Clear the Lobby: What laws are MPs voting on this week (w/c 29th June)?

Welcome to our weekly feature courtesy of Sebastian Salek, the brains behind Clear the Lobby, working to bring you all the laws MPs are voting on this week, and explained in plain English!

Hey team.

I hope you like eating on the pavement.

This week’s big new bill is the government’s effort to help bars and restaurants get going again as lockdown lifts. It’ll make it easier for them to do things like putting tables and chairs on the pavement to allow al fresco dining.

The plan is to rush this through in a day in time for the next easing of restrictions on Saturday.

Personally, those measures sound great while the sun is shining, but you’ve got to doubt how effective they’ll be when the heavens open or these warm summer days come to an end.

But senior Tories could make life difficult for the government this week.

The Immigration Bill is back — the one that ends free movement — but a group of backbenchers have put their name to a cross-party amendment that’d allow unaccompanied child asylum seekers, spouses and vulnerable adults to keep coming to live with close relatives in the UK after the end of the Brexit transition period.

It’d be an embarrassing defeat for the government, and shows its fallibility at the moment, so expect ministers to step in and offer a compromise.

Then the Budget returns… in a slightly different form.

Obviously quite a bit has changed since it was delivered on 11 March, so the government has added amendments to take account of the pandemic. It’s stuff like the tax regime for virus support payments and the protected pension age for people brought out of retirement because of the outbreak. Boring but necessary to bring it up to date.

Until next week. In the meantime, feel free to tweet me, or just reply to this email.

Sebastian (@sebastiansalek)

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MONDAY 29 JUNE

Business and Planning Bill – all stages
Applies to: England, Wales
Introduces a range of measures intended to help businesses continue trading. Includes the creation of “pavement licences”, which would allow restaurants to put tables and chairs on nearby pavements, and lets places sell takeaway alcohol if they already have a licence to serve on their premises.
Draft bill (PDF)

TUESDAY 30 JUNE

New Homes (New Development Standards) Bill
Requires residential housing developers to meet new minimum standards for insulation, broadband connectivity and electric car charging points. Ten minute rule motion presented by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.

Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Ends free movement of people into the UK after Brexit. Makes EU, EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members subject to UK immigration controls.
Draft bill / Commons Library briefing

WEDNESDAY 1 JULY

Prime Minister (Nomination) and Cabinet (Appointment) Bill
Gives the House of Commons the power to nominate the prime minister and approve Cabinet appointments. Creates the office of Acting Prime Minister. Ten minute rule motion presented by Pete Wishart.

Finance Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Enacts the measures announced in the Budget. Contains significant government amendments to update the bill in light of the pandemic (see above).
Draft bill (PDF) / Commons Library briefing

THURSDAY 2 JULY

Finance Bill – report stage and 3rd reading
Conclusion of previous day’s debate.

FRIDAY 3 JULY

No votes scheduled

Want more?
Check your MP’s voting record and read the day’s debates at TheyWorkForYou.

LAST WEEK’S VOTES

Details of these bills are in last week’s newsletter.

Passed

• Extradition (Provisional Arrest) Bill – goes to committee stage
• Desecration of War Memorials Bill – goes to second reading
• Medicines and Medical Devices Bill – goes to House of Lords
• Demonstrations (Abortion Clinics) Bill – goes to second reading
• Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill – goes for Royal Assent

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