Exploring Parliament

A fresh perspective on an ancient institution; Exploring Parliament offers an engaging and real-life insight into the inner workings, impact, and relevance of the twenty-first century UK Parliament. Short academic and practitioner chapters are combined with highly relevant and practical case studies, to provide a new and accessible introduction to Parliament's structures, people, and practices. As well as covering the broader structure of the UK Parliament, this text explains the role of backbench MPs in scrutinising government and campaigning the design and space of Parliament and the challenges facing MPs. It offers illuminating case studies on highly topical areas such as Brexit, COVID-19, and recent pieces of legislation such as the British Sign Language Act and Online Safety Act. New to this Edition - This edition has been updated to include content on the 2024 General Election. - Over half of the chapters are new or newly authored to reflect the changing nature and scholarship in the field. - An increased focus on diversity, including a new chapter on diversity and representation in the House of Commons. - Expanded coverage on devolved parliaments, including a new chapter on interparliamentary relations. Key Features - Draws on the perspectives of academics and parliamentary practitioners, to give students an authentic insight into the workings of Parliament. - Provides a series of evidence-based case studies so that students can fully understand the reality of Parliament in practice. - Explores the relationships between the different structures, parliamentarians and practitioners within Parliament on both a formal and an informal level, to enable student to truly understand the key processes and actors that shape Parliament.