London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

UK's Speaker outlines plans for 'virtual' Parliament

UK's Speaker outlines plans for 'virtual' Parliament

MPs could take part in PMQs, urgent questions and statements via video link when they return to Parliament after recess.

In a letter to MPs, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle says plans for a virtual parliament are progressing well.

The main proposal would see some proceedings take place through video link, and broadcast live.

Parliament is due to return on 21 April to debate the coronavirus outbreak and other matters.

In his letter, Sir Lindsay said, given the scale of the challenge, that there would be "bumps along the way".

"But once these proceedings have been judged to be delivered in a satisfactory and sustainable way, both from a technological and participatory point of view, then the House can consider extending the model to other proceedings such as debates on motions and consideration of legislation."

He said: "I recognise the urgent need to put new arrangements in place and will do everything I can to ensure the House is presented with the opportunity to take a decision on this matter sooner rather than later."

The House of Commons Commission will discuss the plans at a meeting on Thursday.

It is understood that the committee - which is responsible for the administration and services of the House of Commons - is highly likely to nod through some changes.

MPs would then have to approve the changes the following week.

The prime minister was discharged from hospital on Sunday night, after spending three nights in intensive care to receive treatment for coronavirus.

Downing Street said the PM will not return to work immediately, and would continue his recovery at his country residence, Chequers.

MPs have been grappling with how to keep Parliament running during this crisis.

For obvious reasons, they don't want to be travelling around the country and sitting in a tightly packed chamber. But they do want to continue with scrutiny of what the government is doing.

The Commons Commission is highly likely to approve some changes on Thursday - allowing MPs to contribute to departmental questions and statements remotely.

A more controversial question is remote voting. Some in Parliament have concerns on issues like security. It seems less likely a speedy decision will be made on that, although I understand Commons Leader Jacob Rees Mogg is prepared to explore all options and most MPs acknowledge traipsing through packed lobbies can't continue while social distancing is in place.

The changes are a response to a very specific crisis. But many have been calling on Parliament to modernise for years and are hoping that these measures prove to allow more flexibility in the long-term.

Commons authorities are also considering ways in which MPs could vote remotely.

It is understood the government is prepared to consider all options to ensure Parliament continues to function.

Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said last week that when MPs return, Parliament will fulfil its "essential constitutional functions of conducting scrutiny, authorising spending and making laws".


'Virtual Parliament'


MPs are currently due to debate key Brexit legislation when they return, and the government needs to pass its Finance Bill, enacting measures in the Budget.

Under current rules, 40 MPs must be present in the Commons chamber for any votes to take place, but there have been suggestions this could be reduced so that party whips could effectively act as proxies for all their MPs, meaning fewer would need to attend in person.

Such changes would, however, need the government to bring forward a motion which MPs would need to agree to. Other changes to the way MPs work could be agreed informally between the Speaker and party leaders.

One of the trade unions which represents Parliamentary staff has said that Parliamentary scrutiny of the response to the current crisis is essential.

Garry Graham, deputy general secretary of Prospect, said, "Parliament can and should start meeting but any attempt to return to a full programme of business will be counterproductive and put employees and the effective functioning of the House at risk.

"Even if MPs are meeting virtually, staff will have to come into the House via public transport to facilitate that - those numbers must be kept to a minimum and where appropriate PPE must be provided.

"Using technology to conduct parliamentary business in this way has never been done - it has to work, and it has to be secure which will put a huge amount of pressure on staff."

Members of the National Assembly for Wales held their first votes during a virtual parliamentary session last week

Assembly Members took part in their second plenary session using video-conferencing on Wednesday.

The proceedings included statements on the latest response to coronavirus from the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, followed by a debate and vote on legislation.

The Assembly said that authorities for other global parliaments had contacted them to ask for advice on using the technology to hold their own virtual meetings.

Leaders of the four opposition parties in Scotland put questions about coronavirus to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon via an online meeting for the first time on Thursday.

Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament Ken Macintosh chaired the session from his regional constituency office.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×