No debate or vote takes place. The bill's title is read out and a date is set for the second reading. This is a formality that marks the start of the bill's journey through that House.

MPs or Lords debate and vote on whether they support the bill's overall purpose and core ideas. No amendments can be made at this stage — it's a yes-or-no vote on the general principle. This is the key vote HoTP uses to measure the democratic gap between public opinion and parliamentary decisions.

The bill is examined in detail by a smaller group of MPs (Public Bill Committee) or the whole House (in the Lords). They go through the bill clause by clause, proposing and voting on specific amendments. Multiple votes may occur as individual clauses are debated and improved.

The whole House considers additional amendments proposed since the committee stage. This is the last opportunity for MPs or Lords to change the bill's content through votes on specific changes. Only amendments that were not considered in committee are usually debated.

The House votes on whether to approve the final version of the bill including all amendments. In the Commons, debate is limited and no further changes can be made. In the Lords, further amendments can still be proposed at this stage.

The final formality where the bill officially becomes an Act of Parliament. No vote takes place — this is a ceremonial approval by the Crown. The last time Royal Assent was refused was in 1708.

Normally a small group of members goes through a bill in detail. For constitutionally important or very urgent bills the entire chamber does it instead.

When the second House makes changes to a bill, it goes back to the originating House for approval. Both Houses exchange the bill back and forth ('ping-pong') until they agree on the final text. Each House votes on amendments proposed by the other. This can go on indefinitely until agreement is reached or the bill runs out of time.

When MPs or Lords formally vote by walking through the "Aye" or "No" lobbies. Their names and votes are recorded. This happens when a voice vote is challenged or when a recorded vote is required. The result shows exactly how each member voted.

On certain issues, typically matters of life, death, or personal morality, party leaders lift the whip and allow MPs to vote according to their own conscience rather than the party line. These are also called "free votes". Because no party position is enforced, votes on conscience bills are excluded from party loyalty and rebellion statistics. Examples include votes on assisted dying, abortion, and capital punishment.

The Speaker asks members to call out "Aye" or "No" and judges which side is louder. No individual votes are recorded. If the result is clear, no division (formal vote) is needed. Many stages of a bill pass on voice votes when there is no significant opposition.

A formal proposal to change the wording of a bill. Amendments can add, remove, or alter clauses. They are debated and voted on individually during committee and report stages. Amendments can be proposed by any MP or Lord.

A special type of amendment at 2nd Reading that, if passed, effectively kills the bill. Instead of voting against the bill directly, the opposition proposes reasons why the bill should not proceed. In a reasoned amendment vote, voting "Aye" means opposing the bill.

An instruction from a political party telling its MPs how to vote. A "three-line whip" is the strongest instruction, and defying it can result in disciplinary action. A "free vote" means MPs can vote according to their conscience without party instruction.

Ratification is the formal step where the UK government agrees to be legally bound by an international treaty. Signing a treaty only signals intent. Ratification makes it binding under international law and triggers any related domestic-law changes. Under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the government must lay every treaty before Parliament for 21 sitting days before it can ratify, giving either House a chance to object. Once Parliament has had its scrutiny window, the UK formally deposits the instrument of ratification with the treaty's designated depositary (often the United Nations or another country) and the treaty enters into force.

Section 22 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 lets a minister ratify a treaty without the standard 21-sitting-day Parliamentary scrutiny window if they decide the case is "exceptional". The minister must lay a written statement of reasons explaining why standard scrutiny is being bypassed. It cannot override an existing Commons resolution against ratification. The bypass has been used roughly once or twice since 2010, mostly for urgent EU or sanctions treaties. House of The People flags Section 22 ratifications with a distinct status pill so the public can see that scrutiny was skipped.

MPs do not say yes or no. They say Aye for yes and No for no, and they vote by walking into one of two corridors. The Lords use different words again: Content and Not Content.

The opposite of Aye. On a vote chart the Noes are the MPs who voted against. In the Lords the same vote is called Not Content.

Four members, two from each side, stand at the doors and count everyone as they walk through. Tellers do not have their own vote counted, which is why a teller shows up in a vote list without a Aye or No beside their name.

When a member votes the opposite way to most of their own party. It sounds like misconduct and it is not: it is a normal and legal thing to do, and for many people it is the most interesting thing about their representative.

