A new cross-party network of Parliamentary Champions has launched to promote the value of standards and assurance across Westminster and beyond.
1st June 2026 – BSI, the UK’s national standards body, has today announced the launch of its Parliamentary Champions programme. MPs and Peers from a range of parties have agreed to take on the voluntary role to highlight how standards and assurance against them can shape the UK’s response to the critical challenges facing the world.
The network launches as BSI marks its 125th anniversary, a milestone that reflects both its enduring heritage and its continued relevance as the UK seeks to react to emerging technologies, new risks and evolving societal expectations.
Those taking up the role of Parliamentary Champion include:
- Kirsteen Sullivan, Labour MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow
- Dr Neil Hudson, Conservative MP for Epping Forest
- David Taylor, Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead
- Emily Darlington, Labour MP for Milton Keynes Central
- Tom Collins, Labour MP for Worcester
- Tim Clement-Jones, The Lord Clement-Jones CBE (Lib Dem)
- Graham Norman Tope, The Lord Tope CBE (Lib Dem)
- Liz Twist, Labour MP for Blaydon and Consett
BSI's Parliamentary Champions are cross-party, reflecting the universal importance of standards to society. The network is designed to raise awareness of BSI's work both within Westminster and beyond, from ongoing efforts on ethical and responsible AI and sustainable finance, to forthcoming international standards on modern slavery, net zero and workplace wellbeing.
Susan Taylor Martin, Chief Executive, BSI, said: “In an increasingly complex and uncertain world, standards, supported by testing and assurance, provide the consistency and trust that global markets depend on. They enable trade, strengthen supply chains, help ensure products and services are safe and reliable, and accelerate innovation.
“As BSI marks its 125th anniversary, we are proud to launch our first ever Parliamentary Champions network. We are grateful that these MPs and Peers will help to champion the impact standards can have and ensure that they can play a role in building a fairer and safer society in the face of the global challenges that lie ahead."
The Parliamentary Champions have been invited to join BSI at a celebratory event later in the year to mark its 125th anniversary, bringing together parliamentarians, standards experts and stakeholders to reflect on the impact of standards across UK society and globally.
David Taylor MP said: "I am delighted to support BSI as a Parliamentary Champion, especially as they mark their 125th anniversary. Having visited their Hemel Hempstead labs, I've seen the incredible scope of their world-class work firsthand - from testing consumer safety tech to advanced work on cybersecurity. We are lucky to have this local contribution to global safety right here in our town. I look forward to highlighting the impact of standards on our everyday lives.”
Neil Hudson MP said: "I am proud to give BSI my support as one of its first Parliamentary Champions. I am passionate about protecting and improving mental health and I was particularly pleased to support the BSI in its work in delivering new standards that help employers set out how to identify and manage suicide risk in the workplace and strengthen workplace cultures to help support those who need it. BSI has helped lead the way in breaking down barriers in vital areas like this, and I am deeply supportive of BSI and the work that it does."
Kirsteen Sullivan MP said: “It’s an incredible honour to be asked to be a Parliamentary Champion for the British Standards Institution. Through my campaign to raise awareness of the need for inclusive PPE in the workplace, highlighting the world’s first standard for inclusive PPE, I’ve seen firsthand the immense effort and extraordinary dedication of both BSI staff and volunteers alike. British standards are renowned the world over, from fire alarms to menstrual health in the workplace. I’m looking forward to playing my part in emphasising the important role standards have to play as we enter a new era of industrialisation with an unprecedented pace of technological evolution.”
Tom Collins MP said: “Having worked on standards in my career as an engineer, I have seen how powerful they are for building trust, value and cooperation. In government, they are too easily forgotten as a vehicle for innovation, improvement, and change. I’m so pleased to be able to champion the incredible power and value of standards in Parliament, and to highlight the global leadership and influence that the UK enjoys thanks to the pioneering work and unifying approach of BSI.”
Lord Clement-Jones said: “Standards are the quiet and sometimes unsung engine of regulatory convergence. As AI systems cross borders the moment they are deployed, the work BSI does at ISO, IEC and the European standards bodies is not a technical footnote — it is the foundation on which trustworthy, interoperable AI governance is built. I am delighted to champion that work in Parliament. Founded in 1901, BSI has played a critical role in shaping the modern world. BSI has evolved from developing the standards that underpinned the industrial revolution at the turn of the 20th century, into an organization developing standards that support businesses through the digital, sustainability and social revolutions underway today.”
Using these trusted standards as a foundation, BSI has developed a range of services from assurance, certification and training, to advisory services – all with the aim of using standards to help organizations build capability and skills, improve performance and access new markets.
BSI began with engineers seeking to bring consistency and quality to the building of bridges, railways and ships, grew to support the war effort with 400 emergency standards during World War 2 and then became central to consumer safety in areas from seatbelts and car seats to button batteries.
Today, BSI’s reach is driven by its purpose - impact for a fair society and a sustainable world – and spans everything from smart cities and connected devices, to carbon management in infrastructure, addressing antimicrobial resistance, safe medical devices, renewable energy development and secure self-driving cars.
BSI is playing an integral in the world’s first net zero standard that is in development, while BSI is also leading international work on quantum standards.
The vital role of British standards in areas such as suicide awareness in the workplace and inclusive PPE has recently been raised in Westminster by parliamentarians, while many MPs have congratulated BSI on its 125th anniversary in the House of Commons Chamber and via Early Day Motions.
