Pre-legislative scrutiny under the Conservative Governments of 2015-24
This briefing provides a summary of the development of pre-legislative scrutiny and the draft bills published during the 2015, 2017 and 2019 Parliaments.

How are statistics most commonly spun or used incorrectly and what are some of the best ways to tell when this has happened?
How to spot spin and inappropriate use of statistics (460 KB , PDF)
Statistics can be misused, ‘spun’ or used inappropriately in many different ways. This is not always done consciously or intentionally, and the resulting facts or analysis are not necessarily wrong. They may, however, present a partial or overly simplistic picture. Darrell Huff said in the book How to Lie with Statistics:
The fact is that, despite its mathematical base, statistics is as much an art as it is a science. A great many manipulations and even distortions are possible within the bounds of propriety.
Here to spin means to deliberately draw conclusions from statistical evidence which are not supported by this data alone, or to present statistics in a way which is intended to lead their audience to draw such conclusions.
This briefing sets out some common ways in which statistics are used inappropriately or spun and gives some tips to help spot this. The tips are explained in more detail below, but the three essential questions to ask yourself when looking at statistics are:
Compared to what? Since when? Says who?
How to spot spin and inappropriate use of statistics (460 KB , PDF)
This briefing provides a summary of the development of pre-legislative scrutiny and the draft bills published during the 2015, 2017 and 2019 Parliaments.
A bill briefing on the Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill 2024-25. This makes provision for Catholics to be eligible to hold the office of Lord High Commissioner, which is the King's representative at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK has applied sanctions and changed rules around visas and corporate transparency to counter Russian influence.