The Deputy Director of the UCL Constitution Unit, Dr Tom Fleming, gave oral evidence to the House of Commons Modernisation Committee on 23 June. He appeared alongside Dr Louise Thompson from the University of Manchester, and Unit associates former Clerk of the House of Commons Sir David Natzler and former Clerk of Committees Paul Evans.
The Modernisation Committee, chaired by the Leader of the House of Commons, is carrying out an inquiry into Backbench Business Committee and Petitions Committee Debates. Dr Fleming previously submitted written evidence to this inquiry with Professor Meg Russell, arguing that the Modernisation Committee should explore ways to increase the effectiveness of backbench business and more broadly consider how effectively other parts of House of Commons time are used.
The evidence session covered various aspects of how time in the House of Commons is allocated, scheduled, and used. This included how and when backbench business is scheduled, the potential merits of holding Petitions Committee debates in the main Commons chamber, and the impact of recent increases in the use of ‘urgent questions’.
A recording of the session is available on YouTube.
Key links:
- The Constitution Unit – find out more about the UK’s leading research centre on constitutional change.
- Tom Fleming gives evidence to the Modernisation Committee on how House of Commons time is used – watch a recording of the oral evidence session.
- 23 June 2026 - Backbench Business Committee and Petitions Committee Debates - Oral evidence – read a transcript of the oral evidence session.
- Written evidence submitted by Dr Tom Fleming and Professor Meg Russell FBA (UCL Constitution Unit) – read Dr Fleming and Professor Russell’s written evidence.
- The Politics of Parliamentary Procedure – find out more about Dr Fleming’s current research project.
- ’Westminster Hall: Parliament’s Best Kept Secret?’ – read a summary of Dr Thompson’s research with Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira into Westminster Hall debates.
