Afternoon summary
We will be closing this blog shortly but here’s a recap of the day’s main developments.
Diane Abbott has claimed that Labour leadership’s “real agenda” is to stop her having the whip restored. (See 1.24pm.)
Proposals to crack down on the “unscrupulous” commercial trade of puppy, kitten and ferret smuggling have cleared their first hurdle in the Commons, PA Media reports. PA says Conservative MP Selaine Saxby said the animal welfare (import of dogs, cats and ferrets) bill will ensure that pets are not sold or traded as objects. The bill, which was given an unopposed second reading and which has the backing of Government, proposes to ban dogs and cats under six months from being brought into the UK. It also prohibits the importation of heavily pregnant animals and those with mutilations, such as cropped ears or a docked tail.
But Liz Truss has accused Labour MP of sabotaging her own private member’s bill after a long debate on Saxby’s bill meant there was no time for hers to be considered. (See 2.55pm.) The Truss bill would have in effect banned social transitioning in schools, and would have ensured that references to sex in the Equality Act meant biological sex, in a way that might have stopped trans women accessing single-sex spaces. No 10 said it supported the “sentiment” in the bill (see 12.31pm), but Tory MP were reportedly encouraged to join the filibuster to stop it being debated.
Updated
With 2 May out as as the date for the general election, the search is on for an alternative. In a story for the Independent, Zoë Grünewald says Rishi Sunak is working towards 10 October. She says:
Mr Sunak did not indiciate when the election would be called, but Downing Street sources told The Independent that the date has been pencilled in for the second Thursday in October.
It is understood that the PM is unlikely to wait until mid-November, since it would clash with US presidential election.
Farage claims he could have been covered by government's definition of extremism in his early days as Ukip leader
Nigel Farage, the honorory president of Reform UK, has said he is opposed to the government’s new definition of extremism because he thinks he might have been covered by it in his early days as Ukip leader. He told GB News:
Twenty five years ago when I was first elected to the European parliament, particularly leaving the European Union, I was literally met officially with the Foreign Office who thought I was something akin to a terrorist. Had this definition been in place then, I very much doubt the electoral commission would have allowed me to stand as a candidate.
It’s all about interpretation. And the worry is, this is now open to abuse and the Tories have been terrible on the rise of woke, once Labour gets in, we could all be banned.
I think the government are not sure what to do because had the definition seemed to be aimed at Islamists, they would have been accused of prejudice and wouldn’t have recovered.
The new definition can be interpreted by how the government and civil servants of the day choose to interpret it. I’d like to see the whole thing scrapped. Let’s go back to the law.
A reader asks:
You says, when asked about elections normally taking place on a Thursday, that “Under election law, the last possible date for the next general election would be Tuesday 28 January [2025].” But parliament.uk says “no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change” so what is to stop any government passing a law to say that parliaments can last longer than 5 years, or even that the current can continue indefinitely?
Nothing. It could happen. It happened during the second world war. But there is one constraint on a government trying to do this. It can’t use the Parliament Act to extend the life of parliament, so the House of Commons and House of Lords would both have to support the legisation.
Richard Tice, the Reform UK leader, and his new MP Lee Anderson have been campaigning in Anderson’s Ashfield constituency today. According to PA Media, Anderson described his home town as “the capital of common sense”. He said:
This a typical red wall area. This is where people speak plain English and are not afraid to speak plain English. It’s our job in places like Ashfield to speak up on behalf of the rest of the country.
The Times’ sketchwriter Tom Peck was there, and clearly not impressed.
Lee Anderson’s campaign for Ashfield begins with a rousing speech from an open top bus in sideways rain in a Morrisons car park. pic.twitter.com/XX2nHPLTNi
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) March 15, 2024
Lee Anderson is now campaigning from his open top bus, on the M1. pic.twitter.com/WSWOwFkOQB
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) March 15, 2024
Badenoch joins Truss in accusing Labour of blocking debate on bill to protect single-sex spaces
Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities, has joined Liz Truss in attacking Labour for blocking Truss’s bill on sex and gender.
