The larger group in the Commons were the 222 burgesses, two from each town allowed to return representatives, known as a borough. Another 12 joined after 1536 when Wales was united to England. The ...

When a Bill has completed all its parliamentary stages in both Houses, it must have Royal Assent before it can become an Act of Parliament (law). Royal Assent is the Monarch's agreement to make the ...

During the 15th and 16th centuries there were important institutional developments in Parliament, especially in its record keeping. From its earliest days the Clerk of the Parliaments who recorded its ...

The modern UK Parliament can trace its origins all the way back to two features of Anglo-Saxon government from the 8th to 11th centuries. These are the Witan and the moot. The Witan was the occasion ...

The UK public elects 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons. MPs consider and propose new laws, and can scrutinise government policies by ...

In 1857, William Ewart Gladstone took out this subscription to Hansard, 10 years before he first became Prime Minister; he eventually served as Prime Minister of four administrations (1868–74, 1880–85 ...

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How did the Jewel Tower play an important role in the preservation of Parliamentary records? Find out more about the Tower between the 17th and 19th centuries The early archives of the Commons ...

Committees Much of the work of the House of Commons takes place in committees, made up of around 10 to 50 MPs. These committees examine issues in detail, from government policy and proposed new laws, ...

Arthur Gore, 8th Earl of Arran (1910-1983) was a journalist and Conservative peer. He entered the House of Lords in 1958, soon gaining a reputation as a political outsider noted for his eccentricities ...

For most of the 16th century England consolidated its rule in Ireland amid a series of bloody conflicts. Peace came in 1603, at least for a period, while English and Scottish Protestants continued to ...

'An Act to make provision in connection with the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games that are to take place in London in the year 2012; to amend the Olympic Symbol etc. (Protection) Act 1995; and ...