What's happening in Parliament this week?

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Friday's sudden politician eruption, with the departures of Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams ended a torpid Westminster week with a bang - and it's an intriguing question how the aftershocks will manifest themselves in Parliament.

In the Commons, the only immediate formal consequence looks to be the moving of three writs for by-elections (which briefing suggest will not be long delayed).

Otherwise, look out for some ingenious urgent questions from the Opposition parties and, doubtless, lots of ghoulish humour from backbenchers, all designed to rub salt into Tory wounds, and to try and ensure Rishi Sunak takes some damage.

The Privileges Committee can be expected to move fast to publish its report into Boris Johnson's Partygate statements to MPs, and there will be calls for that to be debated, as well as indignant points of order in defence of the integrity of the Committee Chair Harriet Harman, in the wake of Mr Johnson's direct attack on her.

In the Lords, where the former PM's resignation honours list nominates eight new peers to an already oversized assembly, expect some griping about that - keep an eye on its Chair, the historian Lord Bew. And maybe Lord Speakers past and present will weigh in.

Many peers have identified patronage in appointments to the Lords as the main reputational threat to their chamber.

All this will be superimposed on an otherwise low-key parliamentary agenda - it's been getting embarrassing; last week saw the Lords sit until 04:16 on Thursday morning debating the Illegal Migration Bill, while the Commons ran out of steam on Tuesday at 14:20.

Peers are debating late into the night; MPs are home in time for Hollyoaks. There may be efforts to avoid the unbearable lightness of last week's Commons business in the week ahead, but the causes remain the same - a surfeit of detailed legislation inching through the Upper House, while MPs twiddle their thumbs on the green benches of the Commons.

On the committee corridor, watch out for the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman's appearance before Home Affairs on Wednesday - but as has been the recent trend, the real action is in the Lords, where peers have continued to defeat the government on a variety of issues and continue to battle the Commons over the Retained EU Law Bill.

But while they regularly push back on the content of bills, Labour inhibitions about voting down secondary legislation make it highly unlikely that Green Party peer Jenny Jones's attempt to strike down an order which would give the police greater power to control or ban protest marches will have the numbers to succeed.

Monday 12 June

Commons (14:30): Education Questions, with any urgent questions or government statements following.

Main debate: Motion to approve a statutory instrument, the Public Order Act 1986 (Serious Disruption to the Life of the Community) Regulations 2023. This is a highly controversial measure to rewrite what constitutes serious disruption, with the aim of giving clearer legal underpinning for the police to ban or restrict protests.

That's followed by a general debate on proposed new rules for risk-based exclusion of MPs who have been accused of sexual misconduct or violent offences. This is a tough issue where the constitutional rights of MPs to attend Parliament are balanced against the safeguarding concerns of the thousands of people who work on the parliamentary estate, and many MPs are worried that the new system would make excluding them from parliament the option of first resort, as soon as there was a live accusation.

The expectation had been that there would be a vote to approve proposals from the House of Commons Commission, the Commons administrative arm, but, tellingly, there will not now be a vote. The Commons Leader, Penny Morduant has, however, said she expects their will be a vote before the Summer recess. Watch out for pressure to rewrite the proposals.

MPs also respond to the latest Lords amendments to the Retained EU Law Bill. This bill is now bouncing between the two Houses, and peers have pinged back new clauses requiring that EU regulations rewritten by ministers must be put before Parliament, with the possibility of debate and amendment in both Houses, and that such regulations must not reduce environmental protections and must not conflict with the UK's international agreements. Expect a few rounds more of ping pong between the Commons and the Lords.

Westminster Hall: Petitions Committee debate (16:30) on two petitions taking opposite views on the legal definition of sex - the first, e-petition 623243 calls on the government to update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic "sex" is biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate". This petition attracted 109,463 signatures.

Image source, PA Media

The second, e-petition 627984 says the government should commit to NOT amending the Equality Act's definition of sex, arguing that ministers had previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so. The petition attracted 138,886 signatures

Committees: Foreign Affairs (16:00) questions Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on UK relations in the Indo-Pacific region. There will be more general questions, too.

Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (16:00) holds the first evidence session of its inquiry into the finances and sustainability of the social housing sector in England, with evidence from the National Housing Federation and housing associations, plus academic experts.

Lords (14:30): It's day four of committee scrutiny on the Illegal Migration Bill , with another late night in prospect. Remember, this is the preliminary phase of detailed debate - attempts to amend the bill follow at the later report stage, in July.

Tuesday 13 June

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Commons (11:30): Foreign Office Questions, followed by a Ten Minute Rule Bill in which Conservative Richard Graham proposes a measure against spiking drinks with alcohol or drugs.

Main debate: MPs polish off the Procurement Bill - watch out for a joint amendment proposed by former anti-corruption Czar John Penrose and Public Accounts Committee Chair, Dame Meg Hillier, to require all government contracts to specify the policy objective they seek to meet, so future contracts can be judged by results.