A vote that succeeded. If a motion is carried, more people voted for it than against it.

Parliament is closed down for a few days between one working year and the next. Any bill that has not finished by then usually dies and has to start again from the beginning, however far it had got.

A vote on whether a whole numbered section of the bill should remain. It is not about changing the wording, it is about keeping or deleting the section entirely.

To table something in the UK Parliament means to submit it for consideration. Confusingly it means the opposite in America, where tabling something means setting it aside.

The change was put to a vote and lost.

The change was written down in advance but the person who wrote it chose not to put it forward on the day, so no vote happened.

There is usually more proposed than there is time for, so the person chairing picks which changes get debated. One that is not called never gets its turn.

The stricter of the two routes for a statutory instrument. Both Houses have to vote yes before it can become law.

The looser of the two routes. The law takes effect automatically and only stops if Parliament actively votes it down, which almost never happens. Negative here does not mean rejected, it means nobody had to say yes.

The date a minister signed a statutory instrument. It is often weeks before the date it actually starts applying to anyone.

The day the rule actually begins to bind people. A law can exist for months before it comes into force.

A document has been placed in front of both Houses so members have a chance to look at it. Laying something starts the clock on any deadline for objecting to it.

Nothing religious. It is the old-fashioned name for a request that a statutory instrument be cancelled. Members are said to be praying against it.

Any formal proposal put to the House. Almost everything Parliament decides starts as a motion, and to move a motion simply means to propose it.

If a bill would cost public money, the Commons has to separately agree to allow that spending. Without it the bill cannot progress, so refusing one is a quiet way to kill a bill.

A vote on how much time a bill gets at each stage. Tight timetables are controversial because they can leave parts of a bill never debated at all.

A short debate at the end of a sitting, usually raised by a single member on a topic of their choice. It sounds like a cancellation and it is the opposite: it is extra business.

A short statement an MP puts on the record for other MPs to sign. Almost none are ever debated. They work as a way of showing how much support an idea has.

An MP or peer submits a question in writing and a government department has to answer it in writing, usually within a week. It is the main way members extract facts from government.

An MP asks the Speaker to require a minister to come and answer questions on something that has just happened. The Speaker decides whether it is urgent enough.

Each government department takes questions in the chamber on a rota. Prime Minister's Questions is the best known of these sessions.

A member interrupts whoever is speaking to ask a question or make a short point. The speaker can refuse to give way.

A bill introduced by a government minister as part of the government's legislative programme. These have the best chance of becoming law as they have government backing and parliamentary time allocated to them.

A bill introduced by an individual MP or Lord who is not a government minister. There are three types in the Commons: Ballot Bills (drawn by lottery, get most time), Ten Minute Rule Bills (brief introduction speech), and Presentation Bills (formally presented without debate). Most do not become law due to limited parliamentary time.

A bill that affects specific individuals, organisations, or local areas rather than the general public. Often promoted by organisations like local authorities or companies seeking specific powers. Has a different parliamentary procedure from public bills.

A bill that affects both the general public and specific individuals or groups. Examples include bills for major infrastructure projects like HS2. They follow a special procedure that combines elements of both public and private bill processes.

The outside body that wants a Private Bill enacted and petitions Parliament for it. The promoter is not an MP or Lord. They are the "client" behind the bill, typically a local authority, statutory body, company, university, or charity. Examples include the City of London Corporation promoting markets bills, HS2 Ltd promoting HS2-related bills, and the General Cemetery Company promoting the General Cemetery Act 2025. The promoter pays the Parliamentary Agent's fees and is the named petitioner in Parliament's register. Because Private Bills come from outside Parliament, they have a promoter rather than an MP or Lord sponsor.

A solicitor or specialist firm officially enrolled on Parliament's Roll of Parliamentary Agents, licensed to handle the legal and procedural work of Private Bills and Hybrid Bills on behalf of promoters. Ordinary solicitors cannot file a Private Bill. Parliament requires an agent drawn from its approved list, maintained by the Clerks of both Houses. Only a small number of UK firms are currently enrolled, including BDB Pitmans, Sharpe Pritchard, TLT, Winckworth Sherwood, and Eversheds Sutherland. The agent drafts the bill to Parliament's technical standards, manages statutory deposits and public notices, responds to petitions against the bill, and represents the promoter at Opposed Bill Committee hearings.

