MEET THE TEAM

Baron Norton of Louth (Life Peer), cr. 1998 BA, MA, PhD

Philip Norton – British political scientist, author and academic, Professor of Government and Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Hull

Education: BA, University of Sheffield; MA, University of Pennsylvania, USA; PhD, University of Sheffield

Career: Lord Norton of Louth is Professor of Government and Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull. He was appointed Professor in 1986. In 1992 he also became Director of the Centre for Legislative Studies. Following his elevation to the peerage in 1998, he was Chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution from 2001 to 2004. He also chaired a commission for Leader of the Opposition, William Hague, to design ideas for the strengthening of the institution of Parliament. He has been described in The House Magazine – the journal of both Houses of Parliament – as “our greatest living expert on Parliament”. His research interests include British politics, the British parliament, the British Constitution, the British Conservative Party, comparative legislatures, and US politics and government. Lord Norton is Editor of The Journal of Legislative Studies (see url below).

Publications include: Dissension in the House of Commons 1974–1979 1980, Commons in Perspective 1981, Constitution in Flux 1982, The Political Science of British Politics (co-author) 1986, National Parliaments and the European Union (editor) 1996, The Conservative Party (editor) 1996, Parliaments and Pressure Groups in Western Europe (editor) 1999, The British Polity 2001 (4th edition), Parliaments and Citizens in Western Europe (editor) 2002, Parliament in British Politics 2013 (2nd edition), Politics UK 2014 (8th edition; co-author – 9th edition forthcoming), Reform of the House of Lords 2017; several pamphlets, book chapters and numerous articles in professional journals.

Website: Visit ‘The Norton View’ at – https://nortonview.wordpress.com

Amanda Riley LLB, LLS, LLM, BARRISTER

PA to Lord Norton, Wroxton Workshop Administrator, C4LS Administrator

Amanda works closely alongside Lord Norton in organising and arranging the Wroxton Workshop, and is often the first point of contact for many delegates. Amanda graduated from the University of Hull with a joint honours degree in Law & Legislative studies, and spent a full-year working alongside Lord Norton in the House of Lords as a Parliamentary Researcher. Amanda obtained a Masters in Law, and having passed her Bar Exam, she took her ‘Call To The Bar’ at Inner Temple. She is now a Barrister at Crystal Chambers London.

Amanda spent 26 years touring the world as a professional singer, and can still be seen performing in theatres around the UK. Amanda established the charity ‘Autism Unseen’, to help tackle the bullying and social exclusion that autistic individuals suffer from within schools and colleges, and in 2017 she led a group of young autistic adults and carers on a life changing experience to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. In 2025/26 Amanda will be taking 60 autistic youngsters on the Autism Unseen Tall Ships Challenge, sailing a 70 foot Challenger racing yacht 1,675 miles around the UK.

In 2015 Amanda co-founded the Conflict Free Mineral Association, and delivered a keynote speech about Human Rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Lord Mayor, Civic dignitaries and Council members of Hull. Amanda was then instrumental in taking Hull on the journey to become the first City in Europe to pass a Conflict Free Mineral Resolution. Amanda also wrote and performed the song ‘Your Voice’, which backed the campaign video.