Westminster Hall: Conservative Richard Fuller leads a debate (14:30) on the proposed Bedford to Cambridge rail link - one facet of the wider development controversies between Oxford and Cambridge. Could be lively.

Committees: Business and Trade (10:00) hear from CBI chief Rain Newton-Smith on the aftershocks of its recent scandals.

Culture Media and Sport (10:00) quiz BBC Director General Tim Davie on issues including overall performance, impartiality, commercial activities, equal pay, safeguarding and the licence fee. MPs will also discuss the internal review of former Chair Richard Sharp and the appointment process for a new chair.

Education (10:00) holds a one-off session with Ofsted's Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman covering children's social care and safeguarding.

Lords (14:30): Day three of report consideration of the Financial Services and Markets Bill - watch out for amendments financial products which link to deforestation, and on reviewing pension funds potential to fuel economic growth - a policy option flagged up by Labour.

Then there's the ultra-contentious Draft Public Order Act 1986 (Serious Disruption to the Life of the Community) Regulations 2023 - new regulations, which will give the police clearer powers to stop slow-walking protest marches blocking roads and bringing cities to a halt.

Labour have a regret motion from Lord Coaker complaining about both the content and the process - while the Greens' Baroness Jones will propose a rare "fatal motion" which would kill the order. She looks unlikely to succeed, given that Labour will not support her, and without the biggest Opposition Party, the numbers don't stack up.

Wednesday 14 June

Image source, PA Media
Image caption,
Schofield says he "deeply regrets" the relationship with a young male ITV employee

Commons (11:30): Science Innovation and Technology questions, followed, at noon, by Prime Minister's Question Time.

Ten Minute Rule Bill: Labour's Emma Lewell Buck wants to ensure families eligible for the Healthy Start Scheme, which provides help to buy food and milk for low income parents, are registered to receive it.

Main debate: A half day debate on an SNP motion to be announced (they usually come up with some cunning device to ensure that the government has to actually vote against their motion, rather than ignore it). That's followed by a general debate on defence policy - including Ukraine and Nato.

Westminster Hall: Labour's Rebecca Long-Baily leads a debate on insolvency law and director disqualifications (14:30).

Committees: Home Affairs (09:45) questions Home Secretary Suella Braverman on issues including asylum and immigration, policing, Windrush, violence against women and girls, fraud strategy and the Passport Office.

Culture Media and Sport (10:00) plunges into the Phillip Schofield controversy with ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall facing questions on the broadcaster's approach to safeguarding and complaint handling.

Lords (15:00): Another long committee stage day on the Illegal Migration Bill beckons; this is supposed to be the final one. Bring a toothbrush.

Thursday 15 June

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Commons (09:30): Culture, Media and Sport questions, followed mini question times for the MPs who represent the Church Commissioners, the House of Commons Commission, the Public Accounts Commission, the Parliamentary Restoration and Renewal Client Board, and the Electoral Commission.

Finally, there's the weekly update on the forthcoming Commons agenda, from the Leader of the House.

Main debate: Dame Angela Eagle and Elliot Colburn lead a backbench debate on Pride Month - this is now an annual event and will cover such subjects as conversion therapy, and the lack of a bill to ban it; hate crime and the government's review into relationship and sex education.

That's followed by another backbench debate, on government policies on migration - led by Dan Carden, Sir Peter Bottomley and Tim Loughton, who say a broad debate is urgently needed to address numerous outstanding issues on migration policy.

Westminster Hall: Debates on the Scottish Affairs Committee report on public broadcasting in Scotland, led by Committee Chair Pete Wishart (13:30), and then on VAT on audiobooks - Conservative Sir Mike Penning wants VAT removed on audiobooks, to bring them into line with the zero-rating of paper books. He argues that charging VAT penalises blind and partially sighted people.

Committees: Public Accounts (10:00) question senior officials on the effort to get to net zero by 2050.

Lords (11:00): Debate on the performance of the NHS and health service innovation; on support for freelancers in the arts and creative industries and on local government in England.

Friday 16 June

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The Commons is not sitting.

Lords (10:00): Peers will whiz through the third reading rubber-stamping of a series of private members' bills (laws proposed by individual MPs) sent over from the Commons - the Shark Fins Bill, the Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill , the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Bill, the Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill, and the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill.

This is their final parliamentary stage and they will shortly become law.

Also up for third reading - the Ofcom (Duty Regarding Prevention of Serious Self-harm and Suicide) Bill and the Coroners (Determination of Suicide) Bill. Although they will clear their Lords process, they will not be debated in the Commons.

Then it's back to more private members' bills from MPs - with second reading (initial) debates on the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, the Powers of Attorney Bill, the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill and the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill.

Also up for debate, but again with no real chance of becoming law, the Public Advocate Bill (from Labour's Lord Wills).

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