Matthew England

Legislative Oversight of the Armed Forces Which civilians play the most important roles in controlling the armed forces?

Which civilians play the most important roles in controlling the armed forces?

This Thursday, join @plagasse.bsky.social, Dominic Grieve and @profveronika.bsky.social to discuss Philippe Lagassé's new book, Overseen or Overlooked? Legislators, Armed Forces, and Democratic Accountability.

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In a world of rising instability, with ministers and military leaders warning of growing conflict risks, parliamentary oversight of the armed forces is more vital than ever. This event with international expert @plagasse.bsky.social will be interesting.

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If we can’t even talk in general terms about MPs’ workload- which MPs of all parties agree is v casework- heavy and getting heavier- without a lot of responses being to assume that MPs are not telling the truth/just whinging/ working on the wrong things etc- then I think we’re in a bad place

MONDAY: What's coming up in Parliament today?

🕵️ Ministerial Statement on China spying case
🏥 General debate on baby loss
👮 Peers debate Border Security Bill
🏠 Housing Secretary faces questions from MPs

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What are the Usual Channels? A short history of Westminster whipping - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 108 In this episode, we talk to political journalist Seb Whale about his new book, The Usual Channels, which reveals the hidden world of Westminster’s whips. Seb charts how party discipline has evolved –…

LATEST PODCAST | What are the Usual Channels? A short history of Westminster whipping

We talk to @sebwhale.bsky.social about his new book, pulling back the curtain on one of Westminster's most notorious elements: the Whips.

Listen below 🔽
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1/ Concerns are rising in Westminster over the Chagos deal and the UK’s trade agreements with the US, EU & India.

If we want better economic, trade and foreign-policy decisions, MPs need the tools – and the will – to hold government to account. 👇

Treaty scrutiny: addressing the accountability gap In this guest blog, Lord Goldsmith KC, Chair of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee (IAC), sets out the findings of the Committee’s latest report urging reform of Parliament's…

BLOG | Treaty scrutiny: addressing the accountability gap

In this guest blog, chair of @HLIntAgreements Lord Goldsmith KC outlines the Committee’s new report calling for stronger parliamentary oversight of treaties.

Read the blog post below 🔽

www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/treaty-...

Assisted dying bill: What will happen at Second Reading on Friday 19 September? The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - the Bill to legalise assisted dying - has passed through the House of Commons and now reached the House of Lords. A rare two-day Second Reading debate…

BLOG | What will happen at this Friday's assisted dying bill debate?

With the Second Reading debate resuming this Friday, we explain the motions and amendments on which the House of Lords will vote, and how these may impact later stages.

Read below 🔽

www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/assiste...

MONDAY: What's coming up in Parliament today?

🟢 Employment Rights Bill (Lords amendments)
🔴 Planning and Infrastructure Bill (Committee)
🏫 Westminster Hall: Debate on SEND reform

More detail below 🔽
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The assisted dying bill: A guide to the legislative process in the House of Lords Having passed through the House of Commons, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales - must now go through its legislative stages in the…

🚨 NEW BRIEFING: The assisted dying bill – The House of Lords legislative process

We explain how the Lords will consider the Bill:
⚖️ Constitutional issues
🚫 Five ways peers could say no
🗓️ Timing & debates
📜 Each stage of the Bill

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Today the House of Commons will debate the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill. The Government will seek to reverse four amendments made to the Bill by the House of Lords.

Read more about those amendments in our weekly Bulletin 🔽
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Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 1-5 September 2025 Four Cabinet ministers will face questions in the Commons on pressing issues, including Gaza, the Chagos Islands, people smuggling, grooming gangs, employment numbers and rising water bills. In the…

MONDAY: What's coming up in Parliament today?

📣 Urgent Questions and Statements on Palestine and asylum policy
🚅 Debates on regional transport inequality and devolution in Scotland
🏠 Lords debate Planning and Infrastructure Bill

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🧵1/ Something appears to have gone wrong with a new piece of legislation (and shows why even Government departments should be using our Statutory Instrument Tracker!) Here's what happened 👇

And seems to still be there for September 1's Order Paper, as well.

The Government appears to have made an affirmative SI - specifically, a legislative reform order requiring approval by both Houses - before it has been approved by the Commons. Maybe I'm missing something?

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/91...