Just now Labour MPs prevented debate on a new law to protect children and single sex spaces.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) March 15, 2024
Instead they used parliamentary time to discuss ferret name choices.@Keir_Starmer is terrified of debate on safeguarding & his MPs actively work to ignore the concerns of constituents.
Just now Labour MPs prevented debate on a new law to protect children and single sex spaces.
Instead they used parliamentary time to discuss ferret name choices.@Keir_Starmer is terrified of debate on safeguarding & his MPs actively work to ignore the concerns of constituents.
But the evidence suggests it was not just Labour MPs keen to ensure that Truss’s bill never got debated; Conservative MPs were reportedly encouraged to do this too. (See 2.06pm and 2.55pm.)
This would not be the first time No 10 and Badenoch had failed to see eye to eye on a policy issue.
It is also unusual to see a cabinet minister complaining about the Commons not passing a private member’s bill. If the government really wants a bill to become law, it can pass it as government legislation. As the FT has established this morning (see 9.24am), parliamentary time is available. But Badenoch has not been able to do this because her views on gender and trans issues are not universally supported by cabinet colleagues.
Labour says it is “staggering” that the Conservative party is still in discussions about taking another £5m from Frank Hester. Responding to the latest GB News report on this (see 1.50pm), Anneliese Dodds, the Labour party chair, said:
It is frankly staggering that, after his repugnant racist and sexist remarks, the Conservative party are still trying to arrange a donation from Frank Hester. It shows the depths to which the Tory party has fallen.
The Conservatives need to pay back every penny, cut ties with Frank Hester and apologise unequivocally to Diane Abbott.
And Rishi Sunak needs to grow a backbone and deal with the extreme views that appear to be tolerated in his party.
Truss accuses Labour MPs of blocking debate on her bill to stop social transitioning in schools and to protect single-sex spaces
Liz Truss’s bill on sex and gender never got debated this afternoon. At the five-hour slot for private members’ bills ran out at 2.30pm, Labour’s Nia Griffiths was still speaking on Sarah Champion’s bill. (See 1.59pm.) That means Champion’s bill gets carried over to another day, Friday 22 March. But it will behind other bills in the queue that day, and is very unlikely to be debated.
After 2.30pm private members’ bills only get a second reading if they are unopposed. Liz Truss was in the chamber to move hers, but it was opposed, and it was also kicked back until Friday 22 March. This means it almost certainly dead.
Truss has just issued a statement claiming that Labour MPs were filibustering her bill. She said:
I’m furious that Labour MPs have filibustered in parliament today to prevent debate of my private member’s bill.
Concerned parents will want to know why Labour don’t even want to discuss how to protect children and single sex spaces, let alone put those protections into law.
Labour care more about ideology than the protection of children.
It is vital that we legislate to safeguard single-sex spaces and prevent children from making irreversible decisions about their bodies.
These policies have popular support - and legislation is required in this area because non-statutory guidance gives too much latitude to extremist ideologues determined to use any loopholes available to promote their dangerous agenda.
But PA Media says Tory MPs were asked by government whips to filibuster to stop Truss’s bill being debated (see 2.06pm) and it appears there were MPs on both sides engaged in a time-wasting operation. Although two Labour MPs gave speeches lasting about half an hour each in the debate on the puppy smuggling bill (Ashley Dalton and Steve Reed, the shadow environment minister), the overall number of Conservative MPs speaking in the debate (12) was larger than the number of Labour MPs (9).
In the Commons the Conservative MP Richard Fuller has just raised a point of order to say reports claiming Tory MPs were talking out Liz Truss’s bill that would in effect ban social transitioning at school (see 2.06pm) are wrong. Fuller claimed that it was Labour MPs who were doing that.
