With the Commons going into recess for a month in mid-September for annual party conferences, ministers have been encouraged to stay in Westminster to draw up and discuss emergency plans to support people struggling through the winter. The Lib Dems kick off their conference season in Brighton from September 17-20, followed by Labor in Liverpool from September 25-28. Then it’s the Conservatives’ turn in Birmingham from October 2-5, before the SNP’s Aberdeen on October 8-10. MPs will be out of parliament for most of the term, with the Commons in recess from September 22 to October 17, meaning there will be no debates, no new legislation tabled and no chance of challenging senior government officials . While MPs will be able to continue working, holding one-on-one meetings with ministers or with constituents, the scale of the economic crisis facing the country has prompted campaigner Gina Miller to call on Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to pledge to cancel the conference break. She said she was “really shocked” the break was to go ahead. He said the UK had “been dealing with the dead during the summer break” so “further delay is inexcusable”. Miller said the party conventions “do not serve the people or the public interest” but instead were “suspicious fanfare” where attendees “buy influence and make cozy deals.” Writing to the two Conservative leadership contenders, Miller said: “As prime ministers-designate, you should urgently speak to the leaders of other parties and agree that the conference will be canceled so that MPs can work on the immediate challenges facing the country.” . Miller, who founded the True and Fair party, said the Commons should sit for at least 40 weeks a year and criticized politicians for “partying while millions face impoverishment”. He said: “You should be spending your time working for the people of the UK who elect and pay you, not your party members.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. When parliament is not in session, the government can ask the Speaker of the Commons to order a recall. However, such events are rare and usually only occur for one day in an emergency. The latest withdrawals were to pass emergency laws on Covid, to discuss the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and after the death of Prince Philip. Truss and Sunak’s campaign teams have been contacted for comment.
