How do you discipline a majority this large? In his first 14 months as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer has suspended more MPs than Tony Blair did across a decade in office. The reasons range from policy rebellions and messaging breaches to internal conduct. This latest PoliMonitor research briefing charts the rise of what we call The Starmer Sanction: a public, spreadsheet-driven model of discipline that is reshaping the traditional role of the whips. Whip suspensions are no longer rare or symbolic. They are becoming the tool by which control is maintained, even as that control begins to fray.

The 2024 General Election returned the largest intake of new MPs since 1945, ushering in a “fresher-faced” Commons. One year on, PoliMonitor’s Behind the Benches analysis tracks over 72,000 parliamentary contributions from the 2024 cohort from Written Questions and spoken interventions to Early Day Motions.

The findings reveal striking contrasts: Labour’s majority has not translated into high individual activity, with many new MPs cautious in their contributions, while Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and Greens have leaned heavily on procedural tools to amplify their voice. The data shows how backbenchers are defining their place in Parliament, testing routes to influence, and adapting to the realities of scrutiny under a new government.

With a record 24 public inquiries now active or announced from Grenfell to Horizon, COVID to Orgreave, Britain has entered a new era of governance by investigation. Once tools for truth and accountability, inquiries have become a defining feature of political response: part mechanism, part message. But as costs rise, timelines stretch, and recommendations go unheeded, a deeper question is emerging; are inquiries still delivering justice, or simply deferring it?

This year at the Liberal Democrat conference, electoral reform was back on the agenda.

Our Content and Services Officer, Alfie, looks at the party’s renewed push for Proportional Representation exploring claims it could end wasted votes and curb the rise of Reform, while also weighing the unintended consequence of shifting power towards the House of Lords.

A Cabinet seat without a department but with real influence.

In this PoliMonitor blog, we unpack the political choreography behind the role of Minister Without Portfolio, tracing its use from Thatcher’s fixers to Starmer’s latest reshuffle. Anna Turley’s appointment is no accident, it’s strategy without statute, power without portfolio.

PoliMonitor takes a deep dive into the music played and chosen at Party Conferences past and future. What do you think about our predictions?

Charities are woven into the everyday language of Parliament and that influence extends online.

Our latest PoliMonitor research tracked 3,420 X posts from MPs tagging YouGov’s Top 100 charities since the 2024 General Election. The Royal British Legion once again led by a clear margin, boosted by Remembrance activity and VE Day commemorations, while Breast Cancer Now and the Terrence Higgins Trust also saw spikes tied to awareness campaigns.

It’s not just the big names: regional and personal connections continue to shape MPs’ digital engagement, with Sorcha Eastwood MP’s advocacy for blood cancer charities a notable example. The data shows that timing, visibility and personal relevance remain the key drivers of how MPs interact with charities online.

The PoliMonitor team headed to the Institute for Government to hear from the former Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg.

How effective are PQs? Who among the MPs in this latest session of Parliament has been making the most noise through Parliament’s Table Office? Who is leading the way among the newest cohort of MPs first elected at last year’s election? PoliMonitor has run the numbers. The following briefing outlines the process behind these procedures, and features ‘league tables’ of MPs measuring their activity in Parliament since the 2024 General Election

It’s the week of Valentine’s Day, but it seems that love is in short supply for many in the Labour Party. Last week saw the release of private WhatsApp messages that culminated in the dismissal of Health Minister Andrew Gwynne, as well as the withdrawal of the Whip from his fellow Labour MP Oliver Ryan. Now sitting as an Independent in the Commons, Ryan joins Gwynne and 11 other Labour councillors suspended over their involvement in the WhatsApp group. If Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership needed testing, this week has certainly delivered: it’s clear from this episode that any hint of unsavoury behaviour is a red line in Starmer’s government. 

Today’s PMQs took place against the backdrop of mounting scrutiny over the UK’s agreement with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands and a fresh diplomatic storm following Donald Trump’s assertion that the US should ‘take over’ Gaza to create a new economic hub. While the government had intended to spotlight its £2.65bn investment in flood defences, these international developments proved likely to dominate proceedings. It comes also on the backdrop of news of a newly formed group of 89 Labour MPs looking into the “threat” to Labour from the rise of Reform UK.

Today, the government announced its next move in a broader strategy to reignite the UK’s economic engine. By unlocking £160 billion in surplus funds from defined benefit (DB) pension schemes, the plan aims to boost investment in innovation, infrastructure, and growth—just in time for Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ big moment at the podium tomorrow.

Using AI to add value in public affairs. Done right, it’s incredibly powerful.