header-logo header-logo

09 August 2024 / Neil Parpworth
Issue: 8083 / Categories: Opinion , Public , Constitutional law
printer mail-detail

Point of order

185057
Neil Parpworth on why maiden speeches in the House of Commons are a continuing unnecessary distraction

The principal point to note about the 4 July 2024 general election result was, of course, the scale of the Labour Party’s victory at the polls, in terms of the number of seats won. Few would have predicted back in mid-December 2019, when the last general election was held, that the political pendulum would swing so far from right to left in such a short space of time.

A further point, which has also received media attention, is that more than half of the 650 members of the House of Commons are new to Parliament. While some change was inevitable, given that more than 100 sitting MPs chose not to stand in the election, the scale of the change is far greater than in 2015, for example, when 177 new MPs were elected. This influx of new faces has meant that already, maiden speeches are consuming a precious commodity: parliamentary time.

The opportunity

Erskine May is

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

London medical negligence practice strengthened by senior partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

DAC Beachcroft—seven appointments

Firm boosts professional risk practice with team hire in Manchester, led by partner Ben Parks

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

Workplace law firm appoints new head of regulatory team

NEWS
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
back-to-top-scroll