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Parliament Weekly
Friday 18 September 2026
Both Houses now in conference recess until 12 October
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📰 The Week in Parliament
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Both Houses cleared their final business before conference recess this week — the Commons rose on Tuesday 15 September, the Lords on Thursday 17th, and neither returns until Monday 12 October. It was a busy send-off. On Monday, MPs completed all Commons stages of the Sovereign Grant Bill, which resets royal funding to £99.9 million for 2027–28 and fixes the share of Crown Estate profits used to calculate future grants at 20.5%. Labour MP Brian Leishman was among those pressing the government during debate, arguing the money "could and should be directed elsewhere" given the state of household finances — but the bill passed comfortably and, as a Money Bill, moves to the Lords with only a formal role for peers. The Commons also held general debates on Israel and Palestine, a full ban on fracking, and sepsis, and considered motions on reforming its own procedures.
In the Lords, the Financial Services and Markets Bill reached the end of its road this week: after two contentious Report Stage sittings (7 and 9 September) in which the government suffered six defeats — including peers voting to strip out a broad Treasury power over in-person banking access, and a notable 194–138 vote requiring a statutory national strategy covering cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenised assets — the bill passed Third Reading on Tuesday and had its First Reading in the Commons the same day, where a Second Reading date is still to be announced.
Tuesday also saw the Home Affairs Committee's regular evidence session with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, covering police reform plans (including a proposed National Police Service), neighbourhood policing, and immigration reforms informed by the committee's recent visit to study the Danish asylum system. With both Houses now away, this newsletter's next edition will likely be a quieter one — though several select committees continue taking evidence through the recess, and party conference season now takes centre stage.
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✅ Bills Passed or Advanced This Week
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- Sovereign Grant Bill — completed all Commons stages (Monday); certified as a Money Bill, limiting the Lords' role to formalities.
- Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL] — passed Third Reading in the Lords and had First Reading in the Commons (Tuesday), after surviving six government defeats at Report Stage.
- Commons general debates concluded (without formal votes) on Israel and Palestine, a full ban on fracking, and sepsis.
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📋 Overview of Active Bills
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- Sovereign Grant Bill — now in the Lords; expected to clear its remaining formal stages without amendment as a Money Bill.
- Financial Services and Markets Bill — awaits a Commons Second Reading date, to be scheduled after the recess.
- Railways Bill — Grand Committee in the Lords paused for recess; resumes in October with further sittings scheduled into late October.
- Cyber Security and Resilience (NIS) Bill — Grand Committee paused for recess; expected to resume shortly after 12 October.
- Health Bill — awaits Lords Second Reading, expected 13 October.
- Immigration and Asylum Bill — Public Bill Committee sittings that began 15 September continue through the recess period.
- Social Housing Bill [Lords] — passed both Houses at Second Reading; Commons Committee Stage expected after recess.
- Commercial Payments Bill [Lords] — Report Stage held 15 September; Third Reading to follow.
- Public Office (Accountability) Bill — Lords Committee Stage expected mid-October.
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🎥 Committee Meetings This Week
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- Public Accounts Committee (Mon) — Delivering HS2 and Euston: questioned HS2 Ltd's CEO on the programme's rising costs (now projected up to £102.7bn) and delayed completion date. Watch / details →
- Home Affairs Committee (Tue) — the work of the Home Office: questioned Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on police reform, neighbourhood policing, immigration and asylum reforms. Watch / details →
- Lords Economic Affairs Committee (Tue) — Fiscal devolution in England, evidence from London's Deputy Mayor for Business and the Mayor of Tees Valley. Watch / details →
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📅 Coming Week: 21–25 September
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Both the Commons and the Lords are in conference recess, with no chamber business until Monday 12 October. Select committees continue to sit and take evidence through the recess where scheduled, though the published forward calendar for this specific week is thin — most parliamentary and party activity moves to the party conference circuit.
What to watch instead
- Party conference season is under way, with the main UK parties holding their annual conferences over the coming weeks — a period that typically generates significant policy announcements ahead of the autumn legislative programme.
- Any select committee sessions convened during recess will be added to What's On as they are confirmed.
- The next full sitting agenda resumes Monday 12 October, when the Commons returns to Business, Innovation, Science and Trade questions and the Second Reading of the Highways (Financing) Bill.
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🗳️ Consultations Closing in the Next 4 Weeks
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- Community Infrastructure Levy relief for London — time-limited CIL relief for qualifying developments. Closes 18 September (today). (MHCLG)
- Business Growth Accelerator and Non-Domestic Vacant Rating consultation — Northern Ireland business rates reform. Closes 23 September. (Department of Finance, NI)
- MHRA statutory fees 2026 — proposed fee changes for medicines and medical device regulation from April 2027. Closes 25 September. (MHRA)
- Planning powers for mayors in England — implementation of new mayoral planning powers under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026. Closes 6 October. (MHCLG)
- Fireworks and pyrotechnics in the UK — proposals include a lower noise limit and restrictions on multi-shot "cake" fireworks. Closes 7 October. (Office for Product Safety and Standards / DBT)
- Revised Best Value guidance — updated statutory guidance for best value authorities in local government. Closes 7 October. (MHCLG)
- Northern Ireland's Draft Artificial Intelligence Strategy — public consultation on the region's approach to AI. Closes 7 October. (Northern Ireland Executive)
- Powers for local authorities to issue conditional cautions to fly-tippers — proposed new enforcement powers. Closes 16 October. (Defra)
This is a selection most relevant to Labour International's areas of interest — check GOV.UK's full consultation finder for the complete list across all departments.
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Compiled from UK Parliament business papers, Hansard, the Hansard Society's Parliament Matters bulletin, TheyWorkForYou, and GOV.UK. Sources: parliament.uk, hansardsociety.org.uk, theyworkforyou.com, committees.parliament.uk, whatson.parliament.uk, parliamentlive.tv, gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations.
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