Hannah White @DrHannahWhite Twitter profile

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

The government has taken a fully functioning digital voting system which took 15mins per vote in which all MPs could participate and replaced it with a queuing system taking 45mins per vote in which only 2/3 of MPs can participate. Not a great advert for government effectiveness.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

On Tuesday, some MPs will attempt to secure an answer to the question of whether Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament - something he has denied... A thread 🧵 on contempt of/for the House of Commons..

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

Talk of “Boris Johnson’s mandate” (from him and others including @BBCNews ) is constitutionally illiterate. It is the Conservative party that has a mandate and they had chosen him as leader, therefore he is PM. We do not have a presidential system.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

Last week media discussion was about ‘why the public disparage MPs when most of them are honest and hardworking like David Amess?’ Today’s amendment from MPs proposing to let their colleague off for ‘egregious’ paid lobbying is EXACTLY why the public has a low opinion of MPs

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

A thought 🤔… @BorisJohnson has neatly sidestepped any parliamentary sanction by resigning. The only meaningful option open to @HoCPrivileges now would be to recommend he be denied the privileged access to Westminster normally afforded to former MPs - as happened to John Bercow

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

Apparently the govt will whip its MPs tomorrow to vote for its motion abolishing remote voting on the basis that it is essential for govt business to restore in person sittings, & that a vote for the procedure committee amendments is a vote against getting Brexit done...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

If MPs do not even mount an investigation when the PM has been found by police to have personally broken a law he repeatedly told the House had not been broken, the public’s view of the validity of parliamentary scrutiny will likely suffer further irreparable damage…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

... in my view there will be a Q about the legitimacy of swathes of legislation passed in circumstances where large numbers of MPs are paired or have to cast their votes by proxy having been unable to speak in debates or propose amendments. Terrible for public trust in govt.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

I am delighted to have been appointed the next director of the @instituteforgov . At this challenging time for the UK, the Institute’s mission has never been more important and I am honoured to lead the Institute’s fantastic team working to make government more effective.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

Boris’s preemptive resignation cannot diminish the significance of the Privileges Committee’s findings - latest from me for ⁦ @instituteforgov ⁩ on this evening’s dramatic news 👇

The extraordinary significance of the Privileges Committee verdict on Boris Johnson | Institute for...

A small group of parliamentarians has enforced the principle that politicians must tell the truth

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

... so much for protestations from @Jacob_Rees_Mogg that getting MPs back to Westminster is about restoring proper scrutiny. It seems the govt is worried that it won’t get all its manifesto and Brexit bills through as rapidly as it wants with the House sitting virtually...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

It is not only the political future of Johnson but the credibility of parliament itself which MPs must weigh in the balance when deciding how to proceed: the credibility which underpins our entire system of democratic government.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

If its impossible as a minister to get sacked from this govt, but senior officials continue to sacrifice their careers when things go wrong (5 so far...) that will lead to disastrous erosion of trust between the civil service & ministers...

Top DfE official's exit 'proof that ministerial accountability is dead'

Unions criticise government over Jonathan Slater’s departure from education department

www.theguardian.com

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

This is why the accuracy of information ministers give to Parliament is so important - scrutiny is ineffective unless ministers answer MPs’ questions truthfully - & why the ministerial code imposes the most severe consequences for misleading parliament - resignation…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

And MPs’ attempt to hold the PM to account for his words in parliament is of wider importance…Why? Parliament has several roles but arguably its most important is providing a check on executive power by scrutinising the decisions and actions of government ministers…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

I expect - despite his resignation - the Privileges Committee will still publish its report and the government ought to allow a vote on its recommendations - in line with the precedent of the @HoCStandards report on Owen Paterson

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

Without scrutiny ministers would be free to exercise their extensive powers arbitrarily. Their actions could still be retrospectively challenged in the courts, but a country where a legislature’s checks are eroded risks edging towards autocracy see Russia

Duma green-lights Putin’s plans for Russia

First reading debate over President Putin’s radical transition of Russia’s power structures lasts less than two hours.