Here, Nick and I take a wider lens on devolution: its history, underlying policies & principles to expand on our point in part 1 (share.google/reJPFVN4Uqp3...).

The UKSC's concept of parliamentary power vis-à-vis devolved lawmaking is problematic, impractical & should be abandoned asap.

Leader of the Commons rules out reviewing parliamentary prayers Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell MP has ruled out a review of parliamentary prayers stating Parliament remains ‘attached to the Church of England, and that’s sort of important’. Humanists UK...

Disappointing to hear the Leader of the Commons rule out a review of parliamentary prayers. For a modern, diverse UK, our parliament should reflect all constituents, not a minority. Reform in the way of an inclusive secular ceremony desperately needed. humanists.uk/2025/07/03/l...

🧵 Thank you to @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social for highlighting our "informative" Parliament Matters Bulletin in the latest post for his Substack, A Lawyer Writes. We are glad it’s proving useful!

Read this week's Bulletin here: buff.ly/0vYf1qq

I was interviewed on Today in Parliament on Radio 4 on Friday, discussing how the assisted dying bill might fare in the House of Lords.

Listen here (around 7 mins in): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Stop in the Law of the Name! Nominative Lawmaking, Populism and Justice Nominative laws—laws named after particular victims of violence or injustice such as Martyn's Law, Sarah's Law and Awaab's Law—have become increasingly prominent in the UK. In this article, we offer ...

New Publication with @leejarvis.bsky.social and @michaellister.bsky.social outlining the phenomenon that we have dubbed 'nominative laws'. The Article is available Open Access via the link below.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

3. Royal Albert Hall Bill

The Chair of Ways and Means, Nusrat Ghani, has forced a debate on a private bill which is needed to change the Royal Albert Hall's governance arrangements. This follows Sir Christopher Chope's repeated efforts to prevent the controversial bill proceeding without a debate.

2. Deprivation of Citizenship

The Government will attempt to use primary legislation to reverse a Supreme Court judgment. The judgment said that a deprivation of citizenship order has no effect as soon as a court finds it unlawful and cannot remain in effect while the Government appeals it.

1. Privilege motion

The Omagh Bombing inquiry has petitioned Parliament for a transcript of private oral evidence given in 2009. As the transcript is protected by parliamentary privilege, the Privileges Committee will be asked to decide whether to release it.

Uncommon law MPs to debate three tricky legal issues today

Excellent blogpost from @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social this morning (with credits to the Hansard Society's newsletter!).

As he highlights, there are three interesting events in the Commons today, each of which will put the sovereignty of Parliament on display.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/uncommon-law

Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 14-18 July 2025 MPs will consider a rare privilege motion relating to a request from the Omagh Bombing inquiry, while the Conservatives will choose the topic for Tuesday’s Opposition Day debate. Select Committees…

MONDAY: What's coming up in Parliament today?

🧑‍⚖️ Deprivation of Citizenship Orders Bill
🪖 E-petition debate on Northern Irelanr veterans
🏠 Deputy PM Angela Rayner faces oral questions
💼 Peers debate Employment Rights Bill

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Parliament Matters: A podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy Join two of the UK’s leading parliamentary experts, Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox, as they guide you through the often mysterious ways our politicians do business and explore the running controversies…

🎉 Parliament Matters podcast hits 100 episodes tomorrow!

Across 100 episodes, we've heard insights from politicians, academics, historians, and others about the institution at the heart of our democracy: Parliament.

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OUT TOMORROW - One year on: How is Parliament performing?

In our next episode, we look at where Parliament, the Government and the legislative programme stand after one year.

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🔽An interesting thread below from @conunitucl.bsky.social on proposals to limit the size of the House of Lords, which will be the subject of an amendment to the Hereditary Peers Bill put to peers this evening.

Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 7-11 July 2025 The Government’s welfare bill will return to the Commons, where several provisions will be removed or amended. The Hereditary Peers Bill will continue its Report Stage in the Lords. MPs will debate…

WEDNESDAY: What's coming up in Parliament today?

📊 Universal Credit and Personal Independence Bill (Remaining Stages)
🔴 Hereditary Peers Bill (House of Lords, Report Stage)
❔ Prime Minister's Questions

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🚨 The Hereditary Peers Bill will see its second and final day of Report Stage in the House of Lords today.

Our weekly Bulletin looked at the significant amendments agreed so far, and which amendments are set to be debated next.

Read the section below🔽
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