough fiscal package stretch manifesto promises before trust breaks, and is Keir Starmer in danger of drifting into a “Clegg zone” of broken-promise backlash?

The discussion then turns to the Speaker’s Conference reports on the abuse and intimidation faced by MPs and candidates. Guest Sofia Collignon, from Queen Mary University of London, outlines the full spectrum of harassment – from online threats to in-person intimidation – and explains why women and minority candidates are often targeted most. She explores what could genuinely make a difference: stronger accountability for social media platforms, a dedicated national policing unit, clearer party responsibility for campaign conduct, and improved citizenship education. Drawing on international examples, she argues for firm action that protects democratic participation without shielding politicians from legitimate public scrutiny.

A listener’s question about Westminster Hall sparks a discussion about the history and purpose of the Commons’ parallel debating chamber. Ruth and Mark trace its origins to the late 1990s, when it was created to give MPs more space to raise issues and hold ministers to account. They explain why no votes are taken there, how it provides a forum for petitions, select committee reports and backbench debates, and why some of the Commons’ most-watched debates now happen there.

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Our guests

Sofia Collignon

Sofia Collignon

Dr Sofia Collignon is Reader in Comparative Politics and Deputy Director of the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London, specialising in the study of candidates, elections, parties, and gendered violence against political elites. Her recent research concerns online and offline harassment, gendered political violence, and the intersection of elite politics and public opinion. She joined Queen Mary in 2022 having been Lecturer in Political Communication at Royal Holloway, University of London. Sofia advises national and international governments and non-governmental organisations on key policy and delivery issues, especially related to abuse, harassment and intimidation in public life. Her work has been covered by international media outlets including The Atlantic, The Washington Monthly, The Guardian, Sky News, the BBC, and CNN.

Resources

Speaker's Conference

The Speaker’s Conference on the Security of MPs, Candidates and Elections: final report and announcement (House of Commons, 27 October 2025)

Hansard Society

What is a Ten Minute Rule Bill?

The UK Political Studies Association Specialist Group on Parliaments

Westminster Hall: Parliament's best kept secret?, Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Louise Thompson, 5 January 2025

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There may consequently be minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

Intro: [00:00:00] You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm.

Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. Coming up this week.

Ruth Fox: Why did Nigel Farage's Ten Minute Rule Bill to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights fail? And what does it tell us about the state of politics now?

Mark D'Arcy: After two reports from a special Speakers' Conference, what more can be done to protect MPs and candidates from abuse?

Ruth Fox: Plus, the secret life of Westminster Hall, the MPs' alternative debating Chamber.

Mark D'Arcy: But first, Ruth, there have been a couple of very significant election [00:01:00] results of one sort or another in the past week. Naturally, they were going on while we were recording last week's pod, but there you go. That's show business. The Caerphilly by-election, which was an awful result for Labour and a very good result for Plaid Cymru.

And it has to be said for Reform as well. Plus, of course, the election of Lucy Powell quite convincingly as Labour's new deputy leader behind Angela Rayner, who's obviously now departed from that office and somewhat ahead of the official Labour leadership candidate.

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