This Wednesday, MPs will head home from the virtual parliament and go into recess. When they come back to work, the government is pushing for a return to normal. Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg wants MPs to return to parliament rather than work from home. There are no current plans to renew measures that had allowed MPs to work from home such as the ability to question ministers via the video app Zoom or vote online.
This decision has not been universally well-received. Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has expressed safety concerns while Labour MPs have warned against the move. Given that Hoyle says the Chamber cannot take more than 50 MPs at any one time (while staying in accordance with social distancing measures), there’s a chance MPs return but are then unable to take part in many of the once routine parts of their day.
Last week, two controversial pieces of legislation were pulled so they did not get put to a virtual vote
So, why is the government pushing ahead? Last week, there were reports that the Prime Minister had been spooked by PMQs with Keir Starmer and wanted supportive MPs behind him next time.
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