Lovely to talk to Trevor Phillips on Times Radio just now about MPs and their occupations - and for once say something positive about how difficult the job is!

After the recent prorogation and subsequent State Opening of Parliament, Dr Kathryn Rix takes us back to 1834, where four prorogations took place in the same year! However, as she explores, not all these prorogations happened in the same place: @victoriancommons.bsky.social

The start of the Chelsea Flower Show this week (and the weekend's forecast sunshine!) has got our director @jhdavey.bsky.social thinking about the parliamentary history of gardening... Read all about it in our latest 'Scribble Book' post, over on Substack:

This parliamentary milestone seems like an opportune moment to share our assistant editor @kathrynrix.bsky.social's research on the 23 parliamentarians commemorated in the Commons chamber for their deaths while on Second World War service: historyofparliament.com/2025/11/07/m...

📣Join us for Oral History Festival 2026! 📆4 July, Nottingham A full day of interactive workshops exploring the many ways of doing and using oral history, from emotional labour and wellbeing, to co-production, creative storytelling, and LGBTQ+ archiving. 🎟️Find out more: ohs.org.uk/oral-history...

The exhibit to commemorate the centenary of the British General Strike launched last Friday at @newcastleuni.bsky.social Phillip Robinson Library. A later installation will also feature oral histories collected that explore themes of postmemory and the meaning of 1926 within current trade unions.

As debates following the King's Speech continue in Parliament today, on our website Dr Paul Hunneyball has been looking into the ceremony of the state opening in the early modern period. Read the article here:

Our very own Tom Chidwick is mentioned in today’s @thetimes.com Diary! While Heath denied the ‘monstrous allegations made about a lack of courtesy shown in my own home’, his friends conceded that he hadn’t accompanied Thatcher to the door so they wouldn’t be photographed together …

speaking of State Openings, back in 2022 @pseaward.bsky.social and I tried to find the earliest instance of the "government whip held as a hostage" story, and couldn't trace it earlier than the 70s. A little advance - here it is in 1966.

Tomorrow, MPs and Peers will gather in Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament, where the three arms of parliament - the Monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons - meet. But what exactly is this ceremony? Find out more below.

Tomorrow's state opening of Parliament will be a fresh opportunity for members of the House of Lords to sport their finest. In the 18th century, some peers made a conscious effort to wear tired, old robes, to emphasize the antiquity of their titles: historyofparliament.com/2026/04/01/r... #HistParl

The full interview transcripts are available on our website along with this blog piece from me summarising the main themes.

Today at the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, we publish a brand new set of Ministers Reflect interviews with Steve Baker, Gillian Keegan and Danny Alexander. They discussed what makes for effective ministerial leadership, the challenges of the role and their proudest achievements in post...

In 1415, three conspirators were executed for their role in the Southampton Plot, an attempt to usurp Henry V. Although two of the plotter’s motives were clear, Dr Simon Payling explores how Henry, Lord Scrope of Marsham’s intentions are harder to ascertain.

Today voters across Scotland, Wales and England head to the polls in a major set of local and devolved elections. So what can we expect – and why do these elections matter? Follow our 2026 local and devolved elections hub for our analysis www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/our-work/top...

It was lovely to speak to Matt Chorley again yesterday about politicians smoking (really do need to find a media outlet that will let me say how hard working MPs all are or something!) And great to make it on to his podcast! It's here about 23minutes in: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Due to speak to Matt Chorley on Radio 5live shortly about smoking in parliament. With last week all about politicians' drinking I'm going to have to find some of political virtues to talk about soon!

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! Today it’s the 2nd part of David’s conversation with historian @robertsaunders.bsky.social about the meaning of the 1926 General Strike on its 100th anniversary. How did the strike end and what are the prospects for a general strike today? Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

In case you missed it, @jhdavey.bsky.social's latest post for 'Scribble Book' explored the origins of the early May Bank Holiday, and the that made it happen. Click the link below to read and subscribe!

In the early hours of 4 May 1926, the General Strike began. It brought the nation to a standstill for 9 days, and had lasting legacies for Britain's parliamentary democracy. Read @alfiesteer.bsky.social's latest article to find out more.

For a quick overview of the early history of Hansard (and some of its rivals), see this post from our editor Dr Philip Salmon: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2017/11/17/r...

Hansard’s complete record of parliamentary proceedings is now available online 📚 Browse the official report ➡️ hansard.parliament.uk/commons

A century and a half of history encased in more than 1,500 archive boxes After three years, conservation and cataloguing of the archives of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has been completed...

Today is May Day, an ancient European festival celebrating the beginning of summer. May Day traditions (such as Maypole dancing) were reintroduced in the 19th century, and feature frequently in British political cartoons. Read @srwride.bsky.social guest article to find out more!

I was really happy to speak to Susan Hulme for Yesterday in Parliament about my piece on historic drinking at Westminster, with some more archive recordings (including Alan Clark vs Clare Short). The section is 19 minutes in: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

‘Philly’ or ’Filly’ was enslaved in Guyana by the father of Peter McLagan, Scotland’s first Black MP. @martinspychal.bsky.social explores Philly’s life in Barbados and Guyana before, and after, the abolition of slavery, and considers whether Philly could have been Peter McLagan's mother.

