Newly appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss will lead the process. The meeting will last until late at night and is expected to end at 10pm. There will be another meeting on Saturday as senior politicians pledge their allegiance to the King from 2pm, with condolences again continuing until 10pm. Following Her late Majesty’s sad announcement of the Queen’s death, Business in the House of Commons will now be as follows: pic.twitter.com/DtfUaKOrEL — UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) September 8, 2022 Important events BETA filters Key Facts (5) Liz Truss (4) Elizabeth II (4)
Prime Minister Liz Truss pays tribute to ‘great leader’ Queen Elizabeth II
“We are witnessing the most heartfelt outpouring of grief,” Prime Minister Liz Truss said as MPs sat to pay their respects to the Queen. Addressing the House of Commons she said: In the hours following last night’s shocking news, we have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief at the loss of the late Her Majesty The Queen. Crowds have gathered, flags have flown at half-mast, tributes have been sent from every continent around the world. She added: On the death of her father, King George VI, Winston Churchill said that the news had stopped the rattle and motion of 20th century life in many countries. Now, 70 years later, in the turmoil of the 21st century, life has stopped again. The late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. Prime Minister Liz Truss pays tribute to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II at the House of Commons in central London. Photo: PRU/AFP/Getty Images The Speaker of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, said: During her reign she experienced unprecedented social, cultural, technological change. Through it all she was the most conscientious and conscientious of monarchs. But while she understood the inescapable nature of the task, which must have weighed heavily on her at times, she was also glad to see it through, for she was the most devoted of monarchs. He added: Our memories of her will be filled with this image of a gently smiling devotion that was evident throughout her life. Updated at 12.25 BST MPs observed a minute’s silence in memory of the Queen in the chamber of the House of Commons. They stood in a crowded hall with bowed heads. The Speaker of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, led the tributes, telling MPs: “She is married in our minds to the crown and all that it stands for.” Updated at 12.26 BST
MPs will spend the day paying tribute to the Queen in the Commons
MPs are set to kick off as parliament convenes for an emergency session today, with politicians paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died yesterday. Newly appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss will lead the process. The meeting will last until late at night and is expected to end at 10pm. There will be another meeting on Saturday as senior politicians pledge their allegiance to the King from 2pm, with condolences again continuing until 10pm. Following Her late Majesty’s sad announcement of the Queen’s death, Business in the House of Commons will now be as follows: pic.twitter.com/DtfUaKOrEL — UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) September 8, 2022
Plans to guarantee the price of energy will go ahead despite the Queen’s death
The UK government will go ahead with plans to introduce an energy price guarantee from October 1, Prime Minister’s spokeswoman Liz Truss said on Friday, despite a period of national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth. The government will work with the Speaker of the House of Commons to introduce any legislation needed once the mourning period is over, the spokesman added. Updated at 12.02 BST It is also unclear who will lead the important constitutional moment of King Charles III’s official proclamation at St James’s Palace on Saturday. The Queen was not well enough to attend the Privy Council meeting on Wednesday evening, where the British government’s new cabinet members were due to be sworn in. However, the privy council’s website says the new leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordant, is now its lord speaker. As such, it is responsible for overseeing the accession board. More on that during the day. Updated at 12.03 BST
Royal Mail and rail workers call off strikes after Queen’s death
The postal and railway strikes were called off after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Royal Mail workers were due to stage a second day of 48-hour strike action on Friday in a dispute over pay and conditions. “Following the very sad news of the Queen’s death and out of respect for her service to the country and her family, the union has decided to cancel tomorrow’s planned strike,” said Dave Ward, general secretary of Communications. Workers Union, which represents postmen. The Queen, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon, aged 96. A strike in Great Britain by around 40,000 workers at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies planned for September 15 and September 17 has also been called off by the National Union of Rail, Shipping and Transport Workers (RMT). “The RMT unites the whole nation in paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth,” said Mick Lynch, the RMT’s general secretary. “The planned rail strike on September 15 and 17 is suspended. We express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and country.” The train drivers’ union Aslef has also postponed a strike planned for September 15. “In light of the sad news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Aslef is suspending its industrial action until September 15,” the union said. “We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends and country.” Updated at 12.04 BST
Queen’s death could suspend Commons until mid-October – report
Good morning and welcome to the UK politics blog. As the nation comes to terms with the Queen’s death, we take a look at how the end of her reign will affect the political landscape. Liz Truss yesterday unveiled plans to freeze energy bills by an average of £2,500 a year for two years as part of a support package for homes and businesses that marks one of the biggest government interventions since the financial crisis. In her first major act as prime minister, Truss said the government would fund the plan to lower unit energy costs through increased borrowing. The initiative is set to involve transferring £150 billion in taxpayer funds to energy suppliers to cover the difference between what they pay for energy in wholesale markets and the capped consumer price. Whitehall sources said the official estimates would not come until a fiscal statement – effectively an emergency budget – from the new chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng. This was expected to take place on September 19 but, following the Queen’s death, parliament is now to be suspended for 10 days. If that counts only as sitting days, it could leave the Commons suspended until the start of the conference break, meaning MPs won’t be back until October 17, Politico reports this morning. It is unclear what is happening now, but an update from the government is expected later on Friday. However, with the energy price cap due to rise on October 1, there is still a chance that MPs will sit for extra days during the mourning period to pass emergency legislation.
