The ceremony today begins with an announcement, on behalf of the King, read in the House of Lords by the Leader of the House. The announcement states, ‘My Lords, it not being convenient for His ...

The average age at which women have children has been increasing since the middle of the 1970s. There is a tendency to think of this as a modern phenomenon associated with the rise of family planning, ...

In 1820 the merchants of Britain's largest trading cities - London, Manchester and Glasgow - petitioned the House of Commons for the abolition of all duties, in other words, for 'free trade'. It led ...

Tally sticks were a form of receipt for government income which originated in the middle ages. Tallies were regularly destroyed over the centuries by the Exchequer which had offices in the Palace of ...

The Sandwich Student Scheme is an opportunity for undergraduate students to work within the House of Commons, offering a unique insight into governance and the running of Parliament in general.

Devolution in the UK has created a national Parliament in Scotland, a Welsh Parliament - or Senedd Cymru - and a national Assembly in Northern Ireland. This process transfers varying levels of power ...

The Recording Angel memorial in St Stephen's Porch, Westminster Hall, is dedicated to Peers, MPs, officers and their sons. This memorial is the main memorial to Members and staff of both Houses, ...

The Civil War started on 22 August 1642 when Charles I raised his standard at Nottingham. He soon moved on to establish his headquarters at Oxford from where he controlled the west. The Parliament at ...

Ballot Bills are a type of Private Members' Bill used in the House of Commons. At the start of each new parliamentary year, backbench MPs are invited to enter their names into a ballot. The few MPs ...

UK Parliament manages your data in line with our responsibilities under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), as supplemented by the Data Protection ...

The Liberal philosopher John Stuart Mill MP (1806-1873) was elected MP for the City of Westminster in 1865 on a platform including votes for women. Mill's thinking on women's rights was influenced by ...

The House of Lords Library provides impartial research and information services to support Members of the House of Lords, their staff and staff of the House. Further information about the Library, as ...