2024 British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG)

The 2024 British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG) IVLP project convened 4 Members of the British Parliament for a ten-day program examining the U.S. legislative system. Participants in the 2024 BAPG program included 3 Labour members of the House of Commons and 1 Conservative member of the House of Lords. Participants were hosted on Capitol Hill numerous Representatives and 2 Representatives hosted pairs of BAPG participants for District Shadowing weekends (1 Republican, 1 Democrat).

In Washington, DC, they met with the U.S. Department of State, the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office, and the U.S. Department of Defense at The Pentagon in addition to meetings on Capitol Hill with a variety of members of the House of Representatives. Participants were also hosted for dinner by Meridian Board member, The Honorable Drew Maloney. A luncheon with the Meridian Corporate Council gave participants the opportunity to hear from business leaders about transatlantic economic ties.

The heart of the program, however, was a district shadowing experience where program participants traveled in pairs to accompany and shadow Members of Congress as they returned to their districts for a weekend of community events, constituent relations, and campaigning.

The program concluded in Boston, Massachusetts with meetings with the President of the Massachusetts State Senate, the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants, and at Harvard University’s JFK School of Government Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. The Boston program also featured a reception hosted by the British Consulate-General in Boston and the British-American Business Council of New England.

Project Objectives

• To review the institutions, processes, and traditions of the U.S. political system, the division of powers, and the U.S. electoral system at federal, state, and local levels
• To gain insight into current domestic and foreign policy issues
• To discuss foreign policy and security issues of concern to Europe and the U.S.
• To increase understanding of the U.S. economic system and the domestic forces that influence U.S. trade policy, as well as examine state and local initiatives for regional economic development
• To examine the role of the media in the U.S. political system

Impact

Following this program, these Members of Parliament return to London with a better understanding of the American political system and valuable relationships with U.S. Congressional and government leaders. As a new government takes shape in the United Kingdom, this will help provide a more in-depth background to strengthen this special relationship.