I am a Senior Lecturer in Politics and joined the University of Manchester in 2018, having previously worked at the University of Surrey (2013-18). My research focuses on the UK Parliament, particularly the legislative process, committees, political parties and public engagement. 

I have published widely on the impact of parliament on government legislation and on the role of opposition parties in the House of Commons. I am the author or co-author of seven books including: Parliament and the Law (2022), The End of the Small Party? Change UK and the Challenges of Parliamentary Politics (2020) and Making British Law: Committees in Action (2015).  In 2022 I was awarded the Political Studies Association’s Richard Rose Prize for a distinctive contribution to the study of British Politics and I currently co-edit the journal Parliamentary Affairs.  I regularly write for blogs including The Conversation and in 2022 I was the political adviser for the BBC Radio 4 drama Whipped. During the 2024-25 academic year I am undertaking a UK Parliament POST Academic Fellowship with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. 

I really enjoy teaching at Manchester. At the moment, my teaching includes parliamentary studies as well as qualitative research methods and I am the convenor of our second-year module How to Conduct Politics Research. I am the co-editor of the textbook Exploring Parliament (OUP, 2025) and I have additionally published work on the use of parliamentary sources and audience response systems in political science teaching. In 2025-26 I am the UG Director for Politics. 

In 2025-26 Louise is teaching the following modules:

POLI10101 Contemporary Issues in Politics and Law (UG) 

POLI32401 Contemporary Parliamentary Studies (UG)

POLI30300/30380  Dissertation (UG)

POLI70022 Researching Elites (MA)

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the following areas:

UK Parliament

Legislative Scrutiny

British Politics

Political Parties