Liz Truss is expected to fly to New York for the United Nations General Assembly following the funeral (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Parliamentary business is paused during the period of national mourning, which has prevented the prime minister, Liz Truss, from making progress with any new laws.
As a result of the Queen’s death on September 8, all political action has been put on ice and is not due to start again until after the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
While the MPs are due back on Wednesday – two days after the Queen’s funeral – Parliament will pause once more from September 22 to allow for the Labour, Conservative and SNP conferences to take place.
MPs are then not expected to return until Monday, October 17. However, members are looking for a way to return to the Commons a week early from their party conferences to act on the cost of living crisis.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister has said: “We are looking at changing the recess dates.”
An order paper has been published on the Commons’ website, saying a motion will be proposed to the House on Thursday that MPs should come back from the conference recess almost a week early on Tuesday October 11.
The order paper also states that when MPs return on Wednesday, they will begin swearing allegiance to King Charles.
Official business will then ramp up on Thursday, giving the opportunity for MPs to work through urgent questions and statements, as well as a general debate on the situation in Ukraine.
Ministers may ask MPs to sit a day longer than planned before breaking for recess.
The Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle told Times Radio he would “certainly expect” a debate on the energy crisis before the party conferences. But the Prime Minister is expected to fly to New York for the United Nations General Assembly following the funeral, so progress on tackling the energy crisis is likely to be delayed.
