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Parliament Weekly
13–17 July 2026
The last sitting week before summer recess
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Top story
Wednesday 15 July was Keir Starmer's final PMQs as Prime Minister. He formally resigned on 20 July and was succeeded by Andy Burnham, who became the UK's seventh PM in a decade.
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The House of Commons rose for summer recess at the close of business on Thursday 16 July and returns Tuesday 1 September. Here's what was decided, debated, and discussed before the break.
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📜 Main Decisions on Bills
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- Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill — passed Third Reading in the Lords.
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill — completed all Lords stages; raises the mileage allowance rate from 45p to 55p per mile and sets a temporary £1 Vehicle Excise Duty rate for specified heavy goods vehicles.
- Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Bill — second reading and all remaining stages (routine spending authorisation, taken as a formality).
- Representation of the People Bill — Commons Consideration and Third Reading, including debate on a proposed National Commission on Electoral Reform.
- Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill — Lords Report stage.
- Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill — Lords Second Reading.
- Public Office (Accountability) Bill — Commons remaining stages.
The week's focus: authorising public spending, restructuring industrial ownership, and energy/vehicle taxation — alongside continued work on policing accountability and national security.
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🏛️ Committee Meetings
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- Northern Ireland Affairs Committee — evidence session with NI Secretary Hilary Benn MP on Executive finances.
- Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls — evidence from Trade Minister Chris Bryant, Minister for Europe Stephen Doughty, and Defence Minister Lord Coaker on export controls.
- Health and Social Care Committee — sitting this week.
- Other committee business: a pre-appointment hearing for the next chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility; the Culture Secretary and BBC leadership questioned on BBC Charter renewal; evidence from Baroness Amos and Donna Ockenden on their reviews into national maternity and neonatal services.
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❗ Urgent Questions
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- Monday 13 July — James Cleverly (Shadow Housing Secretary) put an Urgent Question to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on local government reorganisation.
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🗣️ Main Debates
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- Second reading of the Immigration and Asylum Bill.
- A general debate on Iran, substituted in after the Government's business statement replaced the scheduled Opposition Day debate.
- Debate on amendments to the Representation of the People Bill, including a proposed National Commission on Electoral Reform.
- The annual Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment Debate — the traditional wide-ranging backbench send-off before recess.
- An adjournment debate led by Dr Ellie Chowns MP on embodied carbon in buildings.
- A Westminster Hall debate on an e-petition relating to offshore detention and deportation of illegal immigrants.
- In the Lords: continued scrutiny of the Civil Aviation Bill, Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill, and Sporting Events Bill.
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🎙️ Prime Minister's Questions
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Wednesday 15 July was Keir Starmer's final PMQs as Prime Minister, ahead of the new Labour leader taking office the following Monday. The session combined cross-party farewell tributes with scrutiny of the transfer of power to Andy Burnham, touching on political violence, Ukraine, parliamentary accountability, social care, violence against women and girls, migration, skills, and local government. Burnham was confirmed as the UK's new PM on 20 July.
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📅 Coming Up (return on 1 September)
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- Foreign Office questions
- Debate on a motion relating to Sovereign Grants, following the message from the King
- Debate on the impact of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs)
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport questions
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Compiled from UK Parliament business papers, Hansard, and parliamentary bulletins. Sources: parliament.uk, bills.parliament.uk, Hansard Society (Parliament Matters).
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