• What does Labour’s recent King’s Speech reveal about their strategy and what are the potential pressure points?

• How do government departments compete for legislative slots, and what role do civil servants play in preparing a new government’s legislative program?

• How does the Prime Minister influence the shaping of the legislative agenda?

• What criteria does the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee use to determine whether a bill is ready to be presented to Parliament, and what preparation is involved?

• Does Labour, with its overwhelming majority, still need a dedicated legislative affairs unit similar to those under Theresa May and Boris Johnson?

• How have legislative tactics in Parliament evolved, and how are MPs adopting sophisticated strategies to craft amendments and leverage media attention?

• How might Labour’s lack of a majority in the House of Lords impact their legislative efforts, and do they need to strengthen their presence in the Upper House?

• What are the complexities surrounding delegated legislation, and what could happen if Parliament begins to push back against the increasing reliance on Statutory Instruments?

• How can the Opposition maximize their impact in Parliament despite limited resources?

Hansard Society

• Proposals for a new system for delegated legislation: A working paper

• What is delegated legislation? FAQs

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There are consequently 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. Timestamps are provided for ease of reference.

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

[00:00:18] Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox

[00:00:24] Mark D’Arcy: And I'm Mark Darcy. Coming up:

[00:00:27] Ruth Fox: We've got a special August bonus episode where we talk to former Director of Legislative Affairs, Nikki da Costa, who served two Prime Ministers in Number 10 Downing Street.

[00:00:35] Mark D’Arcy: So brace yourself for a deep dive into the hidden world of law making, the world of the fabled PBL committee, that's Parliamentary Business and Legislation, which chooses what goes into a King's Speech, and indeed chooses whether it'll go for primary legislation, a full dress parliamentary Bill, or secondary legislation, regulations and orders made under existing laws. Okay, let's listen.

[00:01:08] Well, Ruth and I are very lucky to be joined on the pod today by Nikki da Costa, who used to head up the legislative operation in Downing Street under a series of Conservative prime ministers. She's here to give us an expert view on Labour's King's Speech and discuss how it's going to play in Parliament and indeed what it tells us about how Labour sees Parliament with its massive majority.

[00:01:30] So, Nikki, first of all then, the King's Speech, it's quite a big programme of legislation, but not unprecedentedly so. What are the pressure points that you see in it?