Can the House of Commons handle multi-party politics?
An expert panel discusses how a more fragmented politics challenges the House of Commons and the parties within it.
Can the House of Commons handle multi-party politics?
19 Jan 2026, 13:00 – 14:00
The 2024 election delivered an unusually fragmented opposition; almost half the non-government seats in the House of Commons were won by parties other than the Conservative 'Official Opposition'. Given current polling, the next general election is unlikely to see a return to simple 'two-party' politics.
In that context, does the Commons need to change its culture, practices, or procedures to better reflect an era of more fragmented politics? What particular challenges face smaller parties in the Commons? How can they maximise their impact? We'll discuss these questions with the Green Party's Westminster leader, a former senior Commons official, and an academic expert.
Speakers:
Dr Ellie Chowns MP – Green Party Westminster Leader and MP for North Herefordshire
Paul Evans – former House of Commons clerk
Dr Louise Thompson – Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Manchester
Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
Useful reading:
- Louise Thompson (2025) ‘Modernising the House: Why the 2024 Parliament Highlights the Need to Formalise Party-Group Rights in the House of Commons’, Political Quarterly.
- Paul Evans (2024) ‘A House more divided: Practice and procedure in a multipolar Parliament’, Hansard Society Blog, 15 July 2024.
This event will also be livestreamed on the Constitution Unit's YouTube channel. After the event, a recording will be available both on YouTube and in the Unit's podcast feed.
Image attribution: Featured image: 'Members of the Opposition' by House of Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Dr Ellie Chowns MP (used in the social media graphic): ©House of Commons/Laurie Noble (CC BY 3.0).