House of Commons

An Australian lawyer has slammed Priti Patel for appearing to copy her country’s asylum seeker policy, adding that any “decent” country would not process refugees offshore. Madeline Gleeson, a human rights lawyer, said the move to copy Australia’s immigration policy was “deeply concerning” and warned Westminster MPs against following suit. Gleeson’s comment comes after leaked documents showed the […]

A Conservative MP has been criticised for suggesting ballet and opera is enjoyed by many people in the south of England while northerners prefer football, as he warned “northern culture” is being hit by Covid-19. Former minister Jake Berry, whose previous government position included the northern powerhouse brief, compared Accrington Stanley to the Royal Ballet as he […]

Readers have their say on how politicians can be more in touch with the people they represent. What a splendid idea by Nick Roberts to make MPs go on annual ‘life experience’ in order to keep them connected to the communities they represent. Another idea worth trying is one of term limits. MPs in safe […]

MPs have for a second time overturned measures from peers aimed at protecting UK food standards in future trade deals. The House of Commons voted 331 to 272, majority 59, to disagree with a House of Lords amendment to the Agriculture Bill which sought to ensure imported foodstuffs met equivalent benchmarks to those followed by […]

Theresa May accused Boris Johnson of choosing data to fit his coronavirus policies, as she insisted the government must reveal the economic cost of lockdown. The Conservative former prime minister tore into predictions said to have informed her successor’s decision to impose a second national lockdown in England, which will start on Thursday and last […]

A Brexiteer has been met with criticism for saying he will be voting against a second lockdown in the House of Commons. Peter Bone said that the government’s scientific and medical advisers had provided “dubious modelling”. There are lies, damned lies & then there are the likes of @PeterBoneUK, whose formal education clearly did not […]

Michael Gove has apologised for confusing the rules over tennis and golf rules during England’s second lockdown. Downing Street has insisted it will not change direction over the decision to close golf courses and tennis clubs when new measures are introduced this week. But during an online question and answer session with his constituents, the […]

Boris Johnson has vowed to end the second lockdown on December 2 when the government “intends” to return to a regional tiered system. Johnson guaranteed “without a shred of doubt” that the restrictions would expire on December 2, amid concerns on the Conservative benches that England’s lockdown could be extended. A growing number of senior MPs on […]

Boris Johnson believes MPs should continue travelling from across the UK to Westminster despite the national lockdown coming into effect in England. The prime minister’s spokesperson said Johnson did not agree with arrangements for a virtual parliament which would involve many working from home. Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg later echoed the importance of MPs attending […]

The speaker of the House of Commons has criticised a leak that revealed ministers were about to announce another lockdown in England. Sir Lindsay Hoyle called the leak “unacceptable” and demanded the culprits apologise to parliament if an investigation launched over the weekend finds an MP was behind it. The prime minister was forced to […]

A cross-party group of MPs and peers have filed legal proceedings against the government, accusing ministers of failing to protect the UK’s democracy against Russian interference during the EU referendum and subsequent elections. The claimants, backed by a former national security adviser, have accused the prime minister of wanting to “keep us in the dark” […]

The government has come under heavy fire after more than 300 Tory MPs voted against extending free meals for hungry kids over the school holidays. The Tories voted down a Labour motion 322 votes to 261 that would have seen children provided with free school meals during the October half-term and Christmas breaks. This comes after Manchester […]

Boris Johnson is pursuing a “Narnia deal” with the EU, Labour warned as they urged the UK government to secure a trade agreement. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said the opposition expects the prime minister and his team to broker an arrangement to enable the UK to trade freely with the EU. Speaking in […]

A Labour MP has called for an apology from the government over its “false promises” of delivering an “oven-ready” deal with the EU. Appearing before Michael Gove at the despatch box, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said: “The prime minister promised the nation an oven-ready deal and it was avowedly the easiest trade deal in history to […]

Everybody has a different reason for sitting down and writing a book. Martin Bell wrote his latest because he nearly died.  Almost two years ago the former BBC war correspondent and independent MP suffered head injuries similar to those from a car crash when he tripped over his suitcase at Gatwick Airport after returning from […]

If the definition of insanity – apocryphally attributed to Einstein, though he never said it – is repeating the same thing and expecting different results, then the definition of idiocy must surely be facing an existential crisis and doing… nothing. Coronavirus was an international crisis in March and remains an international crisis seven months on. […]

