With Parliament now prorogued, one novelty of this session has been Keir Starmer’s longer answers to the ‘engagements’ question at PMQs. The EQ is an established feature of PMQs, but was controversial when introduced in the 1970s, and Harold Wilson referred to it as an 'abuse of the House'. 1/🧵

We are set to enter a new era on 13 May as @alanrenwick.bsky.social takes over from Meg Russell as our Director. Tom Fleming will become Deputy Director and a new lecturer will join us next year. We can also confirm that our annual conference will happen on 24 and 25 June. Read all about it 👇

Wishing our friends at @psa-parliaments.bsky.social a successful #PSA26 conference 🧑‍🏫

The Backbench Business Committee 15 years on: has it given backbench MPs a stronger voice in the House of Commons? from yours truly with @louisevthompson.bsky.social for the @hansardsociety.bsky.social : www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/backben...

Very pleased to see our article on backbench roles in the HoC published in @hansardsociety.bsky.social Parliamentary Affairs. @carolinebha.bsky.social @socialpolicy.bsky.social & I group MPs by activity across 26 measures, identifying 7 roles. It's free to read! academic.oup.com/pa/advance-a...

Remembering David Judge (1950 - 2026). I first met David in 1999. He was such an incredible person, we could do with more Davids in academia. Here is something I wrote when I heard the news last week, published by @psa-parliaments.bsky.social: psaparliaments.org/2026/02/17/r...

Had a fabulous time at the @studyofparl.bsky.social Oxford Weekend!! They say never meet your heroes but I did :p Can't wait for next time, fellow Parliament nerds!

As our annual weekend draws to a close. We just wanted to say thank you to all our panellists, and chairs for their time over the last two days; to all of you who attended (virtually or in person); and also to our organisers. We hope you enjoyed the weekend & safe travels!

We end our annual weekend with a comparative discussion of backbench bill procedures across Westminster, the Senedd, the Commons in Canada and Holyrood, exploring different law‑making models, trade‑offs, & what reform might look like at Westminster and beyond. studyofparliamentgroup.org/programme/

Our second panel addresses the relationship between the Civil Service and Parliament' Former civil servants reflect on how they viewed Parliament's role, how it shaped their work, and how both institutions can collaborate more effectively. studyofparliamentgroup.org/programme/

We are back for the second day and we're starting with a panel on 'The UK assisted dying bill'. It will examine the UK Assisted Dying Bill’s journey through Westminster, exploring its procedural twists and what they reveal about how Parliament legislates. studyofparliamentgroup.org/programme/

At our AGM this morning we said a huge thank you to Tom Healey (House of Commons) as he steps down from the SPG Executive Committee after serving as both Chair and Deputy Chair over the course of the last four years. We also welcomed Lucinda Maer (House of Commons) as our new Deputy Chair.

The second day of our annual weekend kicks off at 9am with our AGM. But last night we ended the day with our annual conference quiz. Huge thanks to Aileen and Claire for organising it once again!

Our final session of the day is the Wheeler Booth Memorial Lecture, delivered this year by Richard Lloyd OBE, Chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Our third panel explores 'Belonging to Parliament'. This roundtable will address who feels a sense of belonging, ease or discomfort in parliament and why, whether members, staff, witnesses or visitors. studyofparliamentgroup.org/programme/

SPG day 1! Very sad not to be in Oxford to catch up with everyone in person as planned, but super glad I can still take part online (after some snow fun with the small people this morning)

In Oxford for annual conference of the @studyofparl.bsky.social - my 49th year of consecutive attendance

Very pleased to have presented on this panel, although disappointed that I couldn't be there in person because of the snow...

Our second panel addresses 'Parliaments and Public Policy'. This panel brings experts together to explore Parliaments’ evolving role — beyond scrutiny and approval — in actively shaping policy, and asks how they could do this more effectively. studyofparliamentgroup.org/programme/

We’re kicking off our annual weekend with a panel on Gender and Diversity Sensitive Parliaments and Politics. This panel will consider how members with different backgrounds, expertise and identities experience parliament differently and with what impacts? studyofparliamentgroup.org/programme/

Today is the day. We kick off at 12.45pm - so whether you are joining us in Oxford 🏫 or online 💻 - see you shortly 🙂.

Tomorrow marks the start of our annual weekend and we are very much looking forward to welcoming members to Exeter College, Oxford. For those members joining us remotely, the Zoom links are now in your inboxes. The programme is available on our website: studyofparliamentgroup.org/programme/

Yesterday @pippacrerar.bsky.social reported in @theguardian.com that Keir Starmer is about to appoint another set of peers, including 25 Labour. Later Aubrey Allegretti in @thetimes.com suggested there would be 33 new peers in total. Three problems with this 🧵⤵️ www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Did you know that this government has been defeated over 100 times in the House of Lords? The new edition of our constitutional review suggests that it is surprising to see the Lords challenging manifesto commitments to the extent that it has. Read more 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....

Join and help to lead the Constitution Unit! @uclspp.bsky.social is looking for a Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics who will also join our senior team and contribute to our research and impact activities. Applicants must have, or be near to finishing, a PhD. Apply 👇

🚨 New research in the @politicalquarterly.bsky.social from Dr @louisevthompson.bsky.social @uompols.bsky.social shows the House of Commons still works like it’s the 1950s — shutting smaller parties out and leaving millions of voters unheard. www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/o... @manchester.ac.uk

Chloe Mawson has been appointed the 66th Clerk of the Parliaments and is the first woman to take up the post. The Clerk of the Parliaments is head of the House of Lords Administration and Chief Procedural Adviser to the House.

