Overview

Parliament's responses to petitions from around the country played a key part in the early stages of the industrial revolution in Britain

What happened when both woollen and cotton clothmakers petitioned Parliament to protect their trade against the other

After the 1929-33 depression Parliament passed new measures to regenerate industry in areas worst-hit by unemployment and poverty

Lobbied by manufacturers and industrialists, Parliament introduced a raft of measures to improve commerce and boost competition

Since the Second World War Parliament has legislated to rejuvenate areas suffering industrial decline