Labour has accused the Tories of “showing contempt” for the public after not a single one its backbenchers was present for a debate on coronavirus measures, including the furlough scheme and evictions bans. Only one minister was present for sections of Wednesday’s Opposition Day debate which focused on funding for northern areas under lockdown, replacements […]

The government is set to install a series of portaloos along the major roads in Kent to deal with possible Brexit congestion from the delays at ports following the end of the transition period. Transport minister Rachel MacClean was responding to questions about documents which revealed the government is planning for queues of up to […]

MPs voted 332 to 279 to overturn a House of Lords amendment to the Agriculture Bill which would have required agricultural and food imports to meet domestic standards. The Lords had made the change to block the import of foodstuffs produced abroad with lower animal welfare standards, amid warnings over chlorinated chicken or hormone-treated beef […]

Tory MPs have overturned measures aimed at protecting UK food standards after Brexit – despite signs of some rebels in Boris Johnson’s party. The House of Commons voted 332 votes to 279, majority 53, to disagree with a Lords amendment to the Agriculture Bill which would have required agricultural and food imports to meet domestic […]

Former House of Commons speaker John Bercow has slammed the government, saying that it is “doesn’t believe in accountability”. Bercow on Good Morning Britain condemned described the coronavirus Test and Trace system as “shambolic at best and non-existent at worst”. Asked whether he thought Johnson is the right man for the job, he replied that it […]

MPs have approved a longer autumn recess for the House of Commons. The chamber will adjourn after business has concluded on Friday October 23 and return on Monday November 2. The motion detailing the recess was supported unopposed. MPs will be unable to challenge ministers in the Commons chamber during this period over coronavirus restrictions, […]

The SNP’s Westminster leader has told one of his own MPs to stand down, urging her “to do the honourable thing” as calls for her resignation increase. Ian Blackford has called for Margaret Ferrier to resign her seat after it emerged she travelled between Glasgow and London with coronavirus. Ferrier said in a statement on Thursday […]

A Tory Brexiteer MP has told Matt Hancock he needs to “start acting like a Conservative” in the House of Commons. The comments were made in anger to the proposals from the health secretary to tackle the coronavirus. In a clash in the House of Commons, backbencher Philip Davies stood up in front of MPs […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has announced plans for a week-long Commons recess, raising concerns over how the government’s coronavirus measures can be properly scrutinised. The extra-long break has been introduced because of fears over the spread of coronavirus, but prompted criticism from social media users who claimed the government was hiding from scrutiny. It comes at a […]

A Tory Brexiteer MP has claimed that Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance are guilty of coronavirus “scaremongering”, in a speech to the House of Commons. Sir Desmond Swayne claimed it was a “sacking offence” for the government’s chief scientific and medical advisers to deliver a presentation to warn how 200 or more people in the […]

At least 52 Tory MPs have signalled they are willing to back Graham Brady’s amendment to the Coronavirus Act which could lead to a fresh government defeat. The amendment demands that “parliament has an opportunity to debate and to vote upon any secondary legislation with effect in the whole of England or the whole United Kingdom […]

BBC News anchor Simon McCoy has caused a reporter to break into laughter as the pair waited for Matt Hancock to appear the dispatch box in the House of Commons. McCoy and political reporter Chris Mason were waiting for the health secretary to provide an update to MPs on the latest coronavirus restrictions. BBC News anchor […]

A Labour MP has said that Tory MPs are guilty of following tactics of Donald Trump after she claimed to have never seen any of the politicians wearing face masks during votes in the House of Commons. Emily Thornberry, the shadow international trade secretary, said that “so many rules don’t seem to apply in parliament” […]

Boris Johnson’s restrictions for pubs will not apply to bars in parliament. Despite requiring pubs to close at 10pm, and encouraging drinking establishments to collect data for the track and trace system, the Times reports the same rules will not apply where politicians frequent. That is because parliament is using a loophole which claims “workplace canteens […]

The DUP’s chief whip in Westminster has labelled MPs who voted against or abstained from Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill “agents of the European Union”. Sammy Wilson, a fervent Eurosceptic who supports the Brexit pressure group Leave Means Leave, said he failed to understand why MPs would choose to vote against the prime minister’s internal market […]

Attorney general Suella Braverman has branded Labour “unpatriotic” for opposing the Internal Market Bill which will break international law. Braverman said Labour’s stance on the bill, which the government admitted broke the law in “a very limited and specific way” was “anything but patriotic”. Labour’s stance on the bill matches that of all living former […]