Parliament under pressure: Select committees in the age of lawfare

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Are House of Commons select committees equipped to meet the new challenges facing parliamentary scrutiny? Liam Byrne, the Labour former minister leading a review of the committee system, joins us to explore whether committees have the powers, resources and support they need in the modern scrutiny environment. Among his concerns is the increasing use of “lawfare” to force the disclosure of information provided by whistleblowers who give evidence to committees. How can Parliament protect witnesses from retaliation? And does the Commons have adequate powers to compel people to appear and obtain the documents its committees need? With Andy Burnham promising closer ties with the EU, is it time…