Author Archives: Andrew Defty

Watching from the wings: the role of the PM’s PPS in a socially distanced House of Commons chamber

It is clear that the Prime Minister is struggling in his the weekly encounter with the Leader of the Opposition at Prime Minister’s Questions. As the Prime Minister, somewhat bizarrely, keeps reminding us Keir Starmer is a former barrister who … Continue reading

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An increasingly costly resource: are special advisers value for money?

In recent weeks questions have been raised about the involvement of the Prime Minister’s special adviser, Dominic Cummings, in decision-making in relation to the government’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. This is not the first time that questions have been … Continue reading

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Can the Independent Group of MPs survive?

One of the consequences of Britain’s protracted and disorganised attempt to leave the European Union has been the decision of a group of MPs, seven Labour and three Conservative, to leave their parties and establish a new Independent Group in … Continue reading

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How did the Government end up in contempt of Parliament?

This post first appeared on the blog of the Political Studies Association Parliaments Group on 10 December 2018. The Government has found itself in the unprecedented position of being in contempt of Parliament. The immediate cause of the contempt motion … Continue reading

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The seemingly inexorable rise of the special political adviser

This post first appeared on the Democratic Audit blog in December 2018. Every year since 2010, usually at around this time of year, the Government publishes a list of special advisers and their salaries. The latest data release, which took … Continue reading

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