After 16 years of ups and downs in Westminster, Andy Burnham could soon depart for a new challenge as mayor of Greater Manchester. He tells Kevin Schofield why he believes Parliament is unfit for purpose – and why only devolution can counterbalance the UK’s ‘in-built London bias’

The Midlands risks being squeezed out by ministers who talk as if there were only two possibilities for investment: London or 'the north'

BIS is dead, long live BEIS. With industrial strategy the domestic centrepiece of Theresa May’s government – and a vast knot of EU business regulation to untangle – all eyes will be on the new-look department in the coming months and years. We hope this guide will help shed some light on its structure, and give an insight into the thinking of its key players

Agnes Chambre sits down with parliamentarians to find out more about the human side of politics. This week, Big Issue founder and star of the BBC’s Meet the Lords, John Bird

Horrific abuse, online and off, risks stifling public debate and deterring future generations from entering politics, warns Anushka Asthana 

Lord Newby believes there is growing support on the red benches for the Liberal Democrats’ plan to force a second referendum on the terms of Brexit. And he tells Sebastian Whale that the fight against Brexit will not end with the Article 50 Bill 

Liz Truss believes the prison system must do more to help offenders turn their lives around. The justice secretary talks to Alan Mak about rehabilitation, the British Bill of Rights and learning from Michael Gove

Next week’s Northern Ireland Assembly election comes at a time of increasing polarisation over Brexit. Historian and crossbench peer Paul Bew looks ahead to the vote 

The decision to do away with wigs worn by the clerks in the House of Commons risks adding to the erosion of parliament's authority 

Like Members’ top hats and tailcoats before them, the wigs worn by House of Commons Clerks are being retired. For practical and financial reasons it is the right thing to do, writes David Natzler

Young people are challenging the stigma around mental health. But this progress in society has not been matched by improvements in provision

Theresa May's trip to the US was a bold diplomatic stroke. But her offer of a 2017 state visit could backfire spectacularly.