London (Parliament Politic Magazine) – Parliament is back in session, but it’s only for a short time before they take another break for three weeks for their political gatherings. After that break, members of Parliament (MPs) and lawmakers will have another three weeks to finish any laws they were working on before the current batch of laws ends. This batch of laws will officially finish when Parliament takes a break, and a new one begins with a speech from the King on November 7th.
This means there are six weeks to wrap up any unfinished business and argue over parts of the laws, especially for new ones that won’t continue into the next session. Moreover, this is a time when the opposing political parties have some power because government ministers are in a hurry to pass their laws, and there’s a chance these laws could be dropped if other parties strongly oppose them.
New Laws Are Focused on Energy Bill
The main focus of new laws seems to be the Energy Bill, which will be closely looked at by members of the House of Commons. This will be an important test for the new Energy Secretary, Claire Coutinho. She will need to handle suggestions for changes from groups of politicians who care about the environment, no matter which political party they belong to.
Some politicians in her own party, the Conservatives, are doubtful about the expenses and speed of efforts to make the UK’s energy production eco-friendlier. After a recent election in a place called Uxbridge, it seems like there will be a test in the parliament and government to see what people think about charging consumers for eco-friendly policies.
In another part of the government, a group called the Lords is carefully going through a big law called the Levelling Up Bill. The government has lost nine times in their discussions about this law. During the summer break, a government official named Michael Gove said they want to use this law to get rid of some old European Union laws about pollution in rivers. They think these old laws are stopping them from building 100,000 new homes.
September 4th Schedule
At 14:30, the House of Commons will commence its session with questions related to Work and Pensions, with the possibility of addressing any urgent matters or government statements at 15:30. There’s potential for an update on Ukraine from the newly appointed Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps.
The primary focus of today’s debates will revolve around Members of Parliament reviewing amendments made by the House of Lords to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill. Notably, the government experienced six defeats in the Lords, particularly on issues concerning the removal of exemptions for smaller firms in relation to preventing economic crime and the inclusion of money laundering as an offense under “failure to prevent.”
Following this, attention will shift to the committee and remaining stages of the Northern Ireland Budget Bill. This legislation plays a crucial role in determining spending for Northern Ireland in the absence of a devolved government.
In Westminster Hall, a debate is scheduled for 16:30, centered on three petitions addressing disability benefit assessments. E-petition 593296 advocates for exempting individuals with lifelong illnesses from regular eligibility reviews. Meanwhile, E-petition 619481 calls for the elimination of assessment requirements for disability benefit claims, instead relying solely on medical professionals’ evidence, such as GP or consultant letters.
Read More: The Passage of a Bill: The Process of Enacting Legislation in the UK Parliament
September 5th Schedule
Ten-Minute Rule Bill: Helen Hayes of the Labour Party has introduced a bill aimed at preventing the marketing of e-cigarettes to minors.
Primary Debate: Members of Parliament are engaged in a discussion on the specifics of the Energy Bill. Following the recent developments in Uxbridge, there is a heightened focus on addressing environmental concerns within the energy industry. Backbenchers are actively involved in these discussions, with the ultimate outcome hinting on the selection of amendments for debate, as determined by the Speaker.
In another arena, Chris Skidmore, the former Net Zero Tsar in the government, is leading a cross-party effort to propose amendments. These amendments seek to ban the establishment of new coal mines, cease energy production from coal, and impose a duty on the Energy Secretary to achieve the decarbonization of UK energy production by the year 2035.