A second series of Speaker's Lectures, entitled Ministers and Government, begins on 24 January 2012.
The lectures will be given by those MPs who have served in the great offices of state other than that of Prime Minister. All eleven MPs who fit this profile, including the present incumbents, will participate in the series offering unique insight into their time as Secretary of State for the Treasury, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or the Home Office.
How to watch
The lectures will run throughout the year and will be recorded in Speaker's House at the Palace of Westminster. The lectures will be aired on BBC Parliament and will be available to view online at Democracy Live.
The Series includes:
- January – Rt Hon Ken Clarke QC MP (Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993-1997; Home Secretary 1992-1993)
- February – Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP (Chancellor from 2007-2010)
- March – Rt Hon Theresa May MP (Incumbent Home Secretary)
- April – Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind KCMG QC MP (Foreign Secretary from 1995 -1997)
- May – Rt Hon David Blunkett MP (Home Secretary from 2001-2004)
- June – Rt Hon David Miliband MP (Foreign Secretary from 2007-2010)
- July – Rt Hon Jack Straw MP (Foreign Secretary from 2001-2006; Home Secretary from 1997-2001)
- September – Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP (Foreign Secretary from 2006-2007)
- October – Rt Hon George Osborne MP (Incumbent Chancellor)
- November – Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP (Home Secretary from 2009-2010)
- December – Rt Hon William Hague MP (Incumbent Foreign Secretary)
Further information
The Speaker's Lecture Series was launched in January 2011 with the aim to provide a platform which encourages understanding of, and engagement with, the work of Parliament and its Parliamentarians. The first lecture series marked the 100th anniversary of the Parliament Act of 1911 and reflected on great parliamentarians of the 20th century.