This ties in well with the theme of the first Parliaments, Politics and People seminar of summer term. @brendantam.bsky.social will be speaking about political sociability in late Hanoverian Britain. Find out here how to join in person or online on Tues 5 May: historyofparliament.com/2026/04/29/t...

Seems a very quiet end today for hereditary peers to sit in the Lords as herditary peers. Our oral history archive has great material on the first reform in 1999: I'm not sure anyone expected this compromise to last for nearly 30 years! historyofparliament.com/2025/04/30/t...

In one sense this really is a major reform* (the initial removal of most hereditary peers happened almost 30 years ago!); though of course questions about more fundamental Lords reform remain *(Note a few of the hereditary peers being removed are now likely to be made life peers)

As a companion read to this excellent piece, we offer Dr Philip Salmon's overview of the place played by drink at Victorian elections: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2021/04/23/p...

Loved writing this piece on drinking in Westminster. It's one of those topics that really highlights how our oral history project gets behind the scenes into the culture in parliament. There's so much on this in the archive, considering writing it up in a full article.

Isn't it a shame that we don't have a department of the government that deals with foreign affairs, and that trains people to be diplomats, so that the PM could only consider former Labour politicians as ambassador in Washington, rather than choosing from a selection of expert, trained individuals

On 27 April 1992, Betty Boothroyd became the first female Speaker of the House of Commons. To mark the anniversary we are resharing this #HistParl article by @emmapeplow.bsky.social, featuring clips from Boothroyd's interview as part of our Oral History project.

We have loads of brilliant MP interviews at the moment so spending ages listening (ranging from Neil Hamilton to Ian Blackford or Sarah Wollaston). Drawback is every time someone gets into the drama over the hunting ban I'm left incredibly melancholic about the peaceful, prosperous world we lost...

Great excitement in the #HistParl office as our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones gets her hands on a print copy of her special issue of Parliamentary History. It's currently free to access online here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17500206...

On 3 April 1721, Robert Walpole became First Lord of the Treasury. Read Dr Robin Eagles' article for #HistParl to find out more about Walpole's rise to power.

So excited to see my and Priscila's article on Sharing authority in elite interviews out in the latest issue of Oral History. Big thanks to @oralhistsoc.bsky.social for publishing (and what an honour to be in that line up)! OHS Journals share.google/9syTq9aQSvtg...

So excited to see my and Priscila's article on Sharing authority in elite interviews out in the latest issue of Oral History. Big thanks to @oralhistsoc.bsky.social for publishing (and what an honour to be in that line up)! OHS Journals share.google/9syTq9aQSvtg...

David Lloyd George, Prime Minister between 1916-22, died on 26 March 1945. His rise to the premiership came about following a dramatic split in the Liberal Party. Find out more in this article by @emmapeplow.bsky.social.

🚨Job klaxon 🚨 Come and be my colleague at York! We're looking for an Associate Lecturer in Modern British History and Public History. Two year post - apply by 19 March. 🗃️ More details here www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQO971/a...

In this Open Access article, @drdavesteele.bsky.social explores bodily and sensory experiences in the crowds formed by the reform movement from 1816-1848, offering new perspectives on the lived experience of popular politics and the mass platform. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

About to start a new interview for the @histparl.bsky.social oral history project and no matter how many times I've done this it is still really nerve wracking! You'd think I'd be used to it by now...

The History of Parliament is excited to announce a new 8-week internship position for postgraduate-level researchers, working with the House of Lords 1640-60 section. Follow the link below for more details on the role, and how to apply!

Later this year, Dr Robin Eagles of the Georgian Lords will be speaking at the University of Nottingham as part of their 'We the People' exhibition, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. #HistParl www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/a-revo...

Reporting the General Strike We're looking ahead to May! As the centenary of Britain's 'Great Hold-Up' approaches, we've added more sources to our General Strike digitised collection 550+ strike bulletins, leaflets, reports, radio transcripts and more at warwick.ac.uk/services/lib...

As part of a new series for Scribble Book, exploring the history of women in Parliament, @jhdavey.bsky.social has explored the career of Kay Midwinter, Parliament's first female clerk. Read and subscribe via the link below!

The Whig prime minister Earl Grey was born #OnThisDay 1764. This short article from our editor Philip Salmon explores the formation of his ministry in November 1830. www.historyofparliamentonline.org/periods/mode...

Very pleased to announce that TAKE YOUR RESEARCH PUBLIC is back for 2026. It's a practical course supporting PhD students and academics working on historical topics to translate their work into public-facing scholarship. Runs 2-23 June online. Apply by 20 April @dcahf-met.bsky.social

The passage of the Hereditary Peers Bill in the Lords yesterday means an end to 366 unbroken years of membership of Parliament by peers claiming their seats by hereditary right. If one overlooks the hiatus of 1649-1660, their participation dates back to the very beginning of parliaments. #HistParl