Visit to Houses of Parliament

THE SCHOLARS VISIT THE UK’S SEAT OF PARLIAMENT IN WESTMINSTER

On Monday 14 March, the Scholars visited the Houses of Parliament at Westminster in London. It was the largest visit to the Houses of Parliament since the pandemic began.

The Scholars began the day in Westminster Hall. Built in 1097, it is the last surviving remnant of the original Royal Palace of Westminster, which was supposedly, at that time, the largest hall in Europe.

The Scholars were taken on a tour of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, taking in the iconic debating chambers, the majestic robing rooms and the Lobby that spawned the whole concept of ‘lobbying’.

Moving to one of the Bill Committee rooms, our host and Scholar, Robbie Moore MP, explained how potential laws, such as the recent Environment Bill in which he was involved, to and fro between the two Houses before making the statute books.

After a question and answer session, the Scholars pitched their solutions to some of global agriculture’s biggest issues, which they had developed in the previous week’s Design Sprint in Norwich, to the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice MP and Lord Curry of Kirkharle CBE. Such issues included becoming agricultural net-carbon zero by 2050, improving soil quality, improving water security, reducing emissions from livestock and dairy farming and reducing antibiotic use in animals.