Despite its economic growth and young population, the country continues to face development challenges. Its economy is heavily dependent on oil, and it faces security challenges from insurgencies and terrorist groups. Simmering ethnic and religious tensions, wealth disparities, a brain drain of talent to higher income countries, and vulnerability to climate change are just some of the issues which confront federal and state governments.

The current and previous UK governments have mentioned Nigeria in several key policy statements, describing it as a “rising power” with which the UK should “deepen investment ties and work together”. The Foreign Secretary has emphasised his desire for a relationship with Africa that prioritises “partnership not paternalism”. Despite this intention, there are still many questions unanswered about what the UK’s policy regarding its development partnership with Nigeria will look like: where its priorities will lie; how it will work with Nigerian Government and society to help tackle the challenges; how it will support a transition away from fossil fuels.

This new inquiry will explore remaining questions over the UK’s development relationship with Nigeria. These could include how the UK can help support Nigeria to develop governance and tackle corruption, how UK investment could help Nigeria transition away from fossil fuels, and how the UK can work with civil society to promote peace in the Sahel.

Join the conversation on X using @CommonsIDC

Trust in government and the political system more widely is essential to the proper functioning and prosperity of a democratic state. Concerns with ethical standards are not new, however controversy surrounding the propriety of conduct of those in public life was a particularly prominent part of political life during the last parliament. This has raised questions as to whether the current system of ethical standards regulation is sufficient or even fit for purpose.

Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry.

In 2022, 64% of adults in England were either overweight or living with obesity. In its 10-year health plan, the Government pledged to “launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic”. 

The Committee’s inquiry will investigate what public health interventions have been the most effective at reducing obesity and the consumption of less healthy foods, examining why existing policies relating to food and diet have seemingly not succeeded in reducing rates of obesity. 

The inquiry will also consider treatments offered to those who are living with obesity or excess weight, including the challenges and opportunities weight loss medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro present to the NHS and to individuals. It will consider how injections compare to other treatments and programmes, including cost-effectiveness.

The Committee invites written evidence from Thursday 17 July until 11.59pm on Thursday 28 August. The Committee is also keen to hear directly from individuals with lived experience of living with obesity and excess weight, encouraging anybody with experiences of managing their weight and/or accessing treatments to share their perspectives in its online survey.

This inquiry considers the challenges faced by first-time buyers and those on lower incomes to getting, and staying, on the housing ladder, as well as ways that interventions such as financial products and Government policies can help people overcome those challenges.

As part of this work, the Committee will scrutinise the detail and implementation of three recent developments: the India Free Trade Agreement; the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal; and the outcomes agreed following the recent UK-EU Summit.

The Committee is interested in finding out how these agreements and frameworks will affect people and businesses across the UK, and the likely economic, social, environmental and other impacts. The Committee is also interested in priorities for the UK’s ongoing negotiations with the US and EU.

It will also explore issues relating to parental control of online content, the potential positive and negative effects of how children watch TV and video content on their health and development, and wider issues relating to the sector’s contribution to the economy and its importance to the UK’s cultural identity. 

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s major events inquiry is focussing on sporting and cultural events that attract national or international audiences and typically draw attendance of over 10,000 people per day. They include internationally recognised sporting competitions, national celebrations and leading arts and music festivals, which generate significant economic activity, media coverage and cultural impact.

The inquiry will look at examples of best practice across the sector, the role of the UK Government in providing support for events and any lessons that could be learnt from other countries or the devolved nations. The Committee will also consider the impact of recent policies on the sector, including the Employment Rights Bill, the Crime and Policing Bill and the implementation of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.

In recent years there has been growth in the development and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. These can be used for a wide variety of applications.

There is no universally agreed definition of AI or AI technologies. The then Government’s 2023 policy paper on “A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation” defined Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI systems or AI technologies as “products and services that are ‘adaptable’ and ‘autonomous’.” Adaptability refers to AI systems, after being trained, developing the ability to perform new ways of finding patterns and connections in data that are not directly envisioned by their human programmers. Autonomy refers to AI systems making decisions without the intent or ongoing control of a human.

Many argue that AI technologies can offer great benefits to individuals and society – for example, assisting in decision-making and improving productivity. Others are concerned about risks such as:

• Perpetuation of societal biases and discrimination (for example, through the use of biased training data for AI models)
• Potential conflict with an individual’s right to privacy and freedom of expression (for example, where AI might be used in surveillance)
• Challenges for individuals in exercising their right to an effective remedy where their rights have been violated (for example, where it might be difficult to know how a model produced a particular output, and who is liable for that output).

On 5 September 2024, the UK signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. It is the first legally binding treaty in this area and "aims to ensure that activities within the lifecycle of artificial intelligence systems are fully consistent with human rights, democracy and the rule of law, while being conducive to technological progress and innovation."

The UK also adheres to the OECD’s AI Principles, which were the “first intergovernmental standard on AI”. The five principles are:

1. Inclusive growth, sustainable development and well-being;
2. Human rights and democratic values, including fairness and privacy;
3. Transparency and explainability;
4. Robustness, security and safety; and
5. Accountability.

The UK Government has signalled its intention to “bring forward legislation which allows us to safely realise the enormous benefits and opportunities of the most powerful AI systems for years to come.” (PQ 41098 on Artificial Intelligence: Regulation, 31 March 2025)

Against this backdrop, the Joint Committee on Human Rights will explore what regulation might be required in order to safeguard human rights when AI technologies are being developed and used, and any implications this might have for future legislation.  

The inquiry will not be considering topics such as social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms,[3] or how malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy.[4] While these are important topics, they are outside the scope of this inquiry.

[1] POSTbrief 57, Artificial intelligence: An explainer, 14 December 2023    

[2] UK Parliament, Artificial Intelligence (AI) glossary, January 2024

[3] The subject of a report by the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee: Social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms

[4] The subject of a current inquiry by the Foreign Affairs Committee: Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy

This inquiry will examine whether the current licensing framework provides authorities with the tools they need to successfully regulate the sector. The Committee will consider the implications of uneven rules between areas, the growing role of digital ride-hailing platforms, and the challenges that can arise from cross-border working.

It will also explore what reforms may be needed to improve standards for passengers and drivers.

Read the call for evidence.

Low investment is at the core of this challenge. The UK has recorded the lowest share of investment in GDP among G7 countries in 24 of the last 30 years and ranked in the bottom ten of OECD countries for overall investment intensity. Closing this investment gap is now essential to delivering the productivity, innovation, and dynamism the British economy needs. 

This inquiry will explore current and future skills needs across the transport manufacturing sectors, and how the Government can support transport manufacturing in the UK by planning and investing in skills.

Read the call for evidence.

The Committee will explore the reasons behind the disability employment gap, scrutinise Government programmes to support disabled people into work and make recommendations for future support. 

This inquiry will focus on how transcripts are produced, the training and guidance to services that produce transcripts, the standards and quality assurance of transcripts, and their use within court

In 2022-23, the Justice Committee undertook a broad inquiry on the Future of Legal Aid, looking at the challenges facing legal aid clients and providers and how they might be tackled. That inquiry built upon work undertaken by the Committee in 2015 on the impact of changes to civil legal aid under Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

This inquiry will consider how the provision of legal advice and representation, and supplementary advice services, have developed in response to the restrictions on the provision of legal aid. It will focus on the scope for future innovation in the nature of services, funding, regulation and technology to support effective access to justice in England and Wales.

We will consider how the costs and benefits of integrating transport should be measured and understood, and how this information influences investment and policy decisions.

Read the call for evidence.