The Westminster Seminar: When did it all begin?

This month CPA UK hosts its flagship event called the Westminster Seminar.

The Westminster Seminar has been going for 73 years. It’s a yearly, peer-to-peer event organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK branch) for parliamentary professionals to learn more about process and procedure within parliaments.

For CPA UK, the Westminster Seminar held within the Palace of Westminster, is a firm fixture in the calendar. It’s our flagship event and is a complex logistical event requiring the support of the whole team. On average, it attracts 70 delegates per year from all around the Commonwealth.

However, it wasn’t always like this. Black and white photos from the 1950’s and 1960’s show much smaller delegations compared to now and very, very few women attending. These rare photos depict how times have changed. They show men smoking pipes as they attend sessions in the CPA UK board room, which is within the most historic part of the Palace of Westminster. In the photos there are heavy ashtrays on the tables and even some bowler hats resting upside down in front of their owners.

Looking at the images, Sarah Dickson CEO of CPA UK said:

“These photos are fascinating, showing how things used to be. I am pleased to say the seminar has moved with the times; with a healthy environment and with the greater diversity of the seminar delegates more closely resembling the general population. However, the essence of Westminster Seminars remains the same: the coming together of parliamentarians, as well as the clerks and officials who support them, to exchange expertise and ideas. It is the emphasis on peer-to-peer learning which I believe is the key to the staying power and success of the yearly Westminster Seminar. So too, the lasting connections and friendships which are made here.” 

The Westminster Seminar started in 1952 and has been known by a few other names over the years including ‘The Parliamentary Course’ and the less pithy ‘Course in Parliamentary Practice and Procedure at Westminster’.

Penny McMahon, senior archivist at the Parliamentary Archives, has done some research into the yearly event, held each spring to coincide with Commonwealth Day. In her blog for the Parliamentary Archive website she wrote:

“The Parliamentary Courses on Parliamentary Procedure and Practice were one of the tools that the CPA used to promote good governance and implement continued professional development with its members. It appears that all of the courses were initially hosted by the UK, a legacy of Empire, but later courses were hosted by different Commonwealth countries.”

The Westminster Seminar is a chance for delegates to fully immerse themselves in the world of parliamentary democracy, practice and procedure. It’s also a safe space to learn from one another, discuss shared experiences and address the unique challenges in their parliamentary work. 

CPA UK has worked to support and strengthen parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth since our establishment in 1911. We work with over 60 countries and jurisdictions across the Commonwealth and our approach is one of peer to peer learning. Our programmes are intended to achieve improved parliamentary oversight, scrutiny and representation.