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Parliament Weekly
Saturday 31 October 2026
Budget week in review, and a short week before recess
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Recess ahead
The Commons continues the Budget debate on Monday and concludes it on Tuesday, then rises after Wednesday 4 November for a short recess (Thursday 5 to Monday 9 November), returning on Tuesday 10 November. The Lords sit Monday to Wednesday and return on Monday 9 November.
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📰 The Week in Parliament
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Wednesday 28 October was Budget day. Chancellor John Healey delivered his first Budget straight after Prime Minister's Questions. According to ITV News's summary of the statement, the headline measures were a temporary 3-point rise in the bank surcharge (from 3% to 6%), a £100 energy payment to about 20 million households in council tax bands A to D, the scrapping of gas standing charges from next year, an extension of the VAT cut on electricity to July, and a further freeze in fuel duty. Other announcements included keeping the cash ISA limit at £20,000, a 3.9% rise in minimum wage rates, higher duty on higher-stakes gaming machines, and a pledge to fully fund the defence investment plan from capital reprioritisation. The same summary reported that fiscal headroom falls to £15bn in 2029-30, down from £22bn. The Finance Bill had its First Reading the same day, and MPs continued the Budget debate on Thursday.
At PMQs, Kemi Badenoch devoted her questions to Andy Burnham's position on the UK's relationship with the EU, repeatedly asking him to rule out a referendum on rejoining and pressing him on freedom of movement. According to press accounts, the Prime Minister said the government's manifesto commitments stand, presented the forthcoming UK-EU summit as a chance to improve the existing deal, and turned the question back on Ms Badenoch's own record on Brexit.
Elsewhere in the Commons, ministerial statements were listed on recovery work on Civil Service pensions and on rough sleeping (Monday), community resilience (Tuesday) and an update on local government reorganisation (Thursday). An urgent question on the electronic monitoring of offenders was listed in the Commons on Tuesday and repeated in the Lords on Wednesday. On Tuesday MPs approved the draft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2026 by 321 votes to 66, and gave the Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill its Second Reading. Public Bill Committees met on the Immigration and Asylum Bill, the Social Housing Bill [HL] and the Highways (Financing) Bill. The Commons did not sit on Friday.
In the Lords, peers took Report Stage of the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill on Monday and divided three times; the government lost two of the votes (194–155 and 202–155) and won the third (165–95). The Lords also gave the Armed Forces Bill its Third Reading and the Courts and Tribunals Bill its Second Reading on Tuesday, began Committee Stage of the Health Bill on Wednesday, and had a statement on the Jackdaw gas field consenting decision listed for Tuesday and a Private Notice Question on the Rosebank oil field listed for Thursday. The Lords did not sit on Friday.
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✅ Bills Passed or Advanced This Week
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- Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill — Lords Report Stage on Mon 26 October, with three divisions: government defeats of 194–155 and 202–155, and a government win of 165–95. Third Reading is listed for Mon 2 November.
- Railways Bill — Lords Committee Stage concluded with day 7 on Mon 26 October; the Bill is now at Report Stage.
- Armed Forces Bill — Lords Third Reading on Tue 27 October; the Bill is now back in the Commons for consideration of Lords amendments.
- Courts and Tribunals Bill — Lords Second Reading on Tue 27 October; now at Committee Stage.
- Health Bill — Lords Committee Stage, day 1, on Wed 28 October.
- Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill — Commons Second Reading on Tue 27 October, together with the programme, money and ways and means resolutions; now at Committee Stage.
- Finance Bill — introduced, First Reading on Wed 28 October following the Budget.
- Developer Contributions (Infrastructure Delivery) Bill — private member's bill introduced under the Ten Minute Rule on Tue 27 October.
- Commons Public Bill Committees — Immigration and Asylum Bill (Tue 27 and Thu 29 October), Social Housing Bill [HL] (Tue 27 and Thu 29) and Highways (Financing) Bill (Thu 29); all three continue on Tue 3 November.
- Sovereign Grant Bill — all stages complete; Royal Assent is listed in the Lords for Mon 2 November.
- Statutory instruments: the Commons approved the draft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2026 on Tue 27 October (321–66, majority 255). In the Lords on Wed 28 October, the government won a division on the Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, 63 votes to 20.
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📋 Overview of Active Bills
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- Cyber Security and Resilience Bill — Lords Third Reading, Mon 2 November, then back to the Commons for any Lords amendments. A carry-over motion is also listed in the Commons for Wed 4 November.
- Railways Bill — Lords Report Stage; date not yet announced. A carry-over motion is listed in the Commons for Wed 4 November.
- Health Bill — Lords Committee Stage, day 2, Tue 3 November.
- Representation of the People Bill — Lords Committee Stage, day 1 on Mon 2 November and day 2 on Wed 4 November.
- Sporting Events Bill [HL] — Commons remaining stages, Wed 4 November.
- Armed Forces Bill — Commons consideration of Lords amendments; date not yet announced.
- Immigration and Asylum Bill, Social Housing Bill [HL] and Highways (Financing) Bill — Commons Public Bill Committees sit again on Tue 3 November.
- Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill — Commons Committee Stage; dates not yet announced.
- Courts and Tribunals Bill and Public Office (Accountability) Bill — in the Lords (Committee Stage and Report Stage respectively); next dates not yet announced.
- Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill [HL] — at Commons Report Stage; date not yet announced.
- Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL] and Commercial Payments Bill [HL] — both awaiting Commons Second Reading; dates not yet announced.
- Northern Ireland Troubles Bill and Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill — both in the Lords at Second Reading stage; dates not yet announced.
- Finance Bill and Developer Contributions (Infrastructure Delivery) Bill — introduced this week; Second Reading dates not yet announced.
- Sovereign Grant Bill — awaiting Royal Assent, listed for Mon 2 November.
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🎥 Committee Meetings This Week
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- Public Accounts Committee (Thu 29) — HMRC's anti-fraud intervention on child benefit, with John-Paul Marks CB among the witnesses. Watch / details →
- Joint Committee on the Draft Conversion Practices Bill (Thu 29) — oral evidence from Stephen Kiely, Kai O'Doherty, Professor Ilias Trispiotis, Dennis Kavanagh, Helen Joyce and Dermot Kehoe. Watch / details →
- Finance Bill Sub-Committee (Thu 29) — evidence on the draft Finance Bill 2026–27. Watch / details →
- Energy Security and Net Zero Committee (Wed 28) — the work of NESO, with Fintan Slye and Kayte O'Neill. Watch / details →
- Work and Pensions Committee (Wed 28) — the Child Maintenance Service, with Baroness Sherlock and Paula Sussex CBE among the witnesses. Watch / details →
- Lords Constitution Committee (Wed 28) — the UK's constitutional safeguards, with Professor Anne Twomey, Professor Vanessa MacDonnell and Danny Kruger MP. Watch / details →
- Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee (Tue 27) — support for jurors, with Sarah Sackman KC MP and Daniel Flury. Watch / details →
- Defence Committee (Tue 27) — a one-off session on Defence Medical Services. Watch / details →
- Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee (Tue 27) — the state of the Fire and Rescue Services. Watch / details →
- Home Affairs Committee (Tue 27) — update on the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, with Dame Nicole Jacobs and Eleanor Lyons. Watch / details →
- Foreign Affairs Committee (Mon 26, Tue 27) — the UK Envoy for Complex Consular Detentions, with the Rt Hon Alistair Burt, then climate diplomacy. Watch / details →
- Environmental Audit Committee (Mon 26) — prospects for COP31. Watch / details →
- New committee reports (27–30 Oct): the Public Accounts Committee published reports on Sizewell C (17th Report) and the financial sustainability of the British Council (18th Report); the Health and Social Care Committee published its 6th Report, The obesity moonshot: making obesity a political priority; the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee drew the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules to the special attention of the House; and the Conduct Committee published its first report.
