X-Nico

65 unusual facts about Parliament of the United Kingdom


Aberdare by-election

Aberdare by-election could refer to two by-elections held for the Parliament of the United Kingdom;

Accessories and Abettors Act 1861

The Accessories and Abettors Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c.98) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (as it then was).

Andrew Roth

He scoured Hansard, gossip columns, vote papers and committee reports to compile his profiles of the personnel of the U.K. Parliament and assessed their character traits, history, opinions and psychological drives.

Attempted Rape Act 1948

The Attempted Rape Act 1948 (11&12 Geo. 6 c. 19) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that increased the maximum sentence for attempted rape from 2 years imprisonment to 7 years penal servitude.

Bamford, Greater Manchester

The Bamford ward lies in the Heywood and Middleton represented in Parliament by Jim Dobbin (of the Labour Party).

Baron Braybrooke

He had previously represented Grampound, Buckingham and Reading in Parliament and later served as Lord Lieutenant of Essex.

Bexhill West Branch Line

Local residents were opposed to the plan, and a question was asked in Parliament by Neill Cooper-Key regarding the preservation of the viaduct, which was not listed.

Bishops in Foreign Countries Act 1841

The Bishops in Foreign Countries Act 1841 (5 Vict., c. 6) is an Act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to enable the Church of England to create bishops overseas.

Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960

The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that regulated caravan sites.

Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury

Lord Shrewsbury sits in the House of Lords as one of the remaining 'elected' Hereditary Peers in Parliament and takes the Conservative Whip.

Charles Dukes, 1st Baron Dukeston

When Labour split in 1931 over the handling of budgetary response to the Great Depression, Dukes was defeated in the subsequent general election, and did not stand for election to the House of Commons again.

Commonwealth Secretariat Act 1966

The Commonwealth Secretariat Act 1966 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that established the legal character of the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Corruption of Blood Act 1814

The Corruption of Blood Act 1814 (54 Geo. 3 c. 145) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which abolished corruption of blood for all crimes except high treason, petty treason and murder.

Criminal Justice Act 1925

The Criminal Justice Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo.5 c.86) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Criminal law consolidation Acts 1861

The criminal law consolidation Acts 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. cc. 94 - 100) were Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Custody of Infants Act 1873

The Custody of Infants Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict. c. 12) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Disability Discrimination Act 2005

The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (c 13) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986

The Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 was the first act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom specifically dealing with laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking.

Duke of Norfolk

In addition to the title of Duke of Norfolk, the Dukes of Norfolk also hold the hereditary position of Earl Marshal, which has the duty of organizing state occasions such as the state opening of Parliament.

Ethel Gordon Fenwick

Ethel's mother then married George Storer, a Member of Parliament.

Falkirk West

Falkirk West (UK Parliament constituency) — a constituency that was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1983 and 2005.

Falsehood in War-Time

In 1906, Ponsonby ran as a Liberal candidate, unsuccessfully, at the general election but was elected a Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom (MP) at a by-election in 1908.

Frederick Wise, 1st Baron Wise

He finally entered Parliament at the 1945 general election, when Labour's post-war landslide help him win a majority of 3,274 votes in Conservative-held King's Lynn.

Friendly Societies Act 1875

The Friendly Societies Act 1875 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by Benjamin Disraeli's Conservative Government following the publication of the Royal Commission on Friendly Societies' Final Report.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons

The Chief Inspector is not operationally part of HM Prison Service or the Ministry of Justice, and both have been criticised at times in the reports issued by the Chief Inspector after prison visits, or in their Annual Report, delivered to the Justice Secretary and presented to Parliament.

Hereditary Revenues Act 1856

The Hereditary Revenues Act 1856 (19 & 20 Vict c 43) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Hill Farming Act 1946

The Hill Farming Act 1946 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004

The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (c 25) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

INS Dweeprakshak

The Lakshadweep islands were a part of the Madras Presidency under the British Raj and in accordance with the Indian Independence Act 1947, enacted by the British parliament, the islands were transferred to the new Union of India.

Investment Exchanges and Clearing Houses Act 2006

The Investment Exchanges and Clearing Houses Act 2006 (c 55) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Joan Child

There was some discussion of the old Speaker's Chair, which had been a gift from the Parliament of the United Kingdom, moving with the Parliament, but Child, as Speaker, refused to move the chair.

Judicial independence

The Stuart dynasty used this power frequently in order to overpower Parliament.

Keeper of the Seals

Prior to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the office had had substantial legislative, executive, and judicial power; the Act stripped the Lord Chancellor non-executive functions (besides sitting in Parliament when held by an MP or a Peer entitled to a seat in the Lords).

