X-Nico

57 unusual facts about Parliament of the United Kingdom


A Death in the Small Hours

When selected to make the opening speech at the next session of Parliament, he takes up an offer to spend some time at his uncle’s estate in Somerset.

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).

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.

Administration of Justice Act 1977

The Administration of Justice Act 1977 (c 38) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Ainsdale

For parliamentary elections, the ward is part of the Southport constituency, currently represented by the Liberal Democrat MP, John Pugh, who was re-elected at the 2010 United Kingdom general election.

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.

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.

Assets Recovery Agency

The ARA was a non-Ministerial Department, meaning it answered to Parliament directly rather than to a Minister.

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.

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.

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 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.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

The council was created in 1975, 57 years after the creation of Na h-Eileanan an Iar for elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the constituency being named, when created, Western Isles).

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.

Conservation of Seals Act 1970

The Conservation of Seals Act 1970 (c. 30) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Constitutional debate in Canada

The 1982 constitutional reform introduced an amendment process that no longer involved the approval of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Controversies related to chronic fatigue syndrome

A 2006 investigation by a group from the Parliament of the United Kingdom found there was not enough support in the UK for CFS patients in terms of access to social security and health care.

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 Attempts Act 1981

The Criminal Attempts Act 1981 (c 47) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

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.

Drug Trafficking Act 1994

The Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (c. 37) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Edward Major

Major was closely associated with Puritan settlers in the colony, and was elected Speaker of the House of Burgesses in 1652, just after Virginia acceeded to the authority of Parliament following the execution of King Charles I.

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.

Ffestiniog Railway

Two years later, as a result of the case, the British Parliament passed the Land Compensation Act 1973.

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.

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.

Household Waste Recycling Act 2003

The Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 (c 29) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

I Live in Grosvenor Square

He is befriended by the Duke and British paratrooper Major David Bruce (Rex Harrison), who has taken leave to contest a parliamentary by-election.

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.

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.

Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum, 1956

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

Mary Sophia Allen

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

Metropolitan Police Act 1933

The Metropolitan Police Act was a 1933 Act of Parliament initiated by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

National Insurance Contributions Act 2006

The National Insurance Contributions Act 2006 (c 10) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

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.

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").

Orrell, Merseyside

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

Partnership Act 1890

The Partnership Act 1890 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which governs the rights and duties of people who carry on business in common with a view to profit.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Simon Hoggart

His published books form an eclectic list, including debunking the supernatural, anecdotes about Parliament, a biography, his thoughts about the United States, a serious political review, and collected Christmas round-robin letters.

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 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.

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.

Truck Act 1940

The Truck Act 1940 (3 & 4 Geo 6 c 38) was an Act of 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.

Work and Families Act 2006

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


Abjuration

In England, an Oath of Abjuration was taken by Members of Parliament, clergy, and laymen, pledging to support the current British monarch and repudiated the right of the Stuarts and other claimants to the throne.

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.

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.

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.

British Army of the Rhine

In August 1920 Winston Churchill told the British Parliament that the BAOR consisted of approximately 13,360, consisting of, Staff, Cavalry, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Infantry, Machine Gun Corps, Tanks, and the usual ancillary services.

Charles Curtis Craig

Craig first stood for Parliament at a by-election in 1903 for the South Antrim constituency, after the sitting Unionist MP William Ellison-Macartney had left the Commons to take up the post of Deputy-Master of the Royal Mint.

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’.

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.

Hawkenbury, Tunbridge Wells

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

Hereditary Revenues Act 1856

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

Holy Trinity Church, Kingswood

It was one of the first churches built from funds voted by Parliament to mark Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, and hence known as a "Waterloo Church".

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.

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.

Litherland

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

Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

She was educated at Roedean (where she was head girl), Heidelberg University, Queen Mary, University of London and the Polytechnic of Central London, and worked as a statistician and market research manager, including a spell with Shell-Mex and BP, before entering Parliament as MP for Wallasey, Merseyside, succeeding the former Cabinet minister Ernest Marples.

Maastricht Treaty

In the United Kingdom, an opt-out from the treaty's social provisions was opposed in Parliament by the opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs and the treaty itself by the Maastricht Rebels within the governing Conservative Party.

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).

Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009

The Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009 (c. 18) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the rule against perpetuities.

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.

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.

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.

Stephen Crabb

In 1996 he became a parliamentary affairs officer for the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services, before working at the London Chamber of Commerce in 1998: he left them in 2002 as the policy and campaigns manager.

Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1899

The Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict c 6) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1902

The Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1902 (2 Edw 7 c 31) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

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.

Unlawful Oaths Act 1797

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

Wallace Lawler

Lawler first stood for Parliament as Liberal candidate in Dudley in the Black Country at the 1955 general election coming third with under 10% of the vote and losing his deposit.

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.

Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006

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

Working Men's Club and Institute Union

Together with other club organisations such as the Royal British Legion the Association of Conservative Clubs, The National Union of Liberal Clubs and The National Union of Labour and Socialist Clubs the CIU is part of CORCA (Confederation of Registered Club Associations) which lobbies Parliament on behalf of clubs.