ON THE BLOG: The Modernisation Committee: revisiting past experience The committee's new chair, Alan Campbell, might usefully study the committee’s 1997–2010 predecessor Tom Fleming & @hannahkelly.bsky.social summarise the key findings from a new article reviewing the previous committee's record

In Business Questions today, Jesse Norman said: 'since taking office last year, the present Prime Minister has increasingly misused his first engagements question'. @ruxandrasrbn.bsky.social and Tom Fleming have crunched the numbers to find that Keir Starmer does use PMQs differently. Read more 👇

🚨 Job Opportunity! 🚨 Applications are now open for a new 2.5-year postdoc at @edinburghpir.bsky.social to examine how parliaments gather, analyse and use different types of knowledge - see the full job listing here: elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

ON THE BLOG: Prime Minister's Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons: Lessons in parliamentary reform @ruxandrasrbn.bsky.social explains how Canada's experiment with a Prime Minister's Question Period procedure between 2017 and 2025 worked and how it differed from the traditional model.

A huge thank you to Professor Sir John Curtice for delivering last night’s Michael Ryle Lecture on the theme of “Can Britain’s Two Party System Survive?” 👏

This evening Professor Sir John Curtice will deliver the 12th Annual Michael Ryle Memorial Lecture, on the theme of ‘Can Britain’s Two-Party System Survive?’

A sad week for @studyofparl.bsky.social with the death of two distinguished members who were also both kind and principled - Sir Roger Sands, former Clerk of the House of Commons and Professor Michael Rush of Exeter University. We will miss them greatly

It is with deep sadness that we announce the recent passing of two esteemed former Chairs of the SPG – Professor Michael Rush (Exeter University) and Sir Roger Sands (former Clerk of the House of Commons). We will miss them, and our thoughts are with their families.

'What we need are limits on the number of people who go in, not just removing people who are there.' Our Director and House of Lords expert, Meg Russell, discusses new plans to introduce a mandatory requirement age and participation requirement in the House of Lords on @lbc.co.uk. Listen 👇

It was great to talk about all things PMQs with @ruthfox.bsky.social and @darcyxtip.bsky.social on @hansardsociety.bsky.social Parliament Matters! We discuss why France and Canada have experimented with PMQs, and why it may be time to retire the ‘engagements’ question. youtu.be/OtpApR3fNQE?...

🎉 PSA Parliaments Annual Conference on 28 Nov @york.ac.uk 🎉 📣 Call for Papers is now live! Submit your abstract here: bit.ly/4o879gP ✏️Our ECR methods workshop will also take place on 27 Nov! Apply here: bit.ly/3J4uQXk 💻 Check out our website for more details: psaparliaments.org/annual-confe...

On the 10th July we gathered in Cardiff Bay to discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from Senedd reform and how the benefits of increasing the membership of the Senedd can be realised. Huge thanks to our speakers, panellists and attendees

One cancelled train three delayed trains and four trains later I eventually got home yesterday for 22:30, but really enjoyed being part of the first @studyofparl.bsky.social Welsh gathering to discuss what's to come with the Seventh Senedd. And such a stunning bay in Cardiff.

Ahead of report stage beginning on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, @conunitucl.bsky.social has commissioned polling on House of Lords reform. There’s overwhelming support for the government to go further in reforming the second chamber👇

📢📢📢 CfP: What is a Parliament? ***Hurry! Deadline is this Friday!*** Interdisciplinary workshop on 19th September 2025 in London. Full details below. Kindly sponsored by Birkbeck, the University of Birmingham and @psa-parliaments.bsky.social Please apply and/or spread the word!

Coming up next week. Do sign up via the @conunitucl.bsky.social website👇

📢EVENT📢 Realising Senedd Reform Join us for a discussion of the challenges and opportunities arising from Senedd Reform ahead of the 2026 election. 📅 Thursday 10th July 📍Pierhead Building, Cardiff Bay Register on our website: studyofparliamentgroup.org/2025/05/22/e...

📢EVENT📢 Realising Senedd Reform Join us for a discussion of the challenges and opportunities arising from Senedd Reform ahead of the 2026 election. 📅 Thursday 10th July 📍Pierhead Building, Cardiff Bay Register on our website: studyofparliamentgroup.org/2025/05/22/e...

📢📢📢 CfP: What is a Parliament? Interdisciplinary workshop on 19th September 2025 in London. Full details below. Kindly sponsored by Birkbeck, the University of Birmingham and @psa-parliaments.bsky.social Please apply and/or spread the word!

Thanks to @walesgovernance.bsky.social and the Welsh branch of @studyofparl.bsky.social for letting me chat about parliamentary administration in the UK. Really appreciate the interest and the questions! Diolch!

And huge thanks to the @studyofparl.bsky.social for sponsoring our drinks reception. It was great to see so many SPG members there. We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did 😊.

There is still time to sign up for online attendance ahead of this evening’s “Exploring Parliament” book launch 📚

Big day today! The launch of 'Exploring Parliament' - really looking forward to catch up with other authors and celebrate the book. Thank you to the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk for hosting us and to @studyofparl.bsky.social for sponsoring the launch. You can still register online👇: