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My teaching and research principally focuses around parliaments and political parties. I came to studying these via an undergraduate degree in Politics and Contemporary History at the University of Salford and - at the University of Manchester - an MA(Econ) in European Politics and Policy and a PhD on the European Parliament. Before joining the Â鶹ÊÓƵ in July 2004 I worked as a lecturer at the Universities of Salford and Nottingham.

I am currently a Parliamentary Academic Fellow, working with staff in the Commons Library, select committees and Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. From January 2023 until September 2024 I was the Thematic Research Lead for Parliament, Public Administration and the Constitution in the UK Parliament. In this role, I acted as a bridge between academic research and staff working for select committees and the libraries in the UK Parliament. Among other things in this role, I provided research on framework (or skeleton) bills in the UK Parliament and the Senedd. 

My main research interests concern (1) legislatures and (2) British parties and European integration. On the first of these my work focuses on the European Parliament and its internal organisation, specifically committees party groups and national parties. I also work on the Westminster Parliament including on parliamentary oversight of coalition governance. On the second area with Adam Cygan and Philip Lynch I have worked on two ESRC-funded projects on Parties Parliament and the Brexit process. These projects form part of the ESRC's UK in a Changing Europe programme. In the past with Philip Lynch I have also worked on a Leverhulme-funded project on party competition on the centre-right and have previously researched the Conservatives in the European Parliament. I am a member of the School's research cluster on Parties Participation and Public Opinion (3PO).

(in production, 2025) 'A representative European Parliament? Members of European parliamentary party groups and the representation of citizens’ preferences', Journal of Common Market Studies, with Katjana Gattermann and Sofia Vasilopoulou.

(2025) 'Scrutiny in Challenging Times' in Cristina Leston-Bandeira, Alexandra Meakin and Louise Thompson (eds) , 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, with Lucinda Maer.

(2024) '', House of Commons Library Research Briefing, No.7554, with Richard Kelly.

(2024) '', House of Commons Library Research Briefing, No.10046, with Duncan Sim and Graeme Cowie.

(2024) '', European Journal of Political Research, 63:1, pp.153-171, with Simon Hix and Galina Zapryanova.

(2023) '', European Union Politics, 24:3, pp.559-577, with David Moloney.

(2022) 'Minority Governments in the United Kingdom: Nearly-Winning Minorities and Lost Majorities' in Bonnie N. Field and Shane Martin (eds) , Oxford: Oxford University Press, with Andrew Jones.

(2022), '', Party Politics, 28:6, pp.999-1011, with Shane Martin.

(2021), '', British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 23:3, pp.471-487, with Philip Lynch.

(2020) ', Journal of Common Market Studies, 58:6, pp.1605-1620, with Adam Cygan and Philip Lynch.

(2019), '', Parliamentary Affairs, 72:4, pp. 923-944, with Philip Lynch. Associated data are available here.

(2019) '', West European Politics, 42:7, pp.1464-1486, with Shane Martin.

(2019) 'Brexit and the UK Parliament: Challenges and Opportunities' in Thomas Christiansen and Diane Fromage (eds) , Basingstoke: Palgrave, pp.51-79, with Philip Lynch and Adam Cygan.

(2019) '', Parliamentary Affairs, 72:1, pp.162-181.

(2018) , British Politics, 13:1, pp.31-47, with Philip Lynch. Associated data are available .

(2017) 'The UK Independence Party (UKIP) and other primarily Eurosceptic parties' in Benjamin Leruth, Nicholas Startin and Simon Usherwood (eds) , London: Routledge, pp.100-112.

(2017) '', , 18:3, with Simon Hix and Galina Zapryanova. Associated data are available here: 

(2016) 'United Kingdom', European Journal of Political Research: Political Data Yearbook 2015, 55:1, pp.267-73.

(2016) 'Continuing Fault Lines and New Threats: European Integration and the Rise of UKIP’ in Gillian Peele and John Francis (eds)  Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp.121-138, with Philip Lynch.

(2015) 'United Kingdom', European Journal of Political Research: Political Data Yearbook 2014, 54:1, pp.302-8.

