Business of the House

Thursday 23rd May 2024 Commons Chamber

Motion made, and Question proposed,

House to sit on Friday 24 May

(1) That, notwithstanding the Order of 30 January 2024 (Adjournment (February, Easter, May Bank Holiday and Whitsun Recesses)), the House shall meet on Friday 24 May at 9.30 am.

Order to make provision about Thursday 23 May and Friday 24 May

(2) That paragraphs (3) to (13) shall apply to today’s sitting and to the sitting on Friday 24 May.

Government business to have precedence

(3) Notwithstanding anything in Standing Order No. 14, government business shall have precedence.

Deferred divisions

(4) Standing Order No. 41A (Deferred divisions) shall not apply.

Motions by Ministers

(5) No notice shall be required of any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown.

(6) Any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown may be proceeded with, though opposed, after the moment of interruption and shall not be interrupted under any Standing Order relating to the sittings of the House.

(7) No Motion shall be made, except by a Minister of the Crown, to alter the order in which proceedings on a Bill are taken, to recommit a Bill or to vary or supplement the provisions of this Order.

(8) Such a Motion may be considered forthwith without any Question being put; and any proceedings interrupted for that purpose shall be suspended accordingly.

(9) The Question on such a Motion shall be put forthwith; and any proceedings suspended under paragraph (7) shall thereupon be resumed.

Consideration of Lords amendments

(10) Proceedings on Lords Amendments or any subsequent Lords Message in respect of any Bill may be considered forthwith without any further Question being put.

(11) Such proceedings shall be brought to a conclusion (unless already concluded) one hour after—

(a) the commencement of those proceedings, or

(b) if earlier, the commencement of any proceedings in relation to the Bill concerned on a Money motion, Ways and Means motion, Procedure motion or motion to alter the order in which proceedings on or in respect of the Bill are considered.

(12) Standing to shall apply to such proceedings as if paragraph (11) were a provision of a programme order.

Private business

(13) No private business may be considered after this Order has been agreed.

Emergency debates

(14) The start of any emergency debate under Standing Order No. 24 (Emergency debates) to be held at today’s sitting shall be postponed until the conclusion of government business; and no such debate shall be held at the sitting on Friday 24 May.

Urgent business on Friday

(15) That at the sitting on Friday 24 May, notwithstanding Standing Order No. 11(4) and (5), urgent questions and statements may be taken before the commencement of public business.

Close of business

(16) That at today’s sitting, the Speaker shall not adjourn the House until any Messages from the Lords have been received and any Committee to draw up Reasons has reported.

(17) That at the sitting on Friday 24 May, the Speaker shall not adjourn the House until a Message has been received from the Lords Commissioners.—(Penny Mordaunt.)

14:30

[Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) (SNP)]

It is important that the motion is aired and that the detail of what is happening today is put formally on the record. The wash-up is an important part of the United Kingdom’s strange constitutional practices, but the decision of the Prime Minister to call a snap election in the way that he did yesterday has meant an incredibly truncated wash-up and a very short period before Dissolution. He seems to have done that without very much consideration of the impact it will have on the mechanisms, procedures and people of this House that try to make everything run relatively smoothly.

The Prime Minister also appears to have made the decision, frankly, without much consideration of the impact it will have in Scotland on many of the expected electoral mechanisms, such as the staff who run elections, who might have expected to be on their holidays. The rooms we use for our polling places in schools and so on would also not generally be expected to be open. It is a bit unfortunate that the Government are taking this option, when they could have taken a little longer.

There was no reason not to have a slightly longer Dissolution period or a slightly longer wash-up for the whole of next week, which would have allowed for much more of the stalled legislation—very good legislation in some cases, particularly the private Members’ Bills—to come forward. That legislation will now not be able to progress, including the two Bills I have just presented, which I am sure the House would have welcomed the opportunity to debate at great length. It is important that that is put on the record before the House simply approves the motion that the Leader of the House has moved.

With a little of your indulgence, Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank you for all your service to the House. Many of us in the SNP have enjoyed someone with Scottish heritage and an understanding of Scotland’s place in the world being in the Chair during our time here.

It has been a privilege to represent people in Glasgow North for the past nine years. I am grateful to all my staff, the staff here in the House, and all my colleagues and staff in the Scottish National party. In Malawi, where I spent time, we have a tradition of asking forgiveness when we take leave of a place from anyone who might have been offended or hurt in any way during our time in that place, so I do that today. For now, I wish all my colleagues who are standing to be very blessed, but for me, Caledonia is calling, and so I am going home.

14:33

[The Leader of the House of Commons (Penny Mordaunt)]

In all sincerity, may I wish the hon. Gentleman well? It would not be a Thursday without a little bit of argy-bargy with the SNP. I am sorry that the First Minister will not be able to go to the Dordogne over the next couple of weeks, but I gently remind the SNP that a former First Minister tried to hold a referendum during the October school holidays and was only thwarted in doing so by this Government in the High Court. I am glad that this motion is supported to enable us to get as much legislation through as we can.

Question put and agreed to.

Finance (No. 2) Bill (Programme) (No. 2)

Ordered,

That the Order of 17 April 2024 (Finance (No. 2) Bill: Programme) be varied as follows:

(1) Paragraphs (8) and (9) of the Order shall be omitted.

(2) Proceedings on Consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion two hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Motion for this Order.

(3) Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion three hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Motion for this Order.—(Paul Holmes.)