With a new Leader of the Opposition and the end of Easter Recess approaching, questions over how to effectively scrutinise the government during lockdown have risen up the agenda. Have there been any signs of how Parliament might adapt?
After every week of Coronavirus lockdown, it seems only natural that more and more attention is given to what the future looks like, and how - if social distancing measures remain in place for some months - society can edge back towards normality. From a political perspective, a key part of that is the return of consistent Parliamentary scrutiny.
Politics is always a matter of life and death, but rarely has the reality of that fact been starker than in the last few weeks. Every Government Department faces decisions that could save lives at the moment, and in that reality the requirement to scrutinise and question Government decisions is all the more important.
It is against this backdrop that different initiatives have been developed on adapting Parliament so that it is still able to fulfil its democratic scrutinising function.
The Transport Committee got the ball rolling, recently holding a virtual evidence session, where each of its members (despite all being in different rooms) asked questions of Baroness Vere, Minister for Roads and Security at the Department for Transport. The Justice Committee also adapted its practices, posting a short summary of a private meeting it held with the Lord Chancellor recently (although it was unable to broadcast the full session).
As Parliament prepares to return following the elongated Easter Recess next week, the House of Commons Commission has approved plans for MPs to take part in question sessions and government statements via video link. These measures, being dubbed the “Virtual Parliament” are designed to facilitate the continuation of scrutiny, without forcing MPs and their staff back to work before it is safe to do so. Although reports have arisen that some MPs are sceptical of the measures, and plan to return to Westminster next week to conduct some business they don’t believe can be done virtually, Parliamentary authorities are urging MPs to give the major shift a try before considering returning to the chamber.
These combined measures show a will amongst Parliamentarians to keep scrutiny, questioning, and by extension, political engagement in general afloat throughout the crisis - good news for businesses who want to be involved in the decision-making process about how the country responds to the crisis and its policy direction moving forward.
Another person who will be watching the development of plans to scrutinise the Government with great interest will be newly elected Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer. The former Director of Public Prosecutions, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service, and (more recently) Shadow Brexit Secretary has immediately laid down two markers: that he will work closely with Government as it seeks to find a way out of the COVID-19 crisis, and that he will root out anti-Semitism within the Labour Party.
Those of us who are looking to build relationships with the top team at Labour may have been hoping for more hints on how the Labour Party will be disposed to business under its new leadership, but that question is still up in the air. Another one to look out for in the future, as the Shadow Cabinet begins its (virtual, at first) exercise of holding every Government department to account.
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