James Duddridge Local Member of Parliament Hosts the Inaugural
Westminster Seminar of the UK branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association summit at the House of Commons this week.
James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, who was elected Chair of
the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in July, this week welcomed fifty five
delegates from twenty one Commonwealth countries to Parliament for the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Westminster Seminar. Delegates came
from countries as diverse as Australia, Zambia and Pakistan.
The seminar is aimed at first term Parliamentarians and newly appointed clerks and
officials from across the Commonwealth. It takes place over five days and aims to
explore different approaches to parliamentary democracy, practice and procedure by
comparison with the Westminster system.
The programme included debates, panel discussions and networking events to
encourage strong relationships between the Commonwealth countries.
James said:
“It was a privilege to welcome the delegates to Westminster. It was fascinating to talk
to many delegates about their experiences of government and what they hoped to
achieve. I hope this Seminar has served to strengthen our mutual Commonwealth
ties, as well as being an important learning experience for us all”.