(2014) 'Tenure, turnover and careers in the European Parliament: MEPs as policy-seekers', Journal of European Public Policy, 21:10, pp.1509-27.

(2014) , Government and Opposition, 49:2, pp.232-63, with Philip Lynch.

(2013), European Journal of Political Research: Political Data Yearbook 2012, 52:1, pp.239-45.

(2013), British Politics, 8:3. pp.285-312, with Philip Lynch.

(2013), British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 15:3, pp.317-39, with Philip Lynch. 

(2012) 'The UK Independence Party: understanding a niche party's strategy, candidates and supporters', Parliamentary Affairs, 65:4, pp.733-57, with Philip Lynch and Gemma Loomes.

(2011) , European Journal of Political Research: Political Data Yearbook, 50: 7-8, pp.1164-74.

(2011), Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 21:3, pp.359-79, with Philip Lynch.

(2011) The European Parliament's committees: National party influence and legislative empowerment, London: Routledge.

(2010) 'United Kingdom', European Journal of Political Research: Political Data Yearbook, 49: 7-8, pp.1193-1202.

(2008), Parliamentary Affairs, 61:1, pp.31-51, with Philip Lynch.

(2006), Parliamentary Affairs, 59:4, pp.694-702.

(2006), Parliamentary Affairs, 59:3, pp.536-45.

(2006) , Parliamentary Affairs, 59:2, pp.350-9.

(2006) 'Ascendant Assemblies in Britain? Rebellions, Reforms and Inter-Cameral Conflict', Parliamentary Affairs, 59:1, pp. 173-80.

(2005), Politics, 25:2, pp. 116-25, with Amy Bogaard, Sabine C. Carey, Gwilym Dodd and Ian D. Repath.

(2005) 'The United Kingdom' in Juliet Lodge (ed.), The 2004 Elections to the European Parliament (Basingstoke, Palgrave).

(2005) 'Parliament and the Public: A view from the Outside' in Nicholas D. J. Baldwin (ed.), Parliament in the 21st Century (London, Politico's).

(2005) 'Parliament and the European Union: Refrigerators, Readings and Reforms' in Nicholas D. J. Baldwin (ed.), Parliament in the 21st Century (London, Politico's).

(2005) 'National parties in the European Parliament: an influence in the committee system?', European Union Politics, 6:1, pp. 5-28.

(2001)', Journal of Legislative Studies, 7:4, pp. 63-88.

I would be keen to supervise projects on the European Parliament, the Westminster Parliament, comparative legislatures and Eurosceptic political parties.

I have supervised the following students to completion:

• Andrew Jones (July 2020) Managing coalition government in an upper house: testing the 'keeping tabs' theory in the House of Lords 2010-15.
• Ana Carrillo-Lopez (May 2018) European identity and voting in the European Parliament Elections: The Effect of Transnationalism in post-crisis EU.
• Laura MacKenzie (November 2017) Participation in the European Parliament: Populist Parties and Rapporteurships.
• Berta Barbet Porta (May 2016) Issues party strategies and voter behaviour: A dynamic approach.
• Peter Thomas (December 2013) The politicisation of immigration by the centre-right in the UK and France 2000-2010.

I was second supervisor to Tim Sansom who completed his thesis on 'Political Marketing: The Conservatives in Opposition' in 2009 to Carol Weaver who completed a thesis on US-Russian tensions and EU policy in the Black Sea region in 2011 and to Mukhtar Hajizada who was awarded his PhD in December 2012 on 'Complex regionalisation in the wider Black Sea area'.

Comparative European Politics, European Union Politics, Parliamentary Studies, Political Analysis, Political Parties in Contemporary Britain.

The UK Parliament and Brexit; the European Parliament.

I recently on framework legislation. I am the Reviews Editor for . I have presented conference papers in recent months on divisions in House of Commons select committees and on framework and delegated legislation in UK parliaments.

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
• PhD in Government (University of Manchester).
• MA (Econ) European Politics and Policy (University of Manchester).
• BA (Hons) Politics and Contemporary History (University of Salford).