Is there PMQs today? Why Prime Minister’s Questions isn’t on and when summer recess 2023 ends
There will be no Prime Minister’s Questions today as the House of Commons is on summer recess.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, normally face off every Wednesday, debating the biggest issues of the past week.
The televised sessions also give the public an opportunity to judge the two leaders as they vye for popularity ahead of the next general election.
When is the next PMQs?
The House of Commons does not return from its summer recess until Monday 4 September, meaning the next PMQs will be on Wednesday 6 September at the usual time of midday.
The Commons has a number of recesses throughout the year, with the next beginning on 20 September when MPs will take a break from Parliament for conference season, which lasts just under a month. There is also a short recess is November before a two-week break over Christmas.
What’s happening in UK politics today?
Targets on the sale of electric vehicles (EV) that are set to come in next year have sparked fresh tensions in the Cabinet, fuelling splits in the wider Conservative Party about the Government’s net-zero agenda.
Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, is pushing for a delay on the zero-emission mandate (ZEM), which requires at least 22 per cent of car sales by any manufacturer to be electric or else risk a £15,000 per vehicle fine for the maker.
Ms Badenoch, who is tipped as a future Tory leader, is urging fellow Cabinet ministers to back her calls for a softening of the deadline for the new levy, scheduled to come in on 1 January, 2024, because the motor industry and UK’s EV infrastructure is not ready.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is reportedly comfortable with the UK entering a recession due to interest rate hikes as long as it brings down inflation, despite warnings of an economic downturn.
He has consistently backed the Bank of England increasing interest rates in a bid to reduce stubbornly high inflation.
As the Bank prepares to announce what will be the 14th consecutive rise on Thursday, economists have warned repeated and rapid interest rate increases could tip the country into a recession.
The warnings come amid concerning figures showing the manufacturing sector has shrunk and house prices are falling.
But a Treasury source said Chancellor’s view has not changed and he supports whatever measures are required to lower inflation.