Lady Sarah Lennox

Bunbury's divorce on the grounds of adultery was finally granted by Parliament on 14 May 1776.

Laxdale Hall

A British parliamentary delegation is dispatched to the Scottish Highlands where the residents are protesting at their poor links with the outside world.

Local Government Act 1948

The Local Government Act 1948 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Lyana Armstrong-Emery

She and her party strongly supported Gibraltarian representation in the Parliament at Westminster and in the European Parliament.

Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum, 1956

Under the proposals Malta would retain its own parliament, but would also elect members to the British parliament.

Notrim

On 6 August 1940 Anthony Eden, the British Secretary of War, informed Parliament that the Cabinet had decided to recruit Arab and Jewish units as battalions of the Royal East Kent Regiment (the "Buffs").

Official Secrets Act 1889

The Official Secrets Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 52) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Orrell, Merseyside

For parliamentary elections Orrell is within the Bootle constituency represented by the Labour Party MP Joe Benton.

Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Political Parties and Elections Act 2009

The Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 (c 12) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980

The Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980 was a piece of legislation passed by the British Parliament to counter American assertions of extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Raphael Cartoons

In 1763, when George III moved them to the newly bought Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace) there were protests in Parliament by John Wilkes and others, as they would no longer be accessible to the public (Hampton Court had long been open to visitors).

Savings Accounts and Health in Pregnancy Grant Act 2010

The Savings Accounts and Health in Pregnancy Grant Act 2010 (c. 36) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Security of the Sovereign Act 1714

The Security of the Sovereign Act 1714 (1 Geo. I. St. 2, c. 13.) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Sexual Offences Act 1956

The Sexual Offences Act 1956 (4 & 5 Eliz.2 c.69) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated the English criminal law relating to sexual offences between 1957 and 2004.

Sexual Offences Act 1985

The Sexual Offences Act 1985 (c.44) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created two offences concerning prostitution, and increased the maximum sentence for attempted rape from 7 years to life imprisonment.

Succession to the Throne Act, 2013

It ended with the acknowledgement of the introduction of the Succession to the Crown Bill 2012 in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1910

The Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1910 (10 Edw 7 & 1 Geo 5 c 12) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The Mudlark

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Alec Guinness) realizes that the boy is innocent and pleads for him in Parliament, delivering a speech that indirectly criticizes the Queen for withdrawing from public life.

The Right to Know

He states that a minister has just three functions: to act as the department's PR man, to steer its legislation through Parliament, and to fight for its budget.

The Silver Chair

The worst of the bullies are expelled and the incompetent headmistress given a new job—failing as a school inspector, she is eventually elected to Parliament.

The Tragic Muse

Despite his misgivings Nick goes through an election campaign and wins a seat in Parliament.

Throne room

Although the primary purpose and reputation of the Palace of Westminster is as the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, it is also officially a royal residence.

Trading with the Enemy Act

The Bill for an Act with this short title will have been known as a Trading with the Enemy Bill during its passage through the Parliament of the United Kingdom or the United States Congress.

Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006

The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (c. 38) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003

The Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 (c 33) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Western European Summer Time

Starting in 1916, the dates for the beginning and end of BST each year were mandated by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Westminster Abbey by-election

Westminster Abbey by-election could refer to four by-elections held for the Parliament of the United Kingdom;

Wild Birds Protection Act 1902

The Wild Birds Protection Act 1902 (2 Edw 7 c. 6) was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, given the royal assent on 22 July 1902 and repealed in 1954.

William Samuel Johnson

Johnson was first attracted to the Patriot cause by what he and his associates considered Parliament's unwarranted interference in the government of the colonies.

Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006

The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (c 36) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Work and Families Act 2006

The Work and Families Act 2006 (c 18) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.


Act of Uniformity Amendment Act 1872

The Act of Uniformity Amendment Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. 35), sometimes called the Shortened Services Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that amended some of the provisions of the English Act of Uniformity 1662.

Adrian Sanders

Following the 2001 election, Sanders was made the Liberal Democrat spokesman for Tourism, and was subsequently moved to the position of Deputy Chief Whip of the Party in Parliament.

Alvington, Gloucestershire

The Forest of Dean is represented in Parliament by Mark Harper MP (Conservative Party).

Any Questions?

When the programme was first broadcast there was a rule that no questions could be asked on topics that had been discussed in the Houses of Parliament during the last two weeks.

Apportionment Act 1820

The Apportionment Act 1820 (1 Geo 4 c 108) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Arthur Charles Innes

Arthur Charles Innes, was an Irish Conservative Party Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom who represented the constituency of Newry.

