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Adam Evans

Dr Adam Evans

Honorary Research Fellow

School of Law and Politics

Overview

Adam is a Clerk in the Centre of Excellence for Procedural Practice, based in the Journal Office of the House of Commons. He is Course Director for the House of Commons Postgraduate Certificate on Advising MPs in Parliamentary Procedure - the UK Parliament's flagship procedural qualification, accredited by City University. He is also the Secretary to the History of Parliament Trust. From November 2019 until May 2022, Adam was Clerk of the Welsh Affairs Committee in the House of Commons. Previous roles in the House of Commons have included being Second Clerk of the Defence Committee, Secretary to the UK’s Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and Committee Specialist (Constitutional Affairs) for the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. An Honorary Research Fellow since 2015, Adam has published widely on British constitutional history and aspects of devolution in the United Kingdom, including previously on the party system in Scotland and Wales. His work in the House of Commons has included experience of drafting reports and leading inquiries on English Votes for English Laws, amending the powers of the House of Lords and on the EU Referendum.

Teaching

Adam has been a regular contributor to the LLM Constitutionalism and Governance module, as well as leading lectures on Parliament and Devolution and Parliament and the Legislative Process for the undergraduate Parliamentary Studies module.

Biography

Adam is a Clerk in the Centre of Excellence for Procedural Practice, based in the Journal Office of the House of Commons. He is Course Director for the House of Commons Postgraduate Certificate in Advising MPs 0n Parliamentary Procedure - the UK Parliament's flagship procedural qualification, accredited by City University. He is also the Secretary to the History of Parliament Trust. From November 2019 until May 2022, Adam was Clerk of the Welsh Affairs Committee. Adam was previously the Second Clerk on the House of Commons Defence Committee and Secretary to the UK’s Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He also previously worked as the Constitutional Affairs Specialist for the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. In this role, he drafted the Committee’s reports on

  • English Votes for English Laws,
  • Inter-Institutional Relations in the UK,
  • The Strathclyde Review: Secondary Legislation and the Primacy of the House of Commons
  • Lessons Learned from the EU Referendum.

Prior to the referendum, Adam also managed the Committee's inquiry into the proposed disapplication of s.125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000 (a section that provides for a 'purdah' period during referendum campaigns) from the then European Union Referendum Bill. The Committee's inquiry played a significant role in s.125 being re-applied and put in place for the referendum campaign.

Adam has a longstanding relationship with the Wales Governance Centre and Cardiff University. He first joined the Wales Governance Centre as a PhD candidate in 2012 and completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Cardiff University. His PhD explored the Speaker’s Conference on Devolution, 1919-1920 – one of only two occasions where the UK’s territorial governance was considered 'in the round' by policymakers at Westminster. Adam’s academic work has focused on UK constitutional history and devolution in the UK. He has previously also conducted research on the Liberal Democrats as a federal party in the UK’s party system, post-devolution.  Adam has been an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University since 2015.

Honours and awards

  • President's Research Scholarship (Cardiff University): full PhD scholarship, 2012-2015
  • James Pantefedwyn Foundation Scholarship: fees and partial stipend grant for Masters study, 2011-2012
  • John Cross Prize (Cardiff University): Awarded for highest average performance for final year Politics undergraduate, 2011
  • Charles Morgan Prize (Cardiff University): Awarded for best first year undergraduate student performance in Welsh history, 2009

External profiles