2030 | Modern Standing Orders

Every new Parliament reviews its Standing Orders under the leadership of the Speaker. These rules prevail for the following Parliament and often reflect the Speaker’s imprint and become part of their legacy. Standing Orders govern how Parliament operates, from debates and select committees to legislative process and ceremonial practice.

We will provide targeted advice on how the 2032 Standing Orders could facilitate collaborative, transparent, and evidence-based lawmaking in a digital-first environment. The right targeted changes here can cascade into unprecedented innovation in how Parliament conducts its affairs, who can participate, and the pace of change.

We will propose subtle but powerful amendments that could include:

• recognising verifiable digital credentials for public submissions and expert testimony;

• permitting tamper-evident legislative records using distributed ledgers;

• expanding the definition of debate to include asynchronous and structured digital deliberation;

• enabling Select Committees to engage with version-controlled digital evidence; and

• authorising experimental civic tech pilots at the Speaker’s discretion.

These changes would be modest but catalytic, seeding a culture of openness, responsiveness, and technological maturity within the heart of Parliament that could prime the institution for the adoption of truly cutting-edge tools over the next decade.