Baron Jessel

It was created on 8 January 1924 for Sir Herbert Jessel, 1st Baronet, who had earlier represented St Pancras South in Parliament as a Liberal Unionist from 1896 to 1906 and as a Conservative from 1910 to 1918.

Battle of Kandahar

For his services, General Roberts received the thanks of Parliament, and was appointed both Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) and Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1880, becoming a baronet the following year.

Blackwall Buildings

Originally built by the Great Eastern Railway Blackwall Buildings were started because of an obligation created by Parliament when large scale Engineering works were constructed and a number of houses were demolished, that these dwellings were replaced and the people were re-housed.

Chelsea Hospital Act 1843

The Chelsea Hospital Act 1843 (6 & 7 Vict c 31) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Child Poverty Act 2010

The Child Poverty Act 2010 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ‘to set targets relating to the eradication of child poverty, and to make other provision about child poverty’.

Chris Pond

At the May 2005 general election, he lost his seat in Parliament to the Conservative Party candidate, Adam Holloway.

Coat of arms of Canberra

The crowned portcullis again symbolises the parliament, this being the traditional symbol of the Palace of Westminster (which houses the Parliament of the United Kingdom);

Constitution Act, 1982

In 1931, the British Parliament enacted the Statute of Westminster, 1931.

External relations of the Isle of Man

The Parliament of the United Kingdom has paramount power to legislate for the Isle of Man on all matters but it is a long-standing convention that it does not do so on domestic ('insular') matters without Tynwald's consent.

Galtee Rovers GAA

One of the Club leaders in its formative years was Mr. John Cullinane, M.P. who was a native of Bansha and represented County Tipperary as a Nationalist member of Parliament at Westminster from 1900 to 1918.

Hawkenbury, Tunbridge Wells

Hawkenbury is part of the constituency of Tunbridge Wells at a national level, and South East England at a European level.

Mary Sophia Allen

In November 1922 Allen stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as an Independent Liberal candidate for Westminster St George's.

Matthew Montagu, 4th Baron Rokeby

He represented the Cornish constituencies of Bossiney (1786–90), Tregony (1790–95) and St Germans (1806–12) in the British Parliament and succeeded his brother as 4th Baron Rokeby in 1829.

Mount Henry Lucy

It was discovered by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907–09, and named for Henry Lucy, M.P., who publicized Ernest Shackleton's expedition and assisted in obtaining a financial grant from Parliament for the expedition.

Norden, Greater Manchester

As a result of changes to boundaries, Norden ward is divided between Heywood and Middleton and Rochdale constituencies, represented in Parliament by Jim Dobbin (of the Labour Party) and Simon Danczuk (also of the Labour Party).

Northern Ireland Assembly Elections Act 2003

The Northern Ireland Assembly Elections Act 2003 (c 3) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Police Act 1996

The Police Act 1996 (c 16) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which defined the current police areas in England and Wales, constituted the current police authorities for those areas, and set out the relationship between the Home Secretary and the English and Welsh territorial police forces.

Police Reservists Act 1902

The Police Reservists Act 1902 (2 Edw 7 c. 10) was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, given the royal assent on 22 July 1902 and repealed shortly thereafter.

Prevention of Crimes Amendment Act 1885

The Prevention of Crimes Amendment Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 75) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Seditious libel

A statement is seditious if it "brings into hatred or contempt" either the Queen or her heirs, the government and constitution, either House of Parliament, the administration of justice, if it incites people to attempt to change any matter of Church or State established by law (except by lawful means), or if it promotes discontent among or hostility between British subjects.

The Long Arm of Looney Coote

There, after heavily plugging a bookmaking business he has become partner in, Ukridge hears that his old pal Boko Lawlor is standing for Parliament in the forthcoming by-election at Redbridge, and goes down to help.

The Man on the Moor

It is an assertion strongly denied by her daughter Charlotte Waters, married to James Waters, a junior government minister who is worried that such rumours could prejudice his parliamentary career.

Trade Boards Act 1918

The Trade Boards Act 1918 (c 32) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that heavily shaped the post-World War I system of UK labour law, particularly regarding collective bargaining and the establishment of minimum wages.

Unlawful Oaths Act 1797

The Unlawful Oaths Act 1797 (37 Geo. III, c. 123) was an Act passed by the British Parliament.

William Nightingale

In 1817, when he was 23 and she 29, he married Frances "Fanny" Smith (1789–1880), from Parndon in Essex, daughter of the abolitionist, Whig member of Parliament, William Smith.