Tories were running a ‘zombie Parliament’, Commons Leader Lucy Powell claims

The Commons Leader criticised the Tories for failing to bring forward legislation on renters’ rights, the football regulator and Martyn’s law.

Commons Leader Lucy Powell (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Archive)

Lucy Powell has accused the previous Conservative administration of leading a “zombie Parliament”, in response to claims that Labour is “running out of steam”.

The Commons Leader criticised the Tories for failing to deliver legislation on renters’ rights, the football regulator and Martyn’s law, which seeks to better prepare venues for terrorist attacks.

Shadow Commons leader Chris Philp argued that the Conservatives had brought forward more Bills at this point in 2019 than Labour have managed to, saying that business brought forward to the Commons is “a little thin”.

During business questions, he said: “You expect this at the end of a government’s time in office, it is a little early to be running out of steam in this Government’s time.

“At this point in the 2019 Parliament, we’d had 31 new Bills introduced, we currently only have 18, and a third of those have been published previously or been consulted upon before, and those Bills that are coming forward are being rushed.”

He also called on the Leader to “bring those winter fuel payment regulations back to the House to consider again” following the publication of the Social Security Advisory Committee’s report and recommendations.

On Thursday, Ms Powell replied: “Today actually marks our 30th sitting day since we won that landslide general election victory.

“And in that time we have introduced 20 Bills. That is 20 Bills in 30 sitting days, over half of our King’s speech program introduced already.

“I will remind him that is way more than the coalition Conservative government managed in the whole of 2010, the last time we had a change of government.”

This really was a zombie Parliament. Clocking off early seven out of 10 days over the last year because they ran out of ideas, and they couldn't agree on what to do and when, and so they did nothing

Lucy Powell

She added: “We both know that the end of the last Parliament, this really was a zombie Parliament.

“Clocking off early seven out of 10 days over the last year because they ran out of ideas, and they couldn’t agree on what to do and when, and so they did nothing.

“And they dithered and delayed on their own flagship legislation, and we’re getting on with delivering some of those things that they failed to do.

“For example, this morning, the football regulator Bill, they long-promised, we have introduced it, strengthened fans and financial sustainability in the game. We are delivering where they didn’t.

“The Renters’ Rights Bill that they long-planned and never fulfilled, we have taken that forward.

“And Martyn’s law, perhaps the most disingenuous of them all, promised to be introduced by the summer by the then-prime minister the day before he called a general election, knowing full well that he wasn’t going to be able to introduce it at all. We brought it in.

“So in our 30 sitting days, quite frankly, we brought more change to this country than they did in 14 sorry, sorry years.”

On winter fuel payments, Ms Powell pointed to the equality impact assessment, adding: “We brought forward to this House – which I don’t think would have happened under his government – the full vote on these requirements in this House, and they were passed clearly by this place.”