Parliament Matters

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 about the way Parliament works. Each week they will analyse how laws are made and ministers held accountable by the people we send to Westminster. They will be debating the topical issues of the day, looking back at key historical events and discussing the latest research on democracy and Parliament. Why? Because whether it's the taxes you pay, or the laws you've got to obey... Parliament matters!


Mark D'Arcy was the BBC's parliamentary correspondent for two decades. Ruth Fox is the Director of the parliamentary think-tank the Hansard Society.



Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust • Founding producer Luke Boga Mitchell; episode producer Richard Townsend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More
Recent Episodes
  • Assisted dying bill: What happened at Report Stage - Day two
    Jun 14, 2025 – 35:43
  • Indefensible? How Government told Parliament about the Strategic Defence Review
    Jun 6, 2025 – 50:28
  • Will Parliament get its teeth into Keir Starmer's trade deals?
    May 23, 2025 – 1:05:17
  • Assisted dying bill: What happened at Report Stage - Day one
    May 17, 2025 – 26:24
  • Spooks, the Ombudsman and the Royal Albert Hall
    May 14, 2025 – 53:36
  • Assisted dying bill – special series #11: A conversation with Kim Leadbeater MP
    May 9, 2025 – 40:51
  • Meet Parliament's human rights watchdog
    May 2, 2025 – 1:01:01
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #10: Understanding Report Stage
    Apr 29, 2025 – 44:30
  • Should Parliament roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump?
    Apr 26, 2025 – 42:07
  • Whipping Yarns: A Chief Whip's tale
    Apr 11, 2025 – 37:23
  • The sentencing guidelines row: A product of poor law-making?
    Apr 4, 2025 – 46:01
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #9: Inside the Public Bill Committee
    Mar 28, 2025 – 30:01
  • Spring Statement: House of Commons tensions grow over the economy
    Mar 28, 2025 – 55:25
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #8: Inside the Public Bill Committee
    Mar 21, 2025 – 35:55
  • Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement: The fallout at Westminster
    Mar 21, 2025 – 55:32
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #7: Inside the Public Bill Committee
    Mar 14, 2025 – 20:57
  • Planning and infrastructure: Should Parliament take more control?
    Mar 14, 2025 – 44:53
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #6: Lessons from New Zealand
    Mar 7, 2025 – 33:59
  • Net Zero and National Security: How can Parliament hold the Government to account?
    Mar 7, 2025 – 55:40
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #5: Inside the Public Bill Committee
    Feb 28, 2025 – 27:44
  • International aid cuts: What is Parliament's role?
    Feb 28, 2025 – 45:59
  • Why is it so difficult to reform parliaments?
    Feb 21, 2025 – 37:33
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #4: Inside the Public Bill Committee
    Feb 14, 2025 – 36:01
  • A WhatsApp purge in Parliament?
    Feb 14, 2025 – 47:18
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #3: Understanding the amendment process
    Feb 7, 2025 – 54:41
  • Assisted dying bill - special series #2: How the Bill was drafted
    Jan 31, 2025 – 44:07
  • Welfare cap breached by £8.6 billion: Do MPs care?
    Jan 31, 2025 – 40:23
  • A withering select committee takedown
    Jan 24, 2025 – 40:41
  • Assisted Dying Bill: Special Series #1
    Jan 24, 2025 – 21:58
  • Should Parliament, rather than Ministers, oversee public inquiries?
    Jan 17, 2025 – 39:06
  • The ‘Musk Factor’: Is the world's richest man driving Parliament's agenda?
    Jan 10, 2025 – 40:03
  • Whipping yarns: A rebel whip’s tale
    Jan 6, 2025 – 41:24
  • Whipping yarns: An SNP Whip’s tale
    Jan 3, 2025 – 29:47
  • Whipping Yarns: A Liberal Democrat whip’s tale
    Dec 30, 2024 – 34:08
  • Parliament’s role in a failed state
    Dec 23, 2024 – 29:41
  • Will Parliament pay a price for promises to WASPI women?
    Dec 20, 2024 – 1:07:16
  • Licence to scrutinise: Spooks, hereditary peers and assisted dying
    Dec 13, 2024 – 50:11
  • Football governance, fair elections, and fantasy reforms Parliament Matters goes live!
    Dec 6, 2024 – 1:07:05
  • How a British student has schooled the US Congress
    Dec 3, 2024 – 22:40
  • Assisted Dying Bill passes Second Reading: What next?
    Nov 29, 2024 – 57:37
  • What's the point of petitioning Parliament?
    Nov 22, 2024 – 58:10
  • The Assisted Dying Bill: Is More Parliamentary Time Needed?
    Nov 15, 2024 – 49:34
  • The Official Opposition: How to be effective in Parliament
    Nov 12, 2024 – 44:37
  • How will Donald Trump’s return reverberate in the UK Parliament?
    Nov 8, 2024 – 52:47
  • Urgent Questions: Answering your questions about how Parliament works
    Nov 6, 2024 – 22:11
  • The Budget: Why aren’t MPs told first?
    Nov 1, 2024 – 50:22
  • Budget rules explained and parliamentary etiquette tips
    Oct 25, 2024 – 1:06:39
  • The end of hereditary peers in the House of Lords?
    Oct 18, 2024 – 55:40
  • Electing party leaders: who should decide?
    Oct 11, 2024 – 1:00:41
  • Select Committee chair elections: who won and can they work together?
    Sep 13, 2024 – 56:46
Recent Reviews
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.