Updated
Tory MPs encouraged to filibuster to stop Liz Truss's bill being debated, report claims
Even though No 10 says it welcomes the “sentiment” of Liz Truss’ bill to in effect ban social transitioning in schools (see 12.31pm), PA Media says Conservative MPs have been encouraged to “talk out” earlier debates to ensure there is no time for Truss’s bill to get considered. PA says:
If Truss’s bill is not voted on by 2.30pm, it will be rescheduled for another day and fall to the bottom of the list for debate, meaning it would almost certainly not become law.
Some Labour MPs were certainly taking their time during the debate on the puppy smuggling bill, but a lot of Tory MPs were speaking too. If they were deliberately filibustering, it was not clear whether they were doing so at the behest of the Tory whips, or because of personal opposition to what Truss’s bill would do.
Updated
In the Commons Selaine Saxby’s private member’s bill to ban puppy smuggling passed its second reading without any MP voting against, and MPs are now debating Sarah Champion’s public procurement (British goods and services) bill. The bill would encourage the public sector to buy more goods and services from British suppliers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. Champion, a Labour MP, started speaking at about 1.30pm and she is still on her feet. There seems to be almost no chance now of Liz Truss’s bill being debated.
According to Christopher Hope from GB News, the Conservative party is in talks about accepting another £5m from Frank Hester, the money has not yet been handed over.
EXCLUSIVE
— Christopher Hope📝 (@christopherhope) March 15, 2024
Conservatives are still in talks about additional £5million from ‘race row donor’ Frank Hester.
Contrary to reports the extra £5million has not yet been handed over.
One very senior Tory tells me: “He wants to give again. I hope he will." https://t.co/67I8phyQCA
Conservatives are still in talks about additional £5million from ‘race row donor’ Frank Hester.
Contrary to reports the extra £5million has not yet been handed over.
One very senior Tory tells me: “He wants to give again. I hope he will.”
Yesterday Cat Neilan at Tortoise reported that the money had been handed over.
The Conservative party has refused to confirm or deny the story. It just says any donations will be declared in due course in the normal way.
Diane Abbott claims Labour leadership's 'real agenda' is to prevent her having whip restored
Diane Abbott has signalled that she does not expect to have the Labour whip restored to her anytime soon. She posted this on X, endorsing an assessment made by Henry Zeffman, the BBC’s chief political correspondent, on the Today programme this morning. Zeffman said that, although figures in the party like Harriet Harman and Ed Balls have joined Abbott’s leftwing allies in saying she should be reinstated, he did not think that she would get the whip back “anytime soon” because of social media posts attacking the party’s leadership.
I will not get the whip back because my "attacks on the leadership have if anything intensified." This is the leadership's real agenda.
— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) March 15, 2024
(Courtesy of the BBC). pic.twitter.com/GhP1yWEiQw
I will not get the whip back because my “attacks on the leadership have if anything intensified.” This is the leadership’s real agenda.
Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s political editor, came out with a very similar assessment to Zeffman’s in an analysis published last night. Under a headline saying Abbott’s chances of having the whip restored were remote, Pippa said:
Labour is so far sticking to the line that Abbott is subject to an independent process, but as the next election creeps closer questions will inevitably arise about whether she will be allowed to stand again. When the election campaign begins, the party’s ruling national executive committee is expected to rapidly decide the fate of any MP who still does not have the whip. It also has special powers it can deploy in exceptional circumstances.
Yet other factors could be taken into account, even if the inquiry into Abbott’s remarks has concluded, in any decision over her longer-term political future.
One party insider pointed to Abbott’s X feed, on which she retweeted last week a post with the hashtag “#itsascam”, a reference to the theory that antisemitism allegations levelled at Corbyn were part of a campaign to discredit him. “Look at all the things she’s been tweeting in the last week,” the source said. “You can think both that the abuse she receives is abhorrent and racist but also think the stuff she’s tweeting isn’t great.”
Officially, Labour refuses to be drawn on the timing of any decision. “Disciplinary cases can take time,” a spokesperson said. “It’s not appropriate to comment on individual cases.”
