Category: Legislative History

A map of Buckinghamshire, that includes the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham in the south of the county
17th Century history, 14th Century history, 15th Century History, 16th Century history, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Constituencies, Elections, Georgian, Interregnum, Legislative History, Medieval, Modern, Parliamentary Life, Stuart, Tudor, Victorian

How does an MP resign? The Chiltern Hundreds & the Manor of Northstead

Have you just heard that an MP has resigned by ‘taking the Chiltern Hundreds’? Our Senior Research Fellow, Dr Martin Spychal, explains the practice and explores its historical context… MPs are not allowed to resign from Parliament. However, a parliamentary loophole exists that allows an MP to vacate their seat by asking the chancellor of the exchequer to disqualify them from sitting in the Commons. … Continue reading How does an MP resign? The Chiltern Hundreds & the Manor of Northstead

Martin Spychal2 Comments
Contemporary History, 20th century history, History of Parliament Trust, Legislative History, LGBTQ+ History, Margaret Thatcher, Modern, Oral history, Social history, Tony Blair

Section 28: Memories from the Oral History Archive

Section 28 of the Local Government Act, 1988, was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Britain at the end of the twentieth century. To mark the anniversary of its introduction, Alfie Steer has delved into the oral history archive to explore MPs’ memories of it. Section 28 (otherwise known as Clause 28) was first included in the 1988 Local Government Act as … Continue reading Section 28: Memories from the Oral History Archive

Alfie Steer1 Comment
Modern, 20th century history, Economic history, Legislative History, Parties, Ramsay MacDonald, Social history, Stanley Baldwin

The 1926 General Strike and Parliamentary Democracy

One hundred years ago today, the 1926 General Strike broke out in Britain. To mark the anniversary, Alfie Steer has explored its significance for Britain’s parliamentary system. In 1925, the private owners of Britain’s mining industry (nicknamed the ‘sick man of British capitalism’, [Miliband, p.121]) tried to revive its international competitiveness by proposing a series of drastic wage cuts and an extension in working hours. … Continue reading The 1926 General Strike and Parliamentary Democracy

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A page from the Lords' Journals in 1585 with three columns of text
Tudor, 16th Century history, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Elizabeth I, History of Parliament Trust, Legislative History, Parliamentary Life

Power struggles and group dynamics in the House of Lords, 1584-5

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 3 February, Dr Paul Hunneyball of the History of Parliament, will be discussing Power Struggles and Group Dynamics in the House of Lords, 1584-5. The seminar takes place on 3 February 2026, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, or online … Continue reading Power struggles and group dynamics in the House of Lords, 1584-5

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19th Century history, Constituencies, Elections, Electoral Reform, Legislative History, Victorian, Victorian Commons

How many people could vote in the UK after the 1832 Reform Act?

As part of our series of ‘explainer’ articles, aimed at clarifying the workings of the United Kingdom’s historic political system, Dr Martin Spychal examines how many people could vote in the UK after the 1832 Reform Act. This article draws from a new dataset of voting information for each constituency between 1832 and 1867, which Martin has been developing for the History of Parliament’s Commons … Continue reading How many people could vote in the UK after the 1832 Reform Act?

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Stuart, 18th Century history, Legislative History, Queen Anne, Scottish History

England, Scotland and the Treaty of Union, 1706-08

In 1707, under the terms of the Treaty of Union, England and Scotland became a single state – the United Kingdom of Great Britain – and the parliaments at Westminster and Edinburgh were replaced by a single ‘Parliament of Great Britain’. The arrangements for establishing the new parliament were set out in Article 22 of the Treaty. The wording of the Treaty made no mention … Continue reading England, Scotland and the Treaty of Union, 1706-08

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Revolutionary Stuart Parliaments, 17th Century history, Charles I, Legislative History, Oliver Cromwell, Stuart

The Baronial Context of the 1641 Triennial Act

Dr David Scott, Editor of the 1640-60 House of Lords section, explores the role of the peers in securing the right of Parliament to meet regularly. The Triennial Act of February 1641 was the first piece of legislation passed by the ‘Long Parliament’ in its momentous thirteen-year history of reform, rule and, in 1649, regicide. Of course, none of the peers and MPs who had … Continue reading The Baronial Context of the 1641 Triennial Act

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19th Century history, Legislative History, Social history, Victorian

‘Abominable, unutterable, and worse than fables’: the campaign to pass the Criminal Law Amendment Bill

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on Tuesday 11 November, Steven Spencer of Birkbeck, University of London, will be discussing the campaign to pass the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act. The seminar takes place on 11 November 2025, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means you can attend either in-person in London at the IHR, or online via Zoom. … Continue reading ‘Abominable, unutterable, and worse than fables’: the campaign to pass the Criminal Law Amendment Bill

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Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, Corruption, Electoral Reform, Legislative History, Social history, Victorian

The 1832 Reform Act

‘Was the 1832 Reform Act “Great”?’ may not be the standard exam question it once was, but ongoing research about the Act’s broader legacy and impact on political culture, based on new resources and analytical techniques, continues to reshape our understanding of its place in modern British political development, as Dr Philip Salmon of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project explains. For a 20 minute … Continue reading The 1832 Reform Act

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A colourful election poster produced by the Tariff Reform League. A farmer sits on a railway platform with crates and baskets of produce, watching a train called the Foreign Produce Express loaded with foreign produce, steaming past. He laments the need for tariff reform.
Victorian Commons, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Corruption, Elections, Legislative History, William Ewart Gladstone

A ‘revolution’ in electioneering? The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act

Concluding her series on the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project looks at the long-term consequences of this major reform. In the wake of the corruption and expense of the 1880 general election, Sir Henry James, attorney general in Gladstone’s Liberal government, oversaw a landmark piece of legislation which aimed to clean up Britain’s elections: the 1883 … Continue reading A ‘revolution’ in electioneering? The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act

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