The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – commonly known as the assisted dying bill – is now very unlikely to pass in this session. Its supporters have accused opponents of filibustering – a charge which they strongly deny. Lisa James looks at how delay tactics work in the House of Lords, where they have been used in the past, and what peers could do to stop individuals using procedure to block bills rather than allowing them to stand or fall on their merits.
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The government’s long-awaited proposals for electoral reforms, published last month, will receive their first scrutiny in the House of Commons next Monday. Ahead of that debate, Alan Renwick analyses which of the bill’s proposals – and omissions – are likely to spark most contention. He suggests that pressure to strengthen the bill will be intense on multiple fronts.
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The government has publicly committed to removing Lord (Peter) Mandelson’s peerage following additional revelations about his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Robert Hazell considers potential mechanisms for achieving this, and argues that if it is to be done by legislation, then the government should consider carefully how wide its scope should be, what criteria should trigger the removal process, and whether its provisions should be retrospective.
Continue readingIt was reported yesterday that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly known as Prince Andrew) had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest has provoked much comment and many questions, such as will he get special treatment, what constitutes misconduct of office, how long might a prosecution take, and will he be removed from the line of succession? Robert Hazell answers some of those questions below.
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Following the Unit’s January seminar, Can the House of Commons handle multi-party politics?, panellist Louise Thompson explains the procedural and logistical obstacles facing small parties in the House of Commons. She calls for parliamentary institutions to adapt their processes, and concludes that formalising some current informal arrangements and looking at ways to increase equalities of opportunity across all opposition parties would be sensible next steps.
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