Almost every aspect of architectural practice is impacted by politics. The governing party’s policies on everything from housing and taxation to building regulation and employment law form much of the context for what we do and how we do it.

Yet we often seem to be merely passive bystanders to the power games played out at Westminster. It may or may not be coincidence that there isn’t currently a single registered architect in the House of Commons.

It wasn’t always like this. During the post-war period there was a general consensus between Tories and Labour that government had a critical role to play in providing housing and improving the quality of the wider built environment. As a result, architects were considered key to delivering a range of social goods and something like half of them worked directly for the public sector. For councils and civil service departments across the country, they churned out housing and schools, stations and hospitals. Prominent architectural figures like Leslie Martin and Hugh Casson also held senior posts in local government and academia and used their power to promote other architects to positions of influence.

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