www.aljazeera.com

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

Even before ‘partygate’ MPs were expressing concern about the weakness of mechanisms to challenge the accuracy of statements made by ministers in the Commons. The UK Statistics Authority has publicly rebuked both Johnson and Matt Hancock for misleading use of statistics…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

@jreynoldsMP It takes a particular level of genius to replace a perfectly functioning digital system with this.... farcical analogue process.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

This is not just important for the PM’s future. Surveys show the public has contempt for the House of Commons. Evidence that ministers suspected of lying to parliament can do so with impunity without even being challenged by MPs would do further serious damage to its reputation…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

…but under parliamentary rules deliberate inaccuracies are difficult to challenge on the floor of the House (except on a formal motion) as Ian Blackford found recently ()…

Ian Blackford thrown out of the Commons for accusing Boris Johnson of 'lying'

The SNP Westminster leader told the Commons the Prime Minister 'wilfully misled parliament'. Seconds later Mr Blackford said it's not his fault 'if the Prime Minister can’t be trusted to tell the...

www.mirror.co.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

But concern has been growing about inability of MPs to enforce the candour required to make their scrutiny role effective. The Commons has acknowledged it could no longer imprison or fine a select committee witness who refused to appear or misled a committee…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

The PM’s allies will dismiss this move as political theatre & it is true it is unlikely the PM will be held to be in contempt of Parliament given his government’s majority, although the move will force some Conservative MPs who have remained silent to publicly support Johnson…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

But that does not mean MPs who suspect a contempt should not bother to use the mechanisms available to them. On the contrary it is essential that the Speaker provides an opportunity for MPs to use the procedures that do exist to draw public attention to their concerns...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

…or simply ignored as Theresa May showed when her government was held in contempt in 2018 ()…

Theresa May's government found in contempt of parliament over refusal to publish full Brexit legal...

Commons passes motion accusing ministers of contempt after they continue to insist expert opinion provided to Cabinet should not be released

www.independent.co.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

And while a misleading statement by a minister is a contempt against parliament, it is up to the PM to determine any consequences including for himself. Parliament’s procedures for seeking to establish a contempt can be readily nullified by a government with a majority…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

… and because I am spoiling you this evening - a reminder why Johnson’s resignation should not gazump disquiet about his resignation honours - HOLAC rejected 8 of his 15 proposed peers on propriety grounds 😱 (normally around 10% turned down)

Five reasons we should be troubled by Boris Johnson’s resignations honours | Institute for Govern...

Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list should bring about the end of this damaging convention

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

MPs cannot require ministers to correct the record if they mislead the House, compel an investigation into a deliberate inaccuracy or impose any sanction against the will of a majority govt. Only political pressure can secure the consequences intended by the ministerial code...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

(For more on these themes see my new book ‘Held in Contempt: what’s wrong with the House of Commons?’ available in all good bookshops - appropriately enough - from tomorrow… )

Manchester University Press - Held in contempt

Held in contempt - Browse and buy the Paperback edition of Held in contempt by Hannah White.

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

…and the reputational consequences of such contempts appear to have lost their fear for some eg Dominic Cummings …

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

Parliament’s ability to rely on what ministers say at the dispatch box is fundamental to fulfilling its scrutiny role - this - not Johnson’s future - is the real significance of the privileges committee’s inquiry - my latest for ⁦ @instituteforgov ⁩

The Privileges Committee inquiry’s significance goes far beyond Boris Johnson’s future | Institute...

Parliament's attitude to ministerial accountability is far more important than Boris Johnson's future.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

... despite the fact that House authorities were making preparations for virtual bill committees and these were halted by the government (as @estwebber reported) and capacity to extend hybrid sittings in the chamber was getting better and better...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

Unfashionable view: what we are seeing is not our parliamentarians failing it is the destructive effect of conducting Parliamentary democracy against a time limit. The Article 50 2 year limit made Government think it could use time pressure, rather than debate and negotiation...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

Raab says that “in setting the bar for bullying so low, this inquiry has set a dangerous precedent” OR one might think it establishes the standard of behaviour the British public has a right to expect of Cabinet ministers

Dominic Raab

@DominicRaab

1 year

My resignation statement.👇

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

‘MPs will attempt to hijack the Commons agenda again tomorrow...’ writes @ShippersUnbound ... or.... ‘The House of Commons has agreed by majority that tomorrow it wants to discuss...’ 🙄

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 month

Very misleading for @RishiSunak to repeatedly claim that calculations of the cost of Labour policies made by Treasury officials on the basis of assumptions given to them by the Government are “independent”

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

Raab supporters who say that he is “lawyered up” have missed the fact that ministers serve at the pleasure of the PM and have no employment contract. No legal recourse either way, totally up to Sunak.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

The juxtaposition of two political stories is blowing my mind… former PM gets to appoint 7 new members of the legislature… former PM resigns as MP over finding that he misled parliament 🤯

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

My letter to @thetimes today...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

I wrote to @thetimes today responding to @Dannythefink ’s excellent column yesterday…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 months

Ahem…

Conservatives

@Conservatives

4 months

Conservatives are the Party for women.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

26 days

The executive is always dominant in the House of Commons - there is little material difference between an 80 & a 200 seat majority - the implications for democracy come down to a government’s attitude to scrutiny - my latest for ⁦ @instituteforgov ⁩

The Conservatives' supermajority warnings do not add up | Institute for Government

What does a large government majority really mean for the House of Commons?

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

Final conclusions of Tolley report on Raab “intimidating… unreasonably and persistently aggressive… abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates” - hardly the vindication of his conduct that Raab has claimed 🧐

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

A division has been called on the debate over the privileges committee report on Johnson. So the names of those prepared to endorse the report and to oppose it will be recorded for posterity. And those who find themselves unable to come to a view will be notable by their absence.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

My view on the Raab resignation - the PM has missed an opportunity to clarify the standards expected of ministers and to improve the tone of his government’s relations with the civil service, storing up problems for the future

Rishi Sunak’s response to Dominic Raab’s resignation won’t improve ministerial-civil service...

Rishi Sunak has missed an opportunity to reinforce standards in government.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

Exactly - Johnson has circumvented a process in which - if he was confident of his innocence - he had two further opportunities to prove it - with a majority Conservative House of Commons and his own constituents 🧐

Robert Saunders

@redhistorian

1 year

This isn't a resignation statement; it's a temper tantrum. And its central claim is untrue. Johnson says he was "forced out anti-democratically" by a "kangaroo court". So let's remind ourselves of the process from which he has chosen to run away... 🧵

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

Brandon Lewis on @BBCr4today also focusing on the ‘independent’ point. Sue Gray’s report is internal NOT independent - her boss is a Cabinet Minister. If they wanted an independent report the’d have brought in a judge or similar.

Henry Zeffman

@hzeffman

3 years

People keep calling Sue Gray’s report “independent”. Jake Berry just did it on Today, several broadcast journalists have too. She might be independent-minded but she’s a serving permanent secretary — it’s not an independent report. Subtle distinction but really matters

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

20 days

Our letter to @thetimes today… calling for a reset of ethics in government 👇

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

Suspending Parliament to reduce the opportunity for democratically elected MPs to express their views not a great look for a Government which has repeatedly emphasised that it is against ‘undemocratic’ actions - very selective view of which bits of UK democracy are important

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

“The approach taken by Johnson unmoored the ethical compass of everyone in public life” - all political leaders should reflect on what his premiership tells us about the role of Prime Minister - my latest for ⁦ @instituteforgov ⁩

The true legacy of Boris Johnson | Institute for Government

Boris Johnson’s premiership serves as a warning to Rishi Sunak and any future prime minister.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

Constant emphasis from Johnson at @HoCPrivileges on what he was and wasn’t advised gives an odd impression of role of PM - he made the rules, promulgated them to the public, attended the events and yet he’s saying he didn’t have the judgment to decide if rules had been followed?

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

Not just a shameful day for British politics, as ⁦ @robertshrimsley ⁩ argues, but also a shameful day for British democracy. The lasting effects on the latter are more worrying.

A shameful day for British politics

The move to delay a decision on the Owen Paterson case has politicised the system, which is now in chaos

www.ft.com

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

I agree with ⁦ @jessicaelgot ⁩ “There is likely to be a very limited pool of candidates who would be prepared to put their reputation on the line for a prime minister who has made clear how little store he sets by the code they must preserve.”

Replacing PM’s ethics adviser may be as unfeasible as the role itself

Analysis: job to uphold ministerial code has been tainted by Boris Johnson’s undermining actions

www.theguardian.com

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

My latest - Raab’s allies “suggest a hierarchy of resilience among those who’re bullied implying it’s the weak who complain & strong who remain silent. The inverse is true — it’s only the bravest civil servants who dare stand up to powerful politicians”

Workplace bullying should have no place in politics

Civil servants who challenge the harmful behaviour of aggressive ministers are brave, not ‘snowflakey’

www.ft.com

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

Full text of letter to which I am signatory in @thetimes today, arguing against suggestion it would be legitimate for ministers to advise the Queen to withhold her assent to legislation passed in opposition to the government’s wishes.

Tom Hickman

@TomRHickman

5 years

Full text of letter here: @ProfMarkElliott @Prof_Phillipson @jeff_a_king @AileenMcHarg @DrTomPoole @UCLLaws + others

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

This illustrates the problem with MPs adjudicating on their own ethical standards. The public will see this as yet another eg of MPs having one set of rules for their friends & another for everyone else. If you don’t like the outcome, you change the system

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

I agree this seems most likely outcome now. If Gray report does not refer to the events the police is investigating (rather than those sections being redacted from a full report) then they won’t even exist to be released if police investigation is subsequently dropped.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

Lovely day at Windsor yesterday - such an honour to collect my OBE from Princess Anne - and to take my wonderful mum along

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

Arghhh! I look forward to the headline next Wednesday - British father of five (or is it six?) becomes Prime Minister...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

“MPs should reassert their right to proper opportunities for legislative scrutiny. Otherwise a decline in the quality of law-making will be amongst the most serious long-term consequences of the pandemic & Brexit” My latest for ⁦ @instituteforgov ⁩

Illegal Migration Bill highlights how expectations of legislative scrutiny have plummeted |...

Expectations of parliamentary scrutiny of legislation have dropped over the past decade.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

“To claim a mandate to bang the table (however acceptably lightly), decree “do it”, and to victimise those who cannot deliver the impractical or illegal, is an abuse of power.” Bang on from ⁦ @adamboultonTABB ⁩

Raab’s unpleasant behaviour is a symptom of his mediocrity

The boss who struggles to deliver himself is often the one who is most demanding - aka nasty - to his subordinates. Raab fits the bill.

reaction.life

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

Surely having MPs queuing all over New Palace Yard is a significant security risk? @metpoliceuk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

Suspending Parliament to prevent democratically elected representatives from making a decision you suspect they wish to take would amount to a coup against Parliament and risk bringing the Queen into a terrible conflict...

Steven Swinford

@Steven_Swinford

5 years

Dom Raab has refused to rule out proroguing Parliament to ensure Britain leaves without a deal on October 31 This is what senior figures in the ERG have been demanding - get round MPs by simply pushing the nuclear button and proroguing

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

Noticeable that Brandon Lewis on @BBCr4today talked about the ‘findings’ of the Gray report being published NOT the actual report. Normal practice in the past has been to publish a high level summary of such inquiries - carefully edited. I predict consternation if they try that.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

My take on today’s step backwards for UK parliamentary democracy...

Forcing MPs back to Westminster reveals the government's real view of parliament | Hannah White

Abolishing the virtual system means up to 250 MPs will be excluded altogether, says Hannah White of the Institute for Government

www.theguardian.com

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

The ⁦ @instituteforgov ⁩ has long called for resignation honours to be abandoned… good to hear ⁦ @Keir_Starmer ⁩ commit to end the practice on ⁦ @BBCr4today ⁩ should he become Prime Minister

Times letters: Unrest over Boris Johnson’s parting honours list | Institute for Government

Rishi Sunak should take a stand on prime ministerial resignation honours – starting with Boris Johnson’s list, writes Dr Catherine Haddon.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

MPs should not agree to the government’s Brexit bill timetable - new comment from me on today’s debate on the Programme Motion scheduling the WAB’s Commons stages

The government's timetable is designed to frustrate Brexit scrutiny | Institute for Government

The government knows that MPs cannot  agree to its unrealistic timetable for the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

Disingenuous for Jacob Rees Mogg to claim that absence of public bill committees and secondary legislation committees is a feature of virtual Parliament rather than a decision of government not to go ahead with these forms of business.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

Boris Johnson has denied he broke the ministerial code because when he misled parliament he had misunderstood the rules he had set. But the code also places an ‘overarching duty on ministers to comply with the law and protect the integrity of public life’

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

I am SO amazingly proud of the people who have stood up - at considerable personal cost - to fight for the independent bullying & harassment process that MPs today... finally... by a majority of 5 votes!!!! just agreed to introduce...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

This line from @bernardjenkin makes me so angry. It is analogous to the line used among senior management when I was a clerk in the Commons - if you were ‘resilient’ (ie willing to put up with being bullied) you’d get on…

Aubrey Allegretti

@breeallegretti

1 year

Tory MP Bernard Jenkin says some people are "very easily bullied" and others are "incapable of being bullied". He tells WATO "this is quite a new workplace wellbeing issue" and that in Whitehall, "tougher" people can be "put in the firing line" to work with a difficult minister.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

What is the point of bodies that provide advice to government on maintaining ethical standards if their advice is consistently ignored? My latest for @instituteforgov

For Boris Johnson, following advice on ethics is the exception not the rule | Institute for...

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

👀 Chair of @CommonsLiaison @bernardjenkin has taken the very unusual step of writing to @CommonsLeader to express concern about government failures to meet its duty to account to select committees…

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

“If MPs and peers cannot be confident that ministers feel a responsibility for the accuracy of their statements and answers, parliament might as well pack up and go home.” My take on the ⁦ @HoCPrivileges ⁩ inquiry into ⁦Boris Johnson

The Privileges Committee inquiry’s significance goes far beyond Boris Johnson’s future | Institute...

Parliament's attitude to ministerial accountability is far more important than Boris Johnson's future.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

“What we are doing is legal even though it is actually illegal” ... the wonders of legislative draftsmanship...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

My letter to the Times today...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

This @HMTAllegra quote is quite incredible. What is the point of having an independent process for investigating complaints raised by ‘brave’ people if the decision comes down to what the PM sees fit to believe?

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

Ministers overruled permanent secretaries 11 times during coronavirus pandemic

Directions making secretaries of state solely accountable were used to force through spending pledges

www.theguardian.com

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

This article is mystifying - lots of assertions about how the Commons sitting in person during the coronavirus pandemic will be better, assertions which are at best debatable and at worst palpably untrue... a (long) thread...

The House magazine

@TheHouseMag

4 years

EXCLUSIVE "Westminster has been the seat of our democracy for centuries. It will take more than coronavirus to change that." @Jacob_Rees_Mogg says the virtual Parliament is "no longer necessary" and sets out how the Commons will function from tomorrow

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

8 months

So we are now on our SIXTEENTH housing minister since 2010. Such an enormous level of churn makes it impossible to achieve the policy continuity needed to drive priorities forwards - no surprise govts have consistently failed to achieve the housing targets they set themselves

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

Boris Johnson deciding to override the conclusion of the independent process for investigating breaches of the ministerial code (re Priti Patel bullying) proves 100% why it was essential for the House of Commons bullying investigation process to be entirely independent of MPs.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

No UK party leader chosen against the wishes of its MPs has ever gone on to win a general election, Jonathan Sumption reminds us in a powerful piece arguing against allowing party members to choose their leaders 👇

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

Question. Why was it impossible to make the changes to the ICGS system apply retrospectively to Rob Roberts (so he couldn’t be recalled). But it would be fine to change the standards system to retrospectively apply to Owen Paterson?

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

Many thanks to everyone for your exceptionally kind messages. I am surprised but delighted to have been awarded an OBE and will continue my efforts to provide ‘services to the Constitution’. Thanks also to whoever took the trouble to nominate me!

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

… BJ seemed curiously unprepared for these questions and it was remarkable that he refused to say that he would accept the fairness of the process *unless it exonerated him*. Anger of the committee at the way it has been treated was palpable. Quite rightly.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

7 months

Something of an irony in the government’s emphasis today on the Rwanda treaty being ‘binding international law’ given the willingness of recent conservative governments to… set aside binding international law… 🤷‍♀️

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

Not sure that passing the slate of 38 bills in the Queen’s Speech now looks very realistic…

Dr Catherine Haddon

@cath_haddon

2 years

So what does this mean for governing? This is first time those opposed to Johnson know how many they are. It’s all been smoke and mirrors thus far. It may galvanise them. That can mean huge challenges for legislation. Controversial issues become even harder.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

My 9 year old daughter was asked to write a haiku today. This is what she wrote... Coronavirus that is all they talk about, I hate it so much 😢

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

Today over 60 current and former @HouseofCommons staff and others have written to @thetimes inviting all candidates for Speaker to commit to implementing an independent process for determining allegations of bullying and harassment by MPs within 6 months of taking office

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

6 years

My letter to @thetimes today...

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

3 years

The best way to overcome MPs’ concerns about the process of the standards process would of course be to put the MPs’ Code of Conduct into law.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

With Boris Johnson facing contempt proceedings in Commons it seems an appropriate day to be publishing my new book ‘Held in Contempt: what’s wrong with the House of Commons?’ - I popped into @CityBooksinHove to sign some copies last week… (available in all such good bookshops!)

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

@davidmbarnett My sister emailed her university supervisor beginning “thanks for the massage...”

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

2 years

Agree - especially the last point. As with Owen Paterson it seems to me the government is tactically invoking legal standards when it suits them to do so when strategically they have little wish to involve the courts in fundamentally political and parliamentary matters

Mark Elliott

@ProfMarkElliott

2 years

I find this opinion on the Johnson Privileges Committee matter very odd. Much of it is concerned with the fact that the Committee's process may not adhere to legal standards that are wholly inapplicable to a political, parliamentary process. /1

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

1 year

Hope to see ⁦ @RishiSunak ⁩ and ⁦ @RobertJenrick ⁩ correct the record now the inaccuracy of their statements has been drawn to their attention by ⁦ @UKStatsAuth ⁩ - crucial they model importance of not misleading parliament… 🧐

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 years

If as reported... Bercow saying he will prevent Govt tabling a motion to facilitate MV3 by asking House to set aside normal rule of not asking same question twice is VERY surprising. Speaker role to stand up for rights of Parliament not to prevent it deciding how to run itself

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

Crikey...

Jo Maugham

@JolyonMaugham

4 years

Yesterday I showed how, on Govt's own figures, it overpaid a politically connected PPE supplier by £36m+ for IIR facemasks. In fact, if you look at the contract as a whole, which included FFP2 facemasks, the overpayment was much higher. I'll come back to that in a moment.

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

5 months

Last night’s events in the Commons reinforce many of the themes I explored in my book - Held in Contempt - about the need for parliamentary reform - impenetrable procedure, government dominance of the Commons’ agenda, introspection and loss of trust…

Manchester University Press - Held in contempt

Held in contempt - Browse and buy the Paperback edition of Held in contempt by Hannah White.

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

See our earlier report on the virtual Parliament here...

Parliament’s role in the coronavirus crisis: holding the government to account | Institute for...

The government’s move to return the Commons to its usual ways of working when it returns from recess, is deeply concerning.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Hannah White

@DrHannahWhite

4 years

This serious case illustrates the importance of the robust bullying and harassment complaints system now in place in Parliament - victims feared for their careers if they reported abuse

Charlie Elphicke faces prison and divorce after sex assaults conviction

The former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke has been told he faces prison after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women. Soon after the verdict today his wife, Natalie, 49, who succeeded...

www.thetimes.com

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