Blog Archive

Jenkin's jewel of a speech

There was much sound and fury in the Commons last night.

Former MPs 'beheaded' by sculptor

147 MPs who retired or stepped down at the 2010 general election have had their departure marked by artist Shelley Wilson in an exhibition.

Gloria debuts at dispatch box

GMTV lobby correspondent turned Labour MP Gloria de Piero made an assured first appearance at the dispatch box today.

Nuttall comes to Speaker's attention

New MP David Nuttall asked a point of order this afternoon, and was treated to some extreme politeness by the Speaker.

Does Herefordshire count as Wales?

There was indignation from Welsh MPs in the Commons this afternoon.

Afternoon tea with Liz Hurley

Elizabeth Hurley will be hosting afternoon tea in the Commons next month.

Memorial service for Baroness Park

A Service of Thanksgiving for the life and work of Baroness Park of Monmouth CMG OBE will be held in St Margaret's Church tomorrow.

32 per cent of the public trust Parliament

Public trust in Parliament rose slightly over the election period, although people still placed much greater faith in their local councils and the police.

Peer calls for 'Boris Bikes'

A member of the House of Lords will ask if a Barclays Cycle Hire docking station can be installed on the parliamentary estate.

Lords is 'full of workers and queens'

Lib Dem peer Baroness Walmsley has told a new member that he will find "plenty of workers and not a few queens" in the House of Lords.

Diane Abbott leaves This Week

Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott has confirmed on Twitter that she will not be returning to This Week.

Pickles and Flint

Like some high-concept 80s detective show, Pickles and Flint were unleashed on the Commons yesterday.

Nuttall compared to one of the greats

Conservative MP Philip Davies has lavished praise on his colleague David Nuttall.

MPs complain about Friday sitting

A number of members have issued online complaints about the process of debating private members' bills.

Lib Dems learned of new PM while in Pizza Express

Where were you when you found out David Cameron had become prime minister? Most Lib Dem MPs were apparently holed up in a Westminster pizzeria.

PM 'misheard' Labour MP

An MP with a Sunderland accent has said David Cameron misheard him at yesterday's prime minister's questions.

Recess dates announced

The Leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young, announced the recess dates for 2011 today.

Lib Dem swapped conference for US trip

Stephen Williams told the House about his trip to America during last night's discussion of the AV bill.

MPs no longer greeted by brass bands

Members reminisced about the good old days yesterday during their lengthy debate on the AV bill.

Cuts dominate communities questions

A Liberal Democrat minister today defended the cuts to local government budgets in the Commons.

Lords fell asleep during CSR

Lord Sassoon sent some of his own peers to sleep yesterday when he read out the CSR statement.

Bryant is a Commons natural

Chris Bryant is one of Labour's most effective Commons performers.

How many MPs should there be?

MPs are taking part in a series of votes on the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill this afternoon.

Tebbit is beastly to Labour

Lord Tebbit made a pithy interjection during Lords questions yesterday.

Commons memorial for Ian Gow

A Conservative MP murdered by the IRA twenty years ago will be memorialised in the House of Commons.

Swedish model distracts MPs

Who is this Swedish model Matthew Hancock keeps going on about?

What exactly is good faith?

There was a subtle gradation of offences in yesterday's Lord report into the questionable expenses claims of three peers.

Bicycling around Trumpington

Baroness Trumpington, who is 82 on Saturday, is a Lords favourite.

Ipsa's £69,375 PR bill

Ipsa's spending on communications work has been published in Hansard today.

Tuesday in Parliament

Business in the Commons begins with MPs' questions to justice secretary Ken Clarke and his ministerial team.

Lords show off fashion sense

There are some snappy dressers on the red benches, chief among them Lord West, the former security minister.

Dikerogrammarus what?

Always on the look-out for unusual written answers, this one on a certain invasive species had us reaching for the wildlife books.

UN diplomat to take Lords seat

The United Nations special co-ordinator for Lebanon will be introduced into the House of Lords this afternoon.

