Liaison Committee: Taking evidence from the Prime Minister

The Liaison Committee was formally established in 1980, following the creation of departmental select committees in 1979. Prior to this, select committee chairs had been meeting to co-ordinate administrative matters since 1967.

The Liaison Committee comprises all the chairs of select committees in the House of Commons and is chaired by a member chosen by the committee. In the 2019 Parliament it was chaired by an additional member, appointed by the House.

What are the committee’s responsibilities?

The Liaison Committee considers matters relating to select committees and has administrative, advisory and coordinating roles. These include:

• advising House authorities on select committee matters
• determining which select committee reports are debated in Westminster Hall
• considering issues facing committees
• reviewing committee practice
• taking oral evidence from the Prime Minister

It occasionally undertakes inquiries of its own. Recent examples include:

• its report on the effectiveness and influence of the select committee system in the 2017 Parliament (published 10 September 2019)
• its report on how select committee scrutiny can improve strategic thinking in Whitehall in the 2019 Parliament (published 29 May 2024)

Evidence sessions with the Prime Minister

Although the Prime Minister answer parliamentary questions in the Commons Chamber, they traditionally refused to appear before parliamentary committees.

Until around 2000, the Liaison Committee focused on administering the select committee system. It then repositioned itself with an important report which aimed to rebalance the relationship between Parliament and government, and put itself forward as a suitable forum for scrutinising the Prime Minister.

The Liaison Committee’s proposal to take evidence from the Prime Minister was rejected in 2000 and in 2001. However, in 2002, Tony Blair himself suggested that he appear before the committee twice a year.

The Liaison Committee said that the new format would “at last bring the Prime Minister himself within select committee scrutiny”. It also said that the format would provide a “calmer setting” for more “productive and informative” exchanges, which it contrasted with the “confrontational exchanges and theatrical style” of Prime Minister’s Questions.

The sessions have become a regular feature since being established in 2002. In that time the Liaison Committee has held 56 sessions and questioned seven Prime Ministers. Initially, the Prime Minister appeared for two and a half hours (150 minutes) twice a year. In the 2010 Parliament, the length of the sessions was reduced to an hour and a half (90 minutes), but the frequency increased to three times a year. The sessions have been described as “a significant advance in the scrutiny of the Prime Minister”. Before its first session with Keir Starmer in the 2024 Parliament, the committee’s chair, Dame Meg Hillier, invited the Prime Minister to appear four times a year (PDF).

Parliamentary Academic Fellowship Scheme

Dr Mark Bennister, Visiting Reader, Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London, and Visiting Research Affiliate, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, was awarded a Parliamentary Academic Fellowship under the title “Questioning the Prime Minister: How Effective is the Liaison Committee?”. His fellowship ended in 2019.

Richard Kelly is the House of Commons Library contact.

Information on Academic fellowships is available on the parliamentary website.