There have been rumours of a deal for Abbott to have the whip reinstated as long as she agrees to stand down from her Hackney seat, where she has a majority of 33,188, at the next election.
Before her suspension, there had been speculation about a seat in the House of Lords. Yet her supporters on the left want her to stand again for parliament. Her political future then remains unclear.
Here is Pippa’s article in full.
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has claimed that MPs in the current parliament are working harder than he has ever seen before.
He made the claim in response to figures showing the Commons sitting hours are at a 25-year low. (See 9.24am and 12.48am.)
Asked about the figures, Hunt said:
I think that there are lots of things people want from their MPs but more laws being passed is probably not top of the list.
I think the most important thing is how hard MPs are working in their constituencies, and I would say, certainly when it comes to Conservative MPs, I’ve never seen a parliament where Conservative MPs have worked harder than this parliament to do the right thing for their constituents.
No 10 rejects claim figures show Commons sitting hours at 25-year low means government running out of bills to pass
No 10 has rejected claims that figures showing Commons sitting hours at a 25-year low mean the government has run out of things to do. (See 9.24am.) Asked about this allegation, the PM’s spokesperson told reporters:
The number of days that the Commons sat in 2023 I believe was consistent with previous years.
For the government’s part, we are delivering a packed legislative agenda with 26 bills introduced in this session alone, including on ending small boat crossings, joining the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) and protecting consumers.
And as you know, in the last 10 days we have delivered a budget bill to cut national insurance and we are bringing in landmark legislation to quash hundreds of wrongful convictions relating to the Horizon scandal.
The government also remains committed to facilitating debates on critical issues including leasehold and freehold reform, crime and justice and more bills beyond that.
The Financial Times figures show that, even though MPs may have sat on a normal number of days in 2023, the average sitting day in the 2022-23 session was almost half an hour shorter than the average over the past 25 years. In the current session, the average sitting day is almost 50 minutes shorter than the 25-year norm.
No 10 says it welcomes 'sentiment' in Liz Truss's bill on sex and gender that would ban social transitioning in schools
Downing Street has said that it welcomes “the sentiment” set out in Liz Truss’s private member’s bill on sex and gender.
The bill would stop puberty-blocking medication being prescribed to children, which is something that NHS England announced only this week it would stop doing. It would clarify the Equality Act to make to clear that references in the act to sex refer to biological sex, not gender. This proposal, which could lead to trans women being banned from single-sex spaces, has already been floated by Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister. But the bill would also in effect ban social transitioning in schools, which goes beyond the trans guidance for schools published in December. (See 11.25am.)
Asked at the No 10 lobby briefing if the government supported the bill, the PM’s spokesperson said:
The private member’s bill you refer to will be considered in the usual way by the House.
But more broadly, we welcome the sentiment set out in the bill, not least because it is consistent with our own approach on the fundamental importance of biological sex and the right that women have to access dedicated single sex spaces.
On the substantive issues, you will know that we have already begun addressing many of these complex issues in a pragmatic and proportionate way and you will have seen this week the announcement by the NHS to end the routine prescription of puberty blockers, which will help ensure that care is based on evidence.
The spokesperson said ministers had “made it clear that single sex spaces like toilets and changing rooms must be protected” and he said government “recognises there is more that we can do in this area”.
But there is no sign that MPs will even debate the bill today. The debate on the bill to ban puppy smuggling (see 11.25am) is still going strong, and a few minutes ago the Labour MP James Murray was reprimanded by Roger Gale, the deputy speaker, for a diversion in his speech during which he started talking about the evils of pet theft, and how upset he would feel if his own pet cat was stolen. Gale told him that this was not relevant to the bill, and that he should stick to the subject under debate.
A reader asks:
Is there anything other than convention which says elections must be on a Thursday?
No. There is nothing in law saying general elections have to be held on a Thursday, although for almost a century they have always been held on a Thursday. The last non-Thursday general election was in 1931, when it was on a Tuesday.
