With a new Prime Minister preparing to take office and the Commons appointing its first female Clerk, we discuss these two pivotal appointments that will help shape how Parliament works in the years ahead. We explore the challenges they will face in managing Parliament, examine fresh warnings from the Lord Speaker that Westminster’s restoration plans risk stalling for lack of political support, and hear from Baroness Hayter about her bid to close a loophole in the lobbying laws.
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As Sir Keir Starmer prepares to hand over power to Andy Burnham, attention is turning to the shape of the incoming government. Beyond the headline Cabinet appointments, who will take on the key parliamentary management roles in No 10 and the Commons – and why do those choices matter?
Meanwhile, speculation continues that former Foreign Secretary David Miliband could return to his old job in government, but this time from the House of Lords.
If so, how could MPs scrutinise a Foreign Secretary who cannot speak in the Commons? Ruth and Mark revisit proposals considered when David Cameron held the post and ask whether Parliament is any closer to resolving the problem.
The Commons has also announced its first female Clerk of the House. Eve Samson will take up the role in October as the Commons’ most senior official. We trace her clerkly career and look at the formidable challenges awaiting her, from supporting MPs through political change to overseeing one of Westminster’s biggest institutional headaches.
The headache is, of course, the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster. The Lord Speaker, Lord Forsyth, has warned that there is no political consensus – across parties or both Houses - to support the scale and cost of the programme. But in a letter published this week he highlights the “eye-watering” costs of delaying decisions about the renovation programme.
Finally, while the bill to legalise assisted dying continues to dominate attention, there are many other Private Members Bills starting their journey through Parliament.
Among them is one from the Labour peer Baroness Hayter, who wants to close a loophole in lobbying rules. She joins the podcast to explain why reform is needed and what she hopes her Bill will achieve.
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Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
Presenters: Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox
Producer: Richard Townsend
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