Betty to Bercow - bring back the robe

The Speaker should stick to wearing his traditional robe, according to one of his much-loved predecessors.

Colonel Bob leads from the right

The forthright new MP for Beckenham is on robust, if not quite on-message form, in a podcast with Tory Radio.

SNP's high hopes for iPhone app

The Scottish National Party has said they will take advantage of "unique online canvassing technology" in the 2011 Holyrood elections.

Sinn Fein stand-off 'must end'

A former Northern Ireland Office minister has urged his fellow MPs to consider changing the rules governing the oath of allegiance.

Sturgeon to address conference

The SNP annual conference got underway in Perth yesterday.

MPs complain about jazz money

Labour MP Michael Connarty has tabled a couple of early day motions complaining that jazz is overlooked in favour of classical music.

Top-earner pension pots face tax blow

Schools braced for peer visits

Is there a peer coming to your child's school today?

Vince questioned over Forgemasters

The business secretary cancelled an £80m to Sheffield Forgemasters "on the grounds of affordability".

Thatcher to miss her No10 party

Baroness Thatcher has been forced to pull out of a Downing Street reception to celebrate her 85th birthday after being taken ill with flu.

Rosie the ray of sunshine

Labour's new chief whip was showered with praise this morning by the ever-courteous Sir George Young.

Mild-mannered MP's Scottish rant

Greg Knight is an easy-going MP. A member of the feted parliamentary rock band MP4, he is not known for losing his temper.

Bonfire of the quangos begins

Francis Maude is to make a statement to the House at approximately 12.30pm on today's announcement of a deep cull of non-departmental public bodies – quangos.

Motion to open Commons nursery to local children

The new House of Commons nursery, the most expensive child care setting in the country, should be open to the children of local families, an MP has said.

PM 'won't be haunted by Claire Rayner'

The prime minister has insisted that he will not do anything to "upset" the memory of agony aunt and campaigner Claire Rayner, who died on Monday.

Would you like another go?

It was a rambunctious PMQs today, with lots of noise in the chamber.

Thatcher returns to Number 10

A Downing Street reception is being held tomorrow to mark former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's 85th birthday.

PM presses Fifa boss on World Cup bid

David Cameron will today welcome Fifa president Sepp Blatter to Downing Street as England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup reaches its final phase.

A stick the size of a pool cue

Mark Francois was all dressed up and somewhat given to blushing this afternoon when he performed a neat little ceremony.

Brave Bone suggests whips work for free

It is a brave MP that challenges the might of the whips, but Commons veteran Peter Bone is such a man.

Photo of Ed's top team

The shadow cabinet met for the first time today.

Rees-Mogg shines in finance debate

There are few great House of Commons orators around these days.

The governator will be back

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California and Hollywood star, is set to visit the UK this week.

Tributes paid to Lord Acton

A hereditary peer who was made a life peer so he could continue his service to the Lords has died.

Cameron congratulates 'influential' wife

The prime minister has congratulated his wife Samantha as she was named one of Britain's most influential women by a panel of magazine editors.

Sir Philip's top saving tips

There are 71,000 central government buyers who have a monthly spending limit of up to £1,000 which is not monitored.

Day of firsts at Labour dispatch box

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins made his first appearance at the dispatch box today, despite the fact that he was only elected five months ago.

Lords agenda is increasingly surreal

The upper House will discuss a series of diverse topics today, including a session pondering the nature of its own existence.

Inauguration service for Speaker's chaplain

The Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin will take part in a service of inauguration as Speaker's chaplain tomorrow.

Clegg's first annual Lords session

The deputy prime minister will give evidence before the House of Lords constitution committee later this week.

How the shadow cabinet voted in the leadership election

It looks as if David Miliband supporters have done quite well out of the shadow cabinet elections, with ten members of the new front bench having voted for him in first place in the leadership ballot.

John Monks to take Lords seat

Former trade union boss John Monks will be introduced into the House of Lords at the start of business on Monday.