What Westminster will be focusing on as it returns from summer recess

The government will have a lot on its plate, as will the opposition, Jon Stone explains

Inflation and the cost of living remain top concerns for voters (AFP via Getty)

Parliament returns from summer recess on Monday and the agenda is already looking busy for the government. Top of the list will be the school concrete crisis that has been unfolding over the last few days.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan will make a statement in the afternoon on the matter – and we can expect Labour to push her to release the full list of schools affected.

The government line is that ministers want to wait for parents at schools to be informed, but it is not clear how long this can hold when schools return.

Inflation and the cost of living also remain top concerns. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was buoyed by the news this week that the UK's economic growth figures had been upgraded from previous estimates.

Opposition parties accused him of doing a “victory lap” on TV this weekend, but expect ministers to hammer home those statistics – no matter what people feel in their wallets.

There are other other immediate economic questions floating around.

Ministers are thought to be poised to announce what could be a major intervention in the UK steel industry to keep Tata Steel forging in the UK.

The intervention could help British steelmakers “go green” – and keep them in the country. Ministers may be keen to link the policy to newfound Brexit freedoms.

There'll also be decisions on the Labour side of the equation, too. Keir Starmer is widely expected to reshuffle his top team – the question is how far he will go and what changes he will make.