A few years ago the Guardian published this explanation for Thursday voting.
The reason for choosing Thursday, it is said, was as follows. On Fridays the voters were paid their wages and if they went for a drink in a public house they would be subject to pressure from the Conservative brewing interests, while on Sundays they would be subject to influence by Free Church ministers who were generally Liberal in persuasion. Therefore choose the day furthest from influence by either publicans or Free Church clergymen, namely Thursday. Although these influences are much less significant today, the trend towards Thursday becoming a universal polling day has continued, because Urban District Councils and Rural District Councils all polled on a Saturday until they were abolished under the 1972 Local Government Act. Their successor District Councils poll on a Thursday and the Parish Council polling day was changed from Saturday to Thursday at the same time.
Under election law, the last possible date for the next general election would be Tuesday 28 January.
A reader asks:
If it ends up being an autumn election as Sunak has indicated, how does that impact the conference season - do they still go ahead? - and does the summer recess have any affect on when a government can call an election?
The autumn conferences could still go ahead – although that would push the election date into November.
People assume Rishi Sunak won’t want to cancel conference, because it is a signficiant money-raiser for the party. But there have been some reports saying this is less of an issue for the Tories than it might have been, because they are getting a lot of money in donations anyway.
In theory the election could be held over the summer. But prime ministers have generally taken the view that the last thing people want to worry about during the summer holidays is a general election, and that voters would not take kindly to an August poll. Political activists also take holidays too.
June elections have been relatively common, but, according to this chart, there has not been one in July since 1945, there has not been one in August since 1895, and there has not been one in September since 1900.
Hunt claims Tories are 'transparent' about donations - while refusing to confirm yet if they've had further £5m from Hester
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has claimed that the Conservative party is “transparent” about its donations – while refusing to say whether or not the party has had another £5m from Frank Hester.
Hunt used the word to make the point that the party follows the rules enforced by the Electoral Commission, which say significant donations do have to be made public, but not the moment they are received.
Asked about the reported £5m donation from Hester, Hunt said:
We follow all the right procedures when it comes to declaring our donations, and when the time is right we will declare any donations we have received recently.
We absolutely are transparent. We follow all the rules, the regulations, we believe in that transparency.
Many of the laws about it we actually passed ourselves and the Conservative party fully complies with all the requirements to be transparent about our donations.
Updated
As Aubrey Allegretti from the Times reported on X last night, Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities, wants the government to back Liz Truss’s private member’s bill that would in effect ban social transitioning in schools.
Exc: Govt poised to back Liz Truss’s private members’ bill tomorrow that seeks to enshrine the legal definition of sex as biological.
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) March 14, 2024
Kemi Badenoch is “very supportive” of the aims of the bill - but believes it’s “unworkable in its current form”, according to a government aide.…
Exc: Govt poised to back Liz Truss’s private members’ bill tomorrow that seeks to enshrine the legal definition of sex as biological.
Kemi Badenoch is “very supportive” of the aims of the bill - but believes it’s “unworkable in its current form”, according to a government aide.
They say Truss’s PMB - the Health and Equality Acts (Amendment) Bill - can still “support Kemi’s work on the definition of sex, and colleagues’ work banning puberty blockers”.
Upsum is I’m told govt set to back it then seek to amend at a later stage.
The bill says: “A public authority in England must not take any steps to recognise, or enable 30 the recognition of, children as having a gender that is inconsistent with their sex.” This would go beyond the trans guidance for schools published in December, which urged a “very cautious” approach to social transitioning at school, but did not ban it.
In a statement last night Truss said:
I have been overwhelmed with supportive messages this week not only from constituents, but from people across the country and indeed all corners of the world who want to see my bill put into law so that children and women get the protections they need in the face of the extreme agenda being pursued by militant gender ideologues.
I have had productive discussions with colleagues in parliament and am very much hoping the government will back my bill. This would be hugely positive for the protection of children.
