Tom Caygill

Research areas

Tom's wider research interests lie in parliamentary scrutiny of the executive and the legislative process. He is particularly interested in the relationship between executives and legislatures and the innovative ways in which parliaments seek to boost their influence with the executive. His interest in this area of legislative studies stems from the way governments within Westminster-style democracies can dominate legislatures. He received a PhD in Political Science from Newcastle University in June 2019, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. His thesis examined post-legislative scrutiny in the UK Parliament and was the first systematic study of this type of parliamentary scrutiny. The thesis explored where and how often post-legislative scrutiny had taken place, what the processes of scrutiny involved, the extent to which committee recommendations were being accepted and how both Houses of the UK Parliament differ in their undertaking of it.

He has presented this research at European Consortium for Political Research and Political Studies Association Annual Conferences and at an ECPR summer school. He has also presented research at more specialist events, including events with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

His commitment to engagement and impact has been demonstrated through having given oral and written evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee, as well as giving written evidence to both the House of Commons and House of Lords Liaison Committees for their respective inquiries into their committee systems. His drive to disseminate my research to both academic and practitioner communities has assisted him in building both national and international research networks.

Tom is currently undertaking an academic fellowship with the Scottish Parliament on post-legislative scrutiny

Tom also has a burgeoning interest in teaching and learning research having assisted with two research projects during his time at Newcastle University, one focusing on student attendance and engagement and the other on study skills.

Selected Engagement activities:

• Mexican Congress. Certified course on Legislative Impact Assessment. Delivered a session on 'Post-Legislative Scrutiny in the UK Parliament (May, 2024).
• UK Parliament. Seminar on Post-Legislative Scrutiny. Delivered a session on post-legislative scrutiny during the 2019 Parliament. (March 2024).
• Chamber of Deputies, Mexican Congress. International Congress on Legislative Impact Assessments. Delivered a session on ‘Post-Legislative Scrutiny in the UK Parliament’ (November, 2023)
• Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Presented 'Post-Legislative Review and Scrutiny in the United Kingdom to a delegation from the Nepalese Parliament. (September 2023).
• Institute for Advanced Legal Studies (University of London) & Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Certified Course on Post-Legislative Scrutiny. Delivered a session on 'How can PLS have impact'. (2023; 2022; 2019).
• Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Virtual meetings between MPs and parliamentary staff from the Jordanian House of Representatives and counterparts in the United Kingdom on legislative scrutiny. (March 2022).
• Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Post-Legislative Scrutiny in the UK - Report Launch. Online (December 2021).
• UK Parliament. House of Commons Liaison Committee. 'The effectiveness and influence of the select committee system'. - Submitted: Written evidence of post-legislative scrutiny in the House of Commons (March, 2019).
• UK Parliament. House of Lords Liaison Committee. ‘Review of investigative and scrutiny committees inquiry’.  – Submitted: written evidence on ad hoc committees and post-legislative scrutiny. (March, 2018). Evidence and recommendations included and cited in final report (July, 2019).
• Scottish Parliament. Public Audit Committee: Business Planning Session. Gave oral and written evidence on post-legislative scrutiny. (September 2016).

Press expertise

Tom has expertise in British and parliamentary politics and has undertaken interviews recently for the Daily Express, Metro, ITV Regional News, NottsTV, Newzroom Afrika & BBC Local Radio as well as publishing frequently in The Conversation.

Selection of recent interviews/comments:

Notts TV -  27th June 2024 -  Audience member who quizzed Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak ‘not satisfied’ with answers

Nottingham Post - 26th June 2024 - Nottingham experts say it would take 'catastrophe' for Labour to lose after BBC election debate

Ashfield Chad -  14th June 2024 - Questions raised over  voter ID rules 'disenfranchising' younger Nottinghamshire voters'.

Notts TV - 13th June 2024 - New ID hurdle for Nottinghamshire young people

Metro - 12th December 2023 -  Rishi Sunak faces 'dark days' even if he wins vital Rwanda vote.

Aljazeera - 24th October 2022 - Is Rishi Sunak the right person to lead the UK?

Daily Express - 11th July 2022 - General election: Tory safe seats under threat from pandemic population shift

Newzroom Afrika -  7th July 2022 -  UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is today expected to resign

ITV Central - 7th July 2022 - Political expert tells why Boris Johnson cannot remain as caretaker leader

Daily Express - 25th June 2022 - ‘Pincer movement’ Labour and Lib Dem pact to beat Boris in next election - Expert analysis

Newzroom Afrika -  7th June 2022 - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson survives a confidence vote

Selection of recent articles:

The Conversation -  24th July 2024 - Anatomy of a rebellion: why Keir Starmer’s first brush with parliamentary revolt over two-child benefit cap is a symbolic moment

The Conversation  -  23rd February 2024 - Speaker Lindsay Hoyle sparks chaos: five steps to understanding why MPs stormed out of parliament during Gaza vote

The Conversation - 13th November 2023  - David Cameron returns: how can a prime minister make someone who isn't an MP foreign secretary? And what happens now?

The Conversation -  8th March 2023 - Boris Johnson to face MPs over partygate - but which is 'misleading parliament' and why is this so serious?

The Conversation -  28th February 2023 - Betty Boothroyd was the first woman speaker - and the first to become a 'cult figure' via televised debates

The Conversation -  20th October 2022 - Liz Truss: what happened in the night of Westminster chaos that triggered the PM's resignation