Coronavirus: Parliament to return 21 April, government says
MPs rose early for Easter recess on 25 March amid Covid-19 pandemic
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Your support makes all the difference.Parliament will return after the Easter recess, the government confirmed on Sunday, a day after cross-party calls for the immediate recall of the house.
Whitehall sources said all options were being considered for parliament’s return.
A spokesperson for Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the house, added: “Parliament will return on 21 April to fulfil its essential constitutional functions of conducting scrutiny, authorising spending and making laws.
“In these unprecedented times, technological solutions have already been implemented for select committee and options are being prepared for the speaker, the government and other parties to consider next week.
“It is important that we have a comprehensive solution that does not inadvertently exclude any members.
“The leader of the House of Commons will respond to the leader of the opposition’s letter in the usual way.”
The planned Easter recess was brought forward to begin on 25 March to help curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
MPs had agreed to return on 21 April before the House of Commons rose. However, Labour on Saturday demanded “urgent talks” with the government to recall parliament.
Sir Keir Starmer, the new Labour leader, said parliament must open for business on 21 April even if it meant MPs asking questions via webcam.
In a letter to Rees-Mogg, he said: “Parliament has a responsibility to put questions to ministers at this time of national crisis.”
It came after the home secretary, Priti Patel, told reporters during a Downing Street briefing on Saturday that she did “not know yet” whether parliament would resume on the scheduled date of 21 April.
Boris Johnson on Saturday thanked NHS staff at St Thomas’ Hospital in London for saving his life while he was treated in intensive care for coronavirus.
The prime minister spent three nights in intensive care following a deterioration in his condition on Monday.
He had recovered enough to return to the ward on Thursday and later said he “owes his life” to the NHS workers who cared for him.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has been deputising in the prime minister’s absence.
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