The Bench Report: An Introduction

Welcome to the introductory episode of 'The Bench Report!' UK politics then and now, straight from the benches.

We're here to make debates from the Commons and the Lords more accessible to everyone and hold our government a bit more accountable.

We delve into Hansard, the official record of parliamentary debate in the UK, which is publicly available and adapted under the Open Parliamentary Licence. We believe this is an ethical way to use AI for the common good, to educate and inform the public.

Meet Tom, the political nerd from Yorkshire, England, with a History background and a passion for UK and US politics. Working in Education Technology, Tom realised the potential of podcasting and AI to break down complex source material like Hansard. In our opinion, Hansard is the most detailed record of decision-making that affects our daily lives.

We aim to reveal important topics and personal human stories often lost in the vast amounts of Parliamentary information available. You might find a topic that resonates with you personally or professionally, just like the Rare Cancers Bill episode (from March 2025) which was inspired by Tom's experience of losing two close friends in their thirties.

Each episode will focus on a specific topic, allowing you to explore the archives, perhaps looking at 'this week in 1945' or the debates around Brexit. Let's analyse how significant events were discussed and see what lessons we can learn, holding our elected officials accountable for past promises.

Hansard is a primary source 'gold mine' for anyone interested in politics, from journalists and researchers to political enthusiasts like us.

Get involved by emailing, subscribing, and leaving a review. Because politics is everyone's business.

Key Takeaways:

*   The Bench Report uses AI to review UK parliamentary debates from Hansard and Commons briefings.
*   The podcast aims to make politics more accessible and hold the government accountable.
*   It is created by Tom, an Ed-Teccy type from Yorkshire.
*   The podcast hopes to highlight important topics and personal stories, past and present.
*   Feedback and engagement are welcomed. Tell us your own episode suggestions!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

You

SPEAKER_00: 0:03

know, sometimes you stumble across something and you just think, wow, this is something special and I need to share this.

SPEAKER_01: 0:08

Oh, I'm always up for something new. What have you found this time?

SPEAKER_00: 0:12

Well, there's this new show that's just popped up called The Bench Report.

SPEAKER_01: 0:17

The Bench Report. Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 0:18

Yeah. And so far they've only released like an introductory episode. But the idea, the concept behind it, it's so smart.

SPEAKER_01: 0:26

All right. You've piqued my interest. Tell me more. What's the big idea?

SPEAKER_00: 0:30

So they're taking the transcripts of debates from the UK Parliament, both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

SPEAKER_01: 0:37

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00: 0:38

And they're reviewing them and trying to achieve two things. One... making what happens in parliament more accessible to like everyday people.

SPEAKER_01: 0:48

Right. Because let's face it, parliamentary debates can be a bit, well, dense.

SPEAKER_00: 0:53

Exactly. And the second aim is to sort of hold the government to account, you know, based on what's actually being said and debated in the chambers of parliament.

SPEAKER_01: 1:01

Okay. That makes sense. But how are they getting all of this information about what's happening in parliament?

SPEAKER_00: 1:06

Well, this is the really interesting part. They're using something called Hansard.

SPEAKER_01: 1:09

Oh, Hansard. I've heard of this. It's the official record, right? A word for word account of everything that happens in Parliament.

SPEAKER_00: 1:15

Precisely. It's like this vast, this incredibly detailed archive of British political history as it's happening.

SPEAKER_01: 1:21

A real treasure trove of information. But I imagine it can be a bit overwhelming trying to go through all of

SPEAKER_00: 1:27

that. Oh, absolutely. It's massive. But here's the great thing. It's all publicly available thanks to the open parliamentary license. And so the Bench Report is taking this raw, unfiltered material, this incredible resource, and they're making sense of it for us, for the the average person.

SPEAKER_01: 1:45

That's quite ambitious. Who's behind this project?

SPEAKER_00: 1:47

Well, this is where it gets even more interesting. The main presenters are actually AI.

SPEAKER_01: 1:51

AI, huh. So we're talking robots dissecting political debates.

SPEAKER_00: 1:56

Sort of. They're referred to as Asa and Iris. And the show even says that if you prefer the death, You can think of them as Ava and Isaac.

SPEAKER_01: 2:04

Asa and Iris or Ava and Isaac. Got it. I'm curious to hear how they sound.

SPEAKER_00: 2:09

Me too. It's on my list. But yeah, they even acknowledge that being AI, they might occasionally mispronounce things.

SPEAKER_01: 2:16

Well, that's understandable. I'm sure they'll get better with practice. But is there a human behind this whole AI operation?

SPEAKER_00: 2:22

There is. His name is Tom. And from what I've gathered, he's a fascinating guy. He describes himself as a bit of a political nerd. He's from Yorkshire in England, and he currently works in education technology.

SPEAKER_01: 2:34

Education technology, that's a long way from the halls of parliament.

SPEAKER_00: 2:38

You'd think so, but it actually makes a lot of sense. His background is in history, and he's always had a deep interest in both UK and US politics.

SPEAKER_01: 2:46

So how did he end up creating the bench report? What was the spark?

SPEAKER_00: 2:50

Well, it seems like it was a bit of a natural progression. He'd been exploring AI tools for his work and even using them to help his kids with their schoolwork. And through that, he had this realization that he could use podcasting as a way to really unpack these huge complex documents like Hansard.

SPEAKER_01: 3:07

To make them more digestible, you mean.

SPEAKER_00: 3:09

Exactly. You see, both he and these AI hosts, they see Hansard as this incredibly rich record of decisions that ultimately affect all of us.

