Location
Houses of Parliament, London
The History of Parliament Trust invites you to a live recording and showcase of its podcast series ‘Tales from the Green Benches: an Oral History of Parliament’.
This event will explore the diverse insights the History of Parliament has gained into the lives and careers of over 250 former MPs through its groundbreaking Oral History project, and will hear from two recent interviewees in person.
In 2012 the History of Parliament Trust embarked on a landmark project, interviewing former members of the House of Commons, in order to capture personal reflections of lives lived in Parliament. Now, for the first time, we have collated clips and excerpts from these interviews into an innovative podcast series, exploring the forces that drove these individuals to enter a political career and the sometimes harsh realities of life as an MP.
This event, a special live episode of the series, will feature hosts Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, as well as project founder Dr Priscila Pivatto, to reflect on how the Oral History Project has developed since its launch. We will also be joined by two of the project’s more recent interviewees, Anne Milton, former Conservative MP for Guildford and Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston, former Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, to speak on their time in Parliament and experience in taking part in an Oral History interview.
Topics covered will include political regrets, gender and parliament, and ways in which the project has recovered details of some MPs’ careers not previously on the record. Additionally, some clips from our more recent interviews will be shared for the first time, including discussions of Brexit and its fallout.
The event will end with a short Q&A and drinks reception, where guests will have the chance to talk informally with all speakers.
Attendance is free, but you must register on the History of Parliament’s Eventbrite page in order to attend.