With partygate rumbling on and Boris Johnson referred to the House of Commons’ Committee of Priviliges, Anoosh Chakelian speaks to Hannah White, the deputy director of the Institute for Government. 

White is a former civil servant who worked on standards in public life and as a Commons clerk. She explains exactly how the privileges committee works, why the Prime Minister has been allowed to decide his own fate (so far) and what can be done to improve trust in parliament.

White’s new book, Held in Contempt: What's Wrong with the House of Commons, is published by Manchester University Press and available in bookshops now.

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