Sir John Redwood criticises plan for MPs to return to Parliament in mid-October
Parliament should meet after Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, a senior Tory MP has said as he argued against the current plan to return to Westminster in the middle of October.
Sir John Redwood said the “current plan for a long conference recess means a delayed return on October 17th” as he suggested MPs need to discuss rising prices and energy problems before then.
Politics as normal was paused after the death of the Queen and the House of Commons is not currently sitting, with all business having been postponed.
The Queen’s state funeral is due to take place on Monday September 19 and there are currently no plans for Parliament to sit on any days during the rest of that week.
The Commons is due to break to allow political party conferences to take place from Thursday September 22, returning on Monday October 17.
Sir John tweeted this morning: “After mourning a much loved Queen and the state funeral Parliament should meet.
“The current plan for a long conference recess means a delayed return on October 17th.
“We need to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and energy shortage before then.”
A recess at the end of September and start of October has long been a parliamentary staple to allow MPs to attend their party conferences.
Labour’s annual conference this year is due to start in Liverpool on Sunday September 25, lasting until Wednesday September 28.
The Conservative Party annual conference in Birmingham is due to take place after that, starting on Sunday October 2 and lasting until Wednesday October 5.
The SNP will then meet in Aberdeen from Saturday October 8 until Monday October 10.
The decision on when the Commons sits ultimately rests in the hands of the Government and Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker.
Liz Truss, the Prime Minister, unveiled her plan to freeze energy bills on Thursday last week.
Her so-called “Energy Price Guarantee” will ensure that the typical household will pay no more than £2,500 per year on their bill for the next two years, starting from October 1.
Downing Street has said the mourning period for the Queen’s death will have no impact on the roll-out of the freeze.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said on Friday that the guarantee will apply from October 1, as scheduled.
The spokesman said: “The public should be reassured that the energy price guarantee will be in place for households from October 1, as planned.
“We’re implementing that guarantee initially through private contracts with suppliers rather than through legislation so this mourning period doesn’t impact that introduction.”
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