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Parliament Weekly
Saturday 24 October 2026
The week in review, and Budget week ahead
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Budget week
Chancellor John Healey delivers the 2026 Budget at about 12.30pm on Wednesday 28 October, straight after PMQs, with the OBR's forecast published the same day. The Commons continues the Budget debate on Thursday and does not sit on Friday.
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📰 The Week in Parliament
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The Commons spent Monday and Tuesday on the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, which was pushed through Committee, Report and Third Reading in two days. Opposition and backbench amendments were rejected by large majorities throughout, and on Tuesday evening MPs passed Third Reading by 330 votes to 178. Labour and the Greens voted in favour, with two Labour MPs voting against; the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the DUP voted against. The Bill, which replaces key parts of the previous government's Legacy Act and creates a reformed Legacy Commission, now goes to the Lords.
Wednesday was dominated by constitutional housekeeping and Prime Minister's Questions. The Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill, which removes the bar on Catholic and Jewish prime ministers advising the Crown on Church of England appointments, passed all its Commons stages in about an hour and is expected to have an easy passage in the Lords. At PMQs, Kemi Badenoch pressed Andy Burnham on the government's decision on the Jackdaw gas field and North Sea licensing, on record borrowing ahead of the Budget, and on his dealings with the owners of Manchester City. Burnham defended the Jackdaw decision as pragmatic, accused the Conservatives of leaving their own decisions unfinished, and pointed to his government's moves on social care. The Liberal Democrats' Opposition Day motion on support for British farmers was defeated by 279 votes to 57, and MPs approved the Windsor Framework regulations (345–108) and a code of practice on union recognition (295–111).
In the Lords, peers continued line-by-line scrutiny of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill and the Railways Bill, began Report Stage of the Armed Forces Bill on Tuesday, and were scheduled to give the Commercial Payments Bill its Third Reading the same day. Private members' bills on House of Lords reform and the Chagos Islands were listed for Second Reading on Friday. Next week the Lords start Report Stage of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill on Monday and begin Committee Stage of the Health Bill on Wednesday, while the Commons turns to the Budget.
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✅ Bills Passed or Advanced This Week
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- Northern Ireland Troubles Bill — passed the Commons on Tue 20 October (330–178, majority 152); now goes to the Lords. The Programme Motion limiting debate to two days passed 286–163 on Monday.
- Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill — completed all Commons stages on Wed 21 October; now goes to the Lords.
- Commercial Payments Bill [HL] — Lords Third Reading was scheduled for Tue 20 October, the final Lords stage, after which it moves to the Commons.
- Armed Forces Bill — Lords Report Stage began on Tue 20 October.
- Public Office (Accountability) Bill and Railways Bill — further Lords Committee days (19 and 21 October); the Railways Bill concludes Committee on Monday.
- Statutory instruments approved by the Commons (21 October): Withdrawal Agreement (Windsor Framework and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (345–108); Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) regulations (345–108); Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices during the Recognition and Derecognition Process (295–111).
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📋 Overview of Active Bills
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- Cyber Security and Resilience (NIS) Bill — Lords Report Stage, day one, Mon 26 October.
- Railways Bill — Lords Grand Committee, final day (day 7) Mon 26 October; Report Stage to follow.
- Armed Forces Bill — Lords Third Reading Tue 27 October, then back to the Commons for any Lords amendments.
- Courts and Tribunals Bill — Lords Second Reading Tue 27 October.
- Health Bill — Lords Committee Stage begins Wed 28 October (7 days scheduled): a transition plan for abolishing NHS England, health inequalities, private sector involvement and cancer outcomes are among the first amendments.
- Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill — Commons Second Reading Tue 27 October.
- Sporting Events Bill [HL] — Commons remaining stages Wed 4 November.
- Northern Ireland Troubles Bill and Church Appointments Bill — both now in the Lords; Second Reading dates not yet announced.
- Public Office (Accountability) Bill — Lords Committee days were scheduled for 12, 19 and 21 October; Report Stage date not yet announced.
- Highways (Financing) Bill and Social Housing Bill [HL] — Commons programming sub-committees meet Mon 26 October ahead of Committee Stage.
- Commercial Payments Bill [HL] and Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL] — both now in the Commons; Second Reading dates to be announced.
- Sovereign Grant Bill — all stages complete; awaiting Royal Assent (not yet confirmed in the sources I checked).
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🎥 Committee Meetings This Week
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- Public Accounts Committee (Mon 19) — Digital ID: questioning DCMS Permanent Secretary Susannah Storey and officials on the programme. Transcript / watch →
- Foreign Affairs Committee (Mon 19, Tue 20) — Cuba, then two panels on Russia, with Catherine Belton, John Lough, Dr Ruth Deyermond, Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, Craig Kennedy and Isaac Levi. Watch / details →
- Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (Mon 19) — opening session of its space resilience inquiry on threats to UK satellite infrastructure. Watch / details →
- Defence Committee (Tue 20) — implications of the Defence Investment Plan for UK industry, with ADS, techUK, the FSB and MakeUK. Watch / details →
- Lords Economic Affairs Committee (Tue 20) — fiscal devolution in England. Watch / details →
- Lords Public Services Committee (Wed 21) — children's social care, with Action for Children and the NSPCC. Watch / details →
- Public Accounts Committee (Thu 22) — Clean Power by 2030: upgrading the grid. Watch / details →
- New inquiries (23 Oct): the Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee is examining whether government export support helps UK firms win overseas sales, and the Lords Built Environment Committee has opened a call for evidence on maintaining and enforcing standards in public spaces.
Recordings and transcripts are also available via parliamentlive.tv. Other committees (Justice, Education, Treasury, Home Affairs, Transport, Science and Technology, Scottish and Welsh Affairs) also took evidence this week. |
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📅 Coming Week: 26–30 October
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Commons
- Mon 26: Home Office Questions (2.30pm); Select Committee Statements on the Home Affairs Committee's inquiry on work-based immigration and the Scottish Affairs Committee's report on defence skills and jobs; debate on the performance of Royal Mail; general debate on the emerging risks of advanced AI; Westminster Hall e-petition debates on prostate cancer screening (4.30pm) and drivers reporting collisions with cats
- Tue 27: Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill — Second Reading; Westminster Hall debate on recognising cask ale as intangible cultural heritage
- Wed 28: PMQs at noon, then the Budget Statement at about 12.30pm (live on parliamentlive.tv), followed by the Provisional Collection of Taxes motion
- Thu 29: Transport Questions (9.30am); continuation of the Budget debate; Westminster Hall debates on 24/7 helipads at major trauma centres and the role and effectiveness of Ofcom
- Fri 30: the Commons is not sitting
Lords
- Mon 26: Cyber Security and Resilience Bill — Report Stage, day one (voluntary notification of incidents and near misses and large-business reporting are among the amendments); Railways Bill — Grand Committee, day 7
- Tue 27: Armed Forces Bill — Third Reading; Courts and Tribunals Bill — Second Reading; Grand Committee take-note debate on the draft Equality Act 2010 Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations
- Wed 28: Health Bill — Committee, day 1; regret motion on the draft Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) regulations (Baroness Hoey)
- Thu 29 (11am): the Bishop of Rochester is introduced; oral questions include business confidence among AI small and medium-sized enterprises; balloted debates; Grand Committee debate on the Malvern Hills Bill special report
- Fri 30: the Lords is not expected to sit
Select Committee Hearings
- Mon 26: Foreign Affairs Committee (1.30pm); Environmental Audit Committee (2.45pm). Watch →
- Tue 27: Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee (10.30am) — support for jurors; Immigration and Asylum Bill Public Bill Committee (9.25am); the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs, Human Rights (Joint) and Education and Health and Social Care committees are also listed. Jurors session →
- Thu 29: Public Accounts Committee (10am) — HMRC's anti-fraud intervention on child benefit. Details →
Further ahead
- Tue 3 November: Westminster Hall debate on the findings of the Milburn review
- Wed 4 November: Commons remaining stages of the Sporting Events Bill [HL]
- From 5 November: short November recess (Commons returns 10 November, Lords 9 November)
Business is subject to change; urgent questions and statements are announced on the day.
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🗳️ Consultations Closing in the Next 4 Weeks
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- Land use statistics: methodology changes — a new methodology for the Land Use in England and Land Use Change statistical series. Closes 28 October. (MHCLG) Respond →
- Teachers' Pension Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2027 — proposed changes to the scheme regulations. Closes 30 October. (Department for Education) Respond →
- Sentencing Council strategic objectives 2027–2030 — proposed objectives for the next three years. Closes 30 October. (Sentencing Council) Respond →
- New prison in Lancashire — information on the Reserved Matters Application for the new prison in Chorley. Closes 1 November. (Ministry of Justice) Respond →
Closing a little later
- Miscellaneous amendments to sentencing guidelines 2026 — closes 2 December (Sentencing Council)
- Standard of proof for the short-form inquest conclusion of unlawful killing — closes 7 December (Ministry of Justice)
- Supported Housing Licensing Regulations — closes 10 December (MHCLG) Respond →
- Extending Awaab's Law to private rented tenancies and licences — closes 18 December (MHCLG) Respond →
A selection drawn from the main departmental consultation hubs (MHCLG, DfE, MoJ, Defra); check GOV.UK's consultation finder for the complete list across all departments.
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Compiled from UK Parliament business papers and news, the House of Lords Library, Hansard, committees.parliament.uk, ayesandnoes.co.uk division records, and GOV.UK consultation hubs. Sources: parliament.uk, lordslibrary.parliament.uk, hansard.parliament.uk, committees.parliament.uk, whatson.parliament.uk, parliamentlive.tv, ayesandnoes.co.uk, consult.communities.gov.uk, consult.education.gov.uk, consult.justice.gov.uk.
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