SPEAKER_01: 3:18

It's true. What happens in Parliament has a ripple effect throughout society.

SPEAKER_00: 3:22

And they're trying to present all of this in a way that's engaging and accessible to everyone.

SPEAKER_01: 3:26

I like that. It's a way of demystifying politics, making it less intimidating.

SPEAKER_00: 3:30

Precisely. And they also talk about this as being an ethical use of AI technology, harnessing it for public good. Their goal is to educate and inform people using information that's already in the public domain. They really see this as a public service.

SPEAKER_01: 3:46

And I think there's a real need for that, especially now. People feel disconnected from politics like it's this distant, impenetrable world.

SPEAKER_00: 3:54

I agree. And the bench report even points out that there are these vital discussions, these really compelling personal stories that often get buried in the sheer volume of Hansard's text.

SPEAKER_01: 4:03

So they're trying to bring those stories to light.

SPEAKER_00: 4:05

Exactly. Stories that might not otherwise make it into the mainstream news. And they even suggest that listeners might find topics covered that are personally or professionally relevant to them.

SPEAKER_01: 4:16

Well, that makes sense. There's bound to be something in those debates that resonates with everyone.

SPEAKER_00: 4:21

There's a personal element to all of this, too, something that really gives the project a sense of purpose. Tom actually lost two close friends in their 30s to rare forms of cancer.

SPEAKER_01: 4:31

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that.

SPEAKER_00: 4:32

It was a devastating loss for him. One of them was a university friend who really believed in him, and the other was a work colleague who he learned a lot from.

SPEAKER_01: 4:41

That's heartbreaking.

SPEAKER_00: 4:42

It is. And one of the initial episodes of the Bench Report actually focuses on a rare cancers bill that was debated in the House of Commons back in March 2020. 2025. Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 4:52

That's powerful. Using this platform to shed light on an issue so close to his heart.

SPEAKER_00: 4:58

It is. And it speaks to the potential of this show to really delve into issues that matter.

SPEAKER_01: 5:02

So aside from the Rare Cancers episode, what else do they have planned? What's their vision for future content?

SPEAKER_00: 5:08

Well, it seems like each episode will focus on a specific issue or debate.

SPEAKER_01: 5:13

Okay. That makes sense. Keeping it focused.

SPEAKER_00: 5:16

But what I found really exciting is their plan to delve into the historical archives. Imagine being able to listen to the parliamentary debates from the same week in 1945, for example.

SPEAKER_01: 5:25

Wow. To hear those discussions as they happened, knowing what we know now, that would be fascinating.

SPEAKER_00: 5:31

Exactly. Or perhaps an episode on the anniversary of Brexit, revisiting the arguments and predictions that were made at the time.

SPEAKER_01: 5:38

It's like looking into a political time capsule.

SPEAKER_00: 5:40

That's a great way to put it. They see it as a way to analyze how these significant events were discussed and debated at the time and to reflect on whether any lessons have been learned.

SPEAKER_01: 5:50

And to see if the promises made back then have actually been kept.

SPEAKER_00: 5:53

Exactly. It's about holding elected officials accountable for their words and actions. You know, going back to those records and saying, this is what you said then. So what's the situation now?

SPEAKER_01: 6:04

That's a powerful tool for accountability. And it shows how valuable these historical records really are.

SPEAKER_00: 6:10

Absolutely. They really frame Hansard as this invaluable primary source, a treasure trove of information, not just for political fanatics like us, but for journalists, researchers, historians, anyone with an interest in how the UK is governed.

SPEAKER_01: 6:27

It's a shame that more people aren't aware of it, or even if they are, they might not know how to access it or make sense of it all.

SPEAKER_00: 6:33

And that's where the benchmark It'll be fascinating to see which topics they tackle in future episodes and how they bring those past debates to life. It really highlights the importance of these official records and the stories they contain.

SPEAKER_01: 6:52

It makes you think about the long trajectory of political discourse and how decisions made in the past continue to shape our world today.

SPEAKER_00: 6:59

The Bench Report seems very open to feedback, too. They're encouraging listeners to reach out and share their thoughts.

SPEAKER_01: 7:04

That's a good sign. It shows that they're willing to listen and adapt.

SPEAKER_00: 7:07

They have stated that for now, Hansard will be their sole source material, but they haven't ruled out exploring other publicly available information in the future.

SPEAKER_01: 7:15

That opens up a whole world of possibilities.

SPEAKER_00: 7:18

Imagine them delving into government reports, public inquiries, even social media archives.

SPEAKER_01: 7:24

It would be fascinating to see how they weave those different sources together.

SPEAKER_00: 7:28

They also mentioned being keen on collaborating with news organizations to do more in-depth analysis of important political issues.

SPEAKER_01: 7:35

That could have a real impact, amplifying their message and reaching a wider audience.

SPEAKER_00: 7:40

So if you're intrigued by this whole idea of AI helping us understand the complexities of parliamentary debates, I definitely recommend checking out The Bench Report. You can subscribe to their show, leave a review, or even drop them an email. Get involved, because as they rightly point out, politics is everyone's business.

SPEAKER_01: 7:58

Couldn't agree more. Staying informed and engaged is crucial, and The Bench Report sounds like a really innovative way to do just that.

SPEAKER_00: 8:05

It's been great exploring this new show with you. Looking forward to seeing where they go from here.

SPEAKER_01: 8:09

Likewise. Until next time.

SPEAKER_00: 8:11

Take care.