In this issue, Peter Riddell argues that the House of Commons has become ‘more assertive and active’ in recent years. In an interview for the January 2012 issue of Total Politics, the BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson similarly claimed that Parliament now matters more than it did in 2005. This marks a significant turnaround in the fortunes of the Commons since the MPs’ expenses scandal of 2009. The expenses scandal brought a historic low in perceptions of Parliament but it did provide the impetus for reformers to forge ahead with plans to strengthen the position of backbench MPs.
The Reform of the House of Commons Committee (‘the Wright Committee’) was set up in the wake of the expenses scandal. Two of its key recommendations, accepted by the coalition government, were (i) the election of select committee chairs and members through secret ballot using the alternative vote, and (ii) the creation of a backbench business committee.
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