But there is no guarantee that the bill will even get debated today, let alone passed. There are five hours set aside today for debating private members’ bills, and Truss’s is third on the list. The debate on the first bill, to ban puppy smuggling (see 10.09am), has been running for almost two hours and some of the Labour MPs seem quite happy to be taking their time. One spoke for half an hour, and another started going on about his pet cat. There is nothing Truss can do to speed things up, and if MPs run out of time, her bill will just return to the back of the private members’ bill queue, meaning there won’t be another chance for a vote.
Updated
Defence minister James Heappey becomes 62nd Tory MP to say they are standing down at election
James Heappey, the armed forces minister, has announced that he is standing down at the next election. He has been MP for Wells since 2015 and had a majority there at the last election of 9,991 over the Liberal Democrats. He is 43.
In a letter to his constituency party posted on X, he says a great deal has changed in his life in recent years and he has decided to pursue a different career.
Some news from me: A painful decision but the next election is the time for me to step away from politics, prioritise my family and pursue a new career.
— James Heappey MP (@JSHeappey) March 15, 2024
I’ll forever be grateful for the incredible opportunity to serve this amazing constituency in Westminster. pic.twitter.com/ZIreMHEAP9
According to a report by Larissa Brown in the Times, which has been confirmed by government sources, Heappey will also be standing down as a minister before the election. Brown says:
It is understood that [Rishi] Sunak offered Heappey the option of staying in post until the election but he asked to step down sooner to focus on his constituency and future employment.
His departure comes at a difficult time for the prime minister who was criticised over the decision to deny extra funding to the MoD in the budget despite increased threats and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Last night Brandon Lewis, the former Conservative party chair and former Northern Ireland secretary, also announced that he is standing down and Heappey’s announcement means 62 Tory MPs have now said they are leaving parliament. Philip Nye from the Institute for Government has a tally.
Brandon Lewis, Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth and a former party chair, announced last night he won’t be standing for re-election - becoming the 61st Conservative MP to do sohttps://t.co/VxFM2xqo4z pic.twitter.com/GWum0BuoZS
— Philip Nye (@philipnye) March 15, 2024
Ministers expected to back private member's bill to ban import of puppies and kittens
Ministers are expected to back a fresh bid to crack down on puppy smuggling after MPs urged the government to reveal how it will fulfil a series of promises to bolster animal welfare, PA Media reports. PA says:
Tory MP Selaine Saxby’s proposed legislation would ban dogs and cats under six months from being brought into the UK.
It would also prohibit the importation of heavily pregnant animals and those with mutilations, such as cropped ears or a docked tail.
The animal welfare (kept animals) bill is being debated this morning. The government is set to throw its support behind the measures, it is understood.
The proposals, which come in a private member’s bill, will also limit the number of pets a person can travel with.
It comes after the government came under pressure from Tory MPs following the decision to scrap its own planned legislation last May.
The bill had been expected to have cracked down on puppy smuggling, banned live animal exports for fattening and slaughter, and helped to tackle pet abduction and livestock worrying, among other changes.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said last year her colleagues “should be reassured” that the government still plans to fulfil its pledges.
As Peter Walker and Rowena Mason report, Rishi Sunak is under pressure to return another £5m that the Conservative party has reportedly received from Frank Hester.
The Scottish Conservative party has disassociated itself from the UK party’s decision to accept Hester’s money. On Tuesday the Scottish Tories urged the London party to “review” the Hester donations. This morning Scottish Tory deputy leader Meghan Gallacher told BBC Radio Scotland that this was an unverified donation, but that she would be asking questions about it.
Asked if she would seek clarification from CCHQ, she replied:
Of course I will have a discussion about this, but again, it’s unverified and I can’t comment on unverified donations.
Catherine Haddon from the Institute for Government thinktank reckons the next plausible date for a general election is Thursday 20 June. That is based on the assumption that Rishi Sunak would not call a general election during campaigning for the local elections, which are on Thursday 2 May. For an election on 20 June, parliament would have to dissolve on Wednesday 15 May.