Recordings and transcripts are also available via parliamentlive.tv. Other committees (Scottish Affairs, Northern Ireland Affairs, International Development, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, and others) also took evidence this week. |
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📅 Coming Week: 2–6 November
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Commons
- Mon 2: Housing, Communities and Local Government Questions (2.30pm); continuation of the Budget debate; Ten Minute Rule Motion on a submarine recycling strategy; Westminster Hall e-petition debate on the proposed ban on social media for under-16s (4.30pm)
- Tue 3: Treasury Questions (11.30am); conclusion of the Budget debate; Ten Minute Rule Motion on food labelling (halal and kosher meat); Public Bill Committees on the Immigration and Asylum Bill, the Social Housing Bill [HL] and the Highways (Financing) Bill; Westminster Hall debates on the Milburn Review interim report on young people and work (9.30am) and on strangulation prevention (11am)
- Wed 4: Wales Questions (11.30am); PMQs at noon; Ten Minute Rule Motion on a fashion supply chain code and adjudicator; Sporting Events Bill [HL] — remaining stages; carry-over motions on the Railways Bill and the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill; adjournment debate on strategic licensing regulations in London; Westminster Hall debates on smart glasses and violence against women and girls (9.30am), a national lifelong learning strategy (11am) and heating oil prices in rural areas (2.30pm)
- Thu 5 – Mon 9: recess; the Commons returns on Tue 10 November
Lords
- Mon 2: Royal Assent to the Sovereign Grant Bill; introductions of Baroness Aglionby and Baroness Kitching of Penistone (2.30pm); oral questions on support for cultural institutions' capital maintenance costs, defence spending and resilience, Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit claimant trends, and school access to sport and performing arts; Cyber Security and Resilience Bill — Third Reading; Representation of the People Bill — Committee, day 1
- Tue 3: introductions of Baroness Ashley of Lambeth and Lord Lehrfreund (2.30pm); oral questions on business hiring intentions, the Parthenon sculptures, a national lead for brain cancer, and customer exposure to a security breach at Binance; Health Bill — Committee, day 2; Prison (Governor's and Adjudicators' Punishments) (Amendment) Rules 2026 and an associated regret motion; Grand Committee debates on the Economic Affairs Committee's report Fortifying the fiscal framework and the Industry and Regulators Committee's report Time is Money (3.45pm)
- Wed 4: oral questions on constitutional and policy divergence in Wales, the local housing allowance freeze and homelessness, and the relevance of the Second Chamber to Britain and Northern Ireland; Representation of the People Bill — Committee, day 2; motion on the Global Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Sanctions Regulations 2026
- Thu 5 – Fri 6: recess; the Lords returns on Mon 9 November
Select Committee Hearings
- Mon 2: Public Accounts Committee (3pm) — NHS Accident and Emergency departments. Watch →
- Tue 3: Treasury Committee (9.30am) — Budget 2026; Foreign Affairs Committee (10am) — A new Syria; Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (9.30am) — Infected Blood Inquiry recommendations; Justice Committee (2pm) — Learning from Inquests; Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee (2pm) — consumer protection; Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee (10.30am) — prison culture; Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee (10am) — Dunkelflaute and electricity intermittency; Lords Communications and Digital Committee (1.45pm) — the Online Safety Act. Watch →
- Wed 4: Treasury Committee (2pm) — Budget 2026; Energy Security and Net Zero Committee (8.45am) — the future of UK oil and gas; Transport Committee (9.15am) — East West Rail; Health and Social Care Committee (9am) and Education Committee (9.30am) — the work of their departments; Work and Pensions Committee (9am) — DWP's Annual Report and Accounts; Women and Equalities Committee (2pm) — routes to settlement; Environmental Audit Committee (2pm) — HM Treasury and the economics of climate and nature; Lords Constitution Committee (10.15am) — constitutional safeguards. Watch →
Further ahead
- Mon 9 November: the Lords returns from its two-day recess
- Tue 10 November: the Commons returns
- Fri 13 November: non-sitting Friday in the Lords; Fri 20 November: non-sitting Friday in the Commons; Fri 27 November: non-sitting Friday in the Lords
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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- New prison in Lancashire — information on the Reserved Matters Application for the new prison in Chorley. Closes 1 November. (Ministry of Justice) Respond →
- School Exclusion Reform: call for evidence — evidence on proposed school exclusion reforms from the Schools White Paper. Closes 19 November. (Department for Education) Respond →
Closing a little later
- Miscellaneous amendments to sentencing guidelines 2026 — closes 2 December (Sentencing Council) Respond →
- Standard of proof for the short-form inquest conclusion of unlawful killing — closes 7 December (Ministry of Justice) Respond →
- Supported Housing Licensing Regulations — closes 10 December (MHCLG) Respond →
- Awaab's Law: application to private rented tenancies and licences — closes 18 December (MHCLG) Respond →
- Restructuring HM Land Registry fees — closes 22 December (MHCLG) Respond →
A selection drawn from the main departmental consultation hubs (MHCLG, DfE, MoJ, Defra); the Defra hub had nothing open closing in this window. Check GOV.UK's consultation finder for the complete list across all departments.
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Compiled from UK Parliament data feeds (bills, divisions, committees, written statements and What's On), press reports of PMQs and the Budget (including ITV News and ConservativeHome), and GOV.UK consultation hubs. Sources: parliament.uk, bills.parliament.uk, committees.parliament.uk, parliamentlive.tv, itv.com, conservativehome.com, consult.communities.gov.uk, consult.education.gov.uk, consult.justice.gov.uk.
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