Parliament Matters
Hosted by Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox · Hansard Society
4.9from 98 ratings
- 161
- Episodes
- 143
- Transcribed
- 98
- Ratings
- Daily
- Cadence
- 2023
- First episode
About Parliament Matters
Join two of the UK's leading parliamentary experts, Mark D'Arcy and Ruth Fox, as they guide you through the often mysterious ways our politicians do business and explore the running controversies about the way Parliament works. Each week they will analyse how laws are made and ministers held accountable by the people we send to Westminster. They will be debating the topical issues of the day, looking back at key historical events and discussing the latest research on democracy and Parliament. Why? Because whether it's the taxes you pay, or the laws you've got to obey... Parliament matters! Mark D'Arcy was the BBC's parliamentary correspondent for two decades. Ruth Fox is the Director of the parliamentary think-tank the Hansard Society. ❓ Submit your questions (https://hansardsociety.org.uk/pm#qs) on all things Parliament to Mark and Ruth via our website here: hansardsociety.org.uk/pm#qs (https://hansardsociety.org.uk/pm#qs) 📱 Follow us across social media @HansardSociety and... ✅ Subscribe to our newsletter (https://hansardsociety.org.uk/nl) for all the latest updates related to the Parliament Matters podcast and the wider work of the Hansard Society: hansardsociety.org.uk/nl (https://hansardsociety.org.uk/nl). Parliament Matters is a Hansard Society (https://hansardsociety.org.uk/pm) production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (https://www.jrct.org.uk/) • Founding producer Luke Boga Mitchell; episode producer Richard Townsend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
- Publisher
- Hansard Society
- Category
- government · news
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 1 Nov 2023
- Latest episode
- 1 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
143 of 161 episodes have a transcript.
1 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
This is No Way to Run a Country: A conversation with former veterans minister Johnny Mercer
17 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
PMQs: Parliament Matters Questions
11 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
MPs reject the assisted dying bill: What happened, and what next?
Inside a recent episode
This is No Way to Run a Country: A conversation with former veterans minister Johnny Mercer
Published 1 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] He had this majority and amazing opportunity to shape the country. And yes, you had COVID in Ukraine, but I don't think that excuses the sort of breakdown in values that we saw in number 10. And those issues were also apparent when you went out of office, when you were kind of extruded. Were you fired or were you sacked? You were basically very unhappy with government policy about the chasing of Northern Ireland veterans. And you got to the point where you were saying you couldn't agree with government policy while a minister. And what happened next? The trouble is we'd made these very serious and solemn commitments over a number of years to people who were extremely vulnerable, who were in their 80s and 90s, and who were starting their court cases, I think it was that June in Belfast. […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on Parliament Matters
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Johnny Mercer
- Robert Saunders
- Daniel Gover
- Catherine Haddon
- Andrew Lewin
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 5.0 / 5
- 1 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.9 / 5
- 97 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 74
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 0
- Engagement
- 97
Contact Parliament Matters
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about Parliament Matters
Who hosts Parliament Matters?
Mark D’Arcy and Ruth Fox host the show. Published by Hansard Society.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Parliament Matters take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
143 of 161 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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