A bill that has completed all parliamentary stages in both Houses and received Royal Assent. It is now part of the law of the land. Acts are referenced by year, e.g., "Online Safety Act 2023".

The official verbatim record of everything said in Parliament. Named after Thomas Hansard, who first published the debates in the early 19th century. Available online and provides a complete record of debates, questions, and votes.

The House (Commons or Lords) where a bill is first introduced. After completing all stages in the originating house, the bill moves to the other house to go through the same process. Government bills can start in either house.

A document published alongside a bill that explains its provisions in plain English. Written by the government department responsible for the bill. Not part of the bill itself, but helps MPs, Lords, and the public understand what the bill does.

Parliament works in yearly blocks called sessions. Each one starts with the King's Speech and ends with prorogation. Bills usually have to finish within one session or start over.

At the start of each parliamentary year the King reads out a list, written by the government, of the laws it intends to pass. Bills can appear on our site from this announcement, before the actual text of the bill exists.

A period when Parliament is not sitting, for example over Christmas or the summer. Nothing is debated or voted on, which is why some months look empty.

A day when the House actually meets. Deadlines in Parliament are counted in sitting days rather than calendar days, so "21 sitting days" can stretch over several months if a holiday falls in the middle.

The bill lost a vote it needed to win, and it will not become law. It is finished unless a government reintroduces it as a new bill later.

The bill was taken back by whoever introduced it, rather than being voted down. Often it happens when it is clear the bill would lose, or when the government agrees to do the same thing another way.

The bill has not formally died, but it has not moved for two years or more. In practice most stalled bills never come back.

Bills are built out of numbered clauses, one per rule the bill is trying to make. When the bill becomes law the clauses are renamed sections.

Lists, tables and technical detail that would clutter the main text are pushed to the back of the bill into schedules. They are just as legally binding as the rest.

A short note written by whoever proposed a change to a bill, explaining what it is meant to do. It is not the same as Explanatory Notes, which cover a whole bill.

Most laws are not Acts of Parliament. An Act often hands ministers the power to fill in details later, and a statutory instrument is how they do it. Thousands are made each year, usually with no debate and no vote.

The Act of Parliament that gave a minister permission to make this smaller rule. It sets the limits of what the rule is allowed to do.

Laws passed by Parliament itself, after debates and votes in both Houses. The most important kind of law.

Detailed rules made under the authority of an Act, without going through the full parliamentary process. Also called delegated legislation. Statutory instruments are the usual form.

Ministers and their opposition shadows sit on the front benches. Everyone else sits behind them, and they are the backbenchers: the large majority of MPs, free to vote and speak more independently.

A separate room where MPs hold extra debates, usually raised by backbenchers on subjects that would not otherwise get time. Nothing is voted on there.

The room where a House holds its main business and takes its votes. The Commons chamber and the Lords chamber are separate rooms in the same building.

Parliament rises when it finishes for the day. An estimated rising time is a best guess at what time that will be.

Parliament's word for checking the government's work: reading bills in detail, questioning ministers, and taking evidence. A bill "in scrutiny" is being examined rather than voted on.

A cross-party group of members that keeps watch on one area, usually a government department. They take evidence, publish reports and question ministers. They do not write laws.

A temporary group formed to examine a single bill line by line, then disbanded. Its membership roughly mirrors the balance of parties in the Commons.

Latin for "by virtue of office". Someone sits on the committee automatically because of a role they hold, rather than being chosen for it.

An outsider appointed to a committee to bring independent judgement. Not a typo, and not a junior role.

Reports, treaties and policy papers presented to Parliament by the government. Each gets a reference number beginning CP.

A short government note explaining what a treaty or a new rule does and why. Written for members, not lawyers.

Signing a treaty is not the end. Ratifying is the step that actually binds the UK to it, and Parliament gets 21 sitting days to object first.

Short for the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. It is the law that says the government must show Parliament a treaty and wait 21 sitting days before signing up to it.

The MP who chairs debates and decides who speaks. The Speaker gives up party politics on taking the job and by convention does not vote, which is why their voting record looks empty.

The MP or peer whose name the bill is put forward in. Nothing to do with money or funding.

Members have to publish outside earnings, gifts, trips and property above set thresholds, so the public can see who might have influence over them. It is a legal requirement, not an accusation.