Why Parliament Works

Fast-streamer Mohammed Hasan interviewed Jacob Rees-Mogg as part of 2021's Civil Service Live, giving the Leader of the House a chance to set out his views on how government interacts with parliament to an audience of civil servants. 

Dame Eleanor Laing is the House of Commons' senior deputy speaker, the Chairman of Ways and Means. In this episode she discusses with Jacob Rees-Mogg her career in Westminster  - including her time as special adviser to Leader of the House John MacGregor from 1990 to 1992; her election in 1997; and her views on the Commons during the pandemic.

Dr Caroline Shenton, historian, archivist and author of 'The Day Parliament Burned Down' and 'Mr Barry's War', discusses the disastrous 1834 fire which destroyed the Palace of Westminster and its subsequent protracted rebuilding with Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg. 

Catherine McKinnell is the MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North and chairman of the Commons' petitions committee, which has been giving members of the public the opportunity to influence parliamentary business since its establishment in 2015. This episode explains the ongoing relevance of petitioning, one of the oldest forms of seeking redress of grievance, and explores why it is proving even more popular than ever.

The development of petitioning during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries is an important chapter in the UK Parliament's history. This period saw a broadening of the scope of the issues under consideration: cases of individuals seeking redress of grievance continued throughout but were increasingly supplemented by instances when the king was asked to consider matters of national significance. In this episode Jacob Rees-Mogg discusses this shift with Gwilym Dodd, Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, who specialises in politics, kingship and government in late medieval England.

Following the UK's exit from the European Union the three principles of parliamentary of sovereignty as defined by A.V. Dicey, that great constitutional theorist, once again fully apply to Westminster. These are that Parliament is the supreme lawmaking body and can enact laws on any subject; that Parliament cannot bind its successor; and that no court or law, or other body for that matter, can question the validity of Parliament’s enactments. In this episode Jacob Rees-Mogg discusses Dicey's work and the relevance of parliamentary sovereignty today with Professor Vernon Bogdanor of King's College London, who returns to the podcast following his more general interview in the first series' opening episode. 

The 'How Parliament Works' textbook, co-authored by Lord Lisvane (see S1 E6), defines the usual channels as "the informal and private contacts between the whips and business managers of the two sides of each House". In this episode Lord Young of Cookham, a former Leader of the House and Chief Whip, explains why these interactions are so important for the smooth running of the Commons. He also reflects on his lengthy ministerial career, the workings of the 2010-15 coalition government and his time as both a minister and backbencher in the House of Lords.

The second series of 'Why Parliament Works' explores elements of Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg's Wheeler-Booth Memorial Lecture to the Study of Parliament Group, delivered on 8 January 2021. Here is the lecture in full, which argues that the unseen parts of parliament are more - not less - democratic than you think.

Mark Hutton, co-editor (with Sir David Natzler) of the 25th edition of 'Erskine May' , discusses his work helping shape one of the UK Parliament's - and the UK constitution's - most important texts. This episode concludes the first season of 'Why Parliament Works' with Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House of Commons.

In what might just be a ministerial first, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle is interviewed by Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg. Mr Speaker used their interview to reflect on his first 12 months in the job - including his unexpected diagnosis of type 1 diabetes during the general election and masterminding the extraordinary changes made to allow scrutiny to continue during the coronavirus pandemic. Picture credit: UK Parliament / Jess Taylor

Westminster Foundation for Democracy strengthens democracy by supporting parliaments, political parties, civil society and elections around the world. Its director of programmes, Shannon O'Connell, shares her thoughts on why parliaments work with Jacob Rees-Mogg, before the Leader of the House talks to Lana Prlić, an MP in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to get her perspective on the issues facing women in politics.

Former Clerk of the House of Commons and crossbench peer Robert Rogers, Lord Lisvane discusses the role of the clerks in conversation with Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg.