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Daniel Brittain

'Parliament is already diminished': The mood of hereditary peers as they head for the exit
Parliament
By Daniel Brittain
'Parliament is already diminished': The mood of hereditary peers as they head for the exit
Tony Blair spared 92 hereditary peers in 1999 because he thought they would soon be swept out in a wider reform to the House of Lords. Daniel Brittain samples the mood of the hereditaries a quarter of a century later
Double jeopardy: the two state openings of 1974
History
By Daniel Brittain
Double jeopardy: the two state openings of 1974
Fifty years ago there were two elections – and two state openings – in the same year. Daniel Brittain unearths two surprising stories about them from the archives
Obliging Noble: The Lord Howe Interview
Political parties
By Daniel Brittain
Obliging Noble: The Lord Howe Interview
For a third of a century, Lord Howe has represented his party at the despatch box. Daniel Brittain meets one of Parliament’s gentlemen
Charles III's first King's speech – and a history of debuts
History
By Daniel Brittain
Charles III's first King's speech – and a history of debuts
As the King performs what is perhaps his most important duty as head of state for the first time, Daniel Brittain reminds us that not every debut has been a nerveless success
Meet the parliamentarians with roles in the coronation
Parliament
By Daniel Brittain
Meet the parliamentarians with roles in the coronation
After what appears to have been an internal debate, government whips who are also members of the Royal Household will join the King’s procession in Westminster Abbey, while one cabinet minister has just been given a very significant role in the procession. Daniel Brittain reports
Changing of the Lord: How Lord Carrington became the new Lord Great Chamberlain
Culture
By Daniel Brittain
Changing of the Lord: How Lord Carrington became the new Lord Great Chamberlain
The King was not the only person to inherit a new role following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September. Almost unnoticed was the departure of the sovereign’s representative in Parliament, the Lord Great Chamberlain, Lord Cholmondeley, who lost his job with the demise of the monarch. As Daniel Brittain reports, the new occupant of the hereditary office held by three different families is Lord Carrington
Opening Gambit: The history of the State Opening of Parliament
Parliament
By Daniel Brittain
Opening Gambit: The history of the State Opening of Parliament
This month’s State Opening of Parliament was a civilised affair compared to the mêlée among MPs 120 years ago. The 1901 ceremony saw a number of innovations at the instigation of the new king, Edward VII. Daniel Brittain reports.
Dukes in the House: Can you be a duke and focused on the modern world?
Parliament
By Daniel Brittain
Dukes in the House: Can you be a duke and focused on the modern world?
Can you be a duke and focused on the modern world? Having run the country in former centuries, some are now more used to running their eyes over the minutiae of parliamentary legislation. Daniel Brittain reports.
The Blitz, a blaze and that terrible pong: parliamentary disasters of the past
History
By Daniel Brittain
The Blitz, a blaze and that terrible pong: parliamentary disasters of the past
Although Covid restrictions have thrown a sizable spanner in the constitutional works, perhaps today’s parliamentarians should think themselves lucky to have dodged a number of other historical hazards.