Ok. So we can move on right?
— Dr Catherine Haddon (@cath_haddon) March 14, 2024
… Right?
The next possible date, if you called the election after the local elections, is 20th Junehttps://t.co/0ZTR1f3F7K https://t.co/FgQh40Irk3
Labour accuses Sunak of 'squatting in Downing Street' after PM rules out election on 2 May
The Labour party has been predicting a May election for months and last night Pat McFadden, the party’s national campaign campaign coordinator, put out a statement saying that, despite Rishi Sunak saying there won’t be on on 2 May, Labour will keep preparing for one until it becomes technically impossible. He said:
After 14 years of Tory failure, the British public have the right to expect an election to be called by 26 March and held on 2 May.
Until the day to call it has passed, we are prepared for the election to take place on the usual day in the election cycle.
Rishi Sunak should stop squatting in Downing Street and give the country what it desperately needs – a chance for change with a Labour government. The prime minister needs to finally come clean with the public and name the date of the election now.
For an election to happen on 2 May, parliament would have to be dissolved on Tuesday 26 March.
Rishi Sunak rules out 2 May general election as report shows Commons working hours have fallen to a 25-year low
Good morning. Rishi Sunak has ruled out calling a general election on 2 May. This is no great surprise to anyone working in Westminster (despite what the Labour party claims), but worth knowing anyway, particularly for journalists with holiday plans for April. Here is the clip.
'There won't be an election on that day'
— ITV News West Country (@itvwestcountry) March 14, 2024
Rishi Sunak confirms there won't be an election on 2 May pic.twitter.com/DWERCVBoO3
Sunak does not have to call an election until January next year and in normal circumstances a prime minister could defend putting off polling day on the grounds the government still has plenty of legislation to pass.
But a report by Lucy Fisher in today’s Financial Times has killed that as an excuse. Fisher says the average amount of time the Commons spends sitting every working day is now at its lowest level for a quarter of a century. She says:
The average duration of a Commons sitting day in the current parliamentary session, which began in November, has been 7 hours and 9 minutes, a record low since New Labour came to power in 1997, the FT found …
On Tuesday last week the Commons adjourned at 3.53pm, while on one Monday earlier this month almost five hours were dedicated to an unfocused “general debate on farming”, critics pointed out …
Between 1997 and 2023 the average was 7 hours and 58 minutes — or 49 minutes longer than in the current session, the analysis showed. The peak was 9 hours and 15 minutes in the 1998-99 session of Tony Blair’s first administration.
Friday’s FINANCIAL Times: “Working hours for Commons hit record low under Sunak” #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/XFhPpRj6Yy
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) March 14, 2024
The sitting hours figures do not capture all the work MPs do; most MPs spend a lot more than seven hours a day working, and almost no one spends all or most of their day in the chamber.
But if the government is passing a lot of legislation, the Commons will sit more. As Fisher points out, these figures are indicative of the fact that MPs have fewer bills to pass than in a normal parliamentary session.
Lucy Powell, Labour’s shadow Commons leader, told the FT the government was “out of steam” and “failing to deliver on important issues” such as renters reform and rail modernisation, “while making parliament clock off early day in, day out”. And the Liberal Democrats’ Wera Hobhouse told the FT the figures confirmed Sunak was presiding over “a lame-duck government”.
Here is the FT chart illustrating the figures.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: MPs started debating a private member’s bill from the Conservative MP Selaine Saxby that would ban puppy smuggling. Liz Truss is hoping that her private member’s bill, that would in effect ban social transitioning at school, will be debated. But it is third on the list for today, after Saxby’s and a bill from Labour’s Sarah Champion about public procurement, and so it may not be reached.
Morning: Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, are on a visit in the north-east of England.
10.30am: Richard Tice, the Reform UK leader, and Lee Anderson, his new MP, campaign in Ashfield.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
If you want to contact me, do try the “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a laptop or a desktop. This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting, too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line; privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate); or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.
Updated
