🧵 This evening at 7pm MPs will be asked to approve £1.04 TRILLION of government spending (known as the Main Estimates) without debate. Parliament once fought a civil war over control of government expenditure. So why is this expenditure not being debated by MPs? The timing of the General Election is the reason. These Main Estimates are the departmental expenditure plans of the previous Conservative Government not the new Labour one. Normally, the Estimates are presented to Parliament in April for approval by the @HouseofCommons in July.

🧵 The Official Opposition previously held 70-74% of opposition seats following recent general elections. Now the Conservative Party holds just 53%. As it's smaller than its predecessors should its rights and responsibilities as the Official Opposition be adjusted accordingly? 1/ 20 days are allotted each Session for debates chosen by opposition parties. 17 of these are reserved for the Leader of the Opposition & 3 to the second-largest party of opposition. But by convention they are expected to give some of their 3 days to the other ‘smaller’ parties. 2/

🧵 One of the first tasks of the new Parliament is to elect Select Committee chairs. The Speaker will inform party leaders today how many chairs each party is entitled to. But how are the chairs allocated to parties, and how do the elections work? (Image: ©UK Parliament) 1/ Standing Order No. 122B requires that the distribution of chairs reflect the party balance in the House, so Labour will get most of the chairs.

The Order applies to 20 departmental Select Committees, plus six other non-departmental Select Committees (e.g., Public Accounts). 2/

🧵 MPs have now started swearing-in. But what does that process involve, where does it come from, and why do they need to do it? Pictured is Michael Shanks MP swearing in after a by-election last October (©UK Parliament/Andy Bailey)... 1/ Now the Speaker's election & Approbation is completed, MPs will be invited to the table of the House of Commons to take either an Oath or a solemn Affirmation to the King. 2/

🧵What will the new MPs be doing today? If you missed the 1st part of our guide to MPs induction check out yesterday’s thread. (It’s been viewed by over 1m people so don’t miss out! ). But today’s the day they elect the Speaker - so be sure to read on👇 1/ buff.ly/4cQyyxB
Before the new MPs elect the Speaker they are invited to attend a 'Chamber briefing' where they will be addressed by the Clerk of the House, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards & senior MPs. It will address standards and procedure & help them get used to the Chamber ..2/

🧵What do newly-elected MPs do to get set up in this first week in Parliament? The eagle-eyed among you may have seen new MPs receiving a white envelope from the Returning Officer after their victory was announced. Pictured is @YuanfenYang with hers. It contains a letter....1/ @YuanfenYang The letter is from the Clerk of @HouseofCommons welcoming them to Westminster and a booklet to help them navigate their first few days, setting out where they should go and what they need to do when they arrive at Parliament. There is also a letter... 2/

🧵The @UKHouseofLords will debate an important constitutional question later today (13/6). Should the Government be able to bring back a policy proposal via a Statutory Instrument (SI) that it could not get through Parliament in primary legislation earlier in the same Session? 1/

https://twitter.com/HansardSociety/status/1668524761377275905

The SI concerns changes to the threshold for #seriousdisruption for the policing of certain types of protest. The proposals were first introduced in Jan as a late amendment to the Public Order Bill at report stage in the Lords and after the Bill had been though the Commons. 2/

So, we’ve had an initial look at the delegated powers in the #NorthernIrelandProtocol Bill. In short, they are quite breathtaking. 🧵 #NIProtocol #NIP 1/ We make no comment on the Bill's legal/policy justifications - others are better-placed to do so. But on the scope of the powers & the scrutiny implications for Parliament, the provisions are on a par with - & arguably surpass - the broadest powers we saw in the Brexit bills. 2/

🧵Gov's plans, subject to consultation, to end #vaccination as condition of deployment in #health & #socialcare will involve revoking 2 #StatutoryInstruments (SIs) that highlighted shortcomings in #scrutiny & gov provision of evidence for its decisions. /1 hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022-0… The 1st SI - Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regs 2021 – made Covid vaccination in effect mandatory for all those undertaking work activities in regulated care homes & has been in force since 11 Nov 2021. /2 hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/the-care-…

⬇️ 1/There’s an important debate led by @CamCavendish in @UKHouseofLords later today (6/1/22) about the increasing numbers of ‘skeleton’ Bills & the associated use of delegated powers within them. The anodyne title of the debate belies the constitutional importance of the issue. 2/ The debate follows two recent hard-hitting @UKGHouseofLords Committee reports: ‘Democracy Denied? The urgent need to rebalance power between Parliament and the Executive’ and ‘Government by Diktat: A call to return power to Parliament’.

🧵 Today (05/01) the #HouseofLords has 2nd Reading of the #NationalityandBordersBill. Read our briefing on 5 clauses whose #delegatedpowers raise particular concerns /1 hansardsociety.org.uk/publications/b… Although the Bill has been significantly updated since our briefing was published, the points we raised are still of relevance (NB the clause numbering has changed) /2

🧵1/A year ago today the @HouseofCommons that returned from the Easter recess was transformed by #Covid. Since then parliamentary accountability for & control over govt decision-making has diminished to a degree that would have been unthinkable prior to the pandemic. 2/ In a new briefing by our Director @RuthFox01, Prof Meg Russell, Director @ConUnit_UCL, @JoePTomlinson @publiclawprojct & Ronan Cormocain @BinghamCentre highlight 5 ways the govt's approach has marginalised MPs & calls for parliamentary accountability urgently to be restored

The Commencement Order for section 1 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 has just been published. The Order brings into force the provision of the Act which repeals the European Communities Act 1972 on 'exit day': ow.ly/KNAc50vBFvB The Minister made (signed) the Order on Fri (16th) & it came into force on Sat (17th). The Order only brings into force s.1 of EU(W)A 2018. Three previous Commencement Orders have already brought other parts of EU(W)A 2018 into force (= why this Order is 'Commencement No. 4'). 2/