The Queen’s death and mourning period came at a time of heightened political tension, with concerns over the conduct of Liz Truss’ new administration in Whitehall and major gaps in the details of the energy cap, which is expected to cost more than £100 billion. Meanwhile, Truss has yet to finalize all of its ministerial appointments, with some sitting ministers said to be only temporarily relieved of their duties. Opposition parties and campaigners have said they aim for an immediate resumption of political dialogue after the Queen’s funeral on Monday 19 September. The Labor conference is due to start just six days later, but officials have decided the rally must go ahead as planned and include tributes to the Queen. The conference is a key moment for Keir Starmer to take on Truss after she became prime minister last week. Senior Labor figures are of the view that they will not be thanked if they fail to hold the new government to account when the mourning period ends, while key questions remain over how the Trus energy bailout will be delivered and paid for. Concerns are also emerging in the business world about the short-term nature of the package designed to help companies tackle energy costs. “I don’t think Truss has completed her ministerial appointments yet,” said a Labor spokesman. “There is complete paralysis. Nothing is really going to happen before the funeral, but after that I think we’ll be back to the normalcy of government and parliament.” The Liberal Democrats last night canceled their conference which was due to start on September 17. “Given the date of the funeral and the period of national mourning, we have decided to cancel our conference,” a spokesman said. It is also understood that talks are taking place to return parliament early after the session season. While the government will need to draw up emergency legislation for the energy cap plan, opposition parties are concerned about the need to scrutinize the plans, which remain unclear on the details. Parliament was set to return from its party conference session on October 17. But some want MPs to return a week earlier – at the same time as the House of Lords – while others want parliamentary time compressed later this month. Details of the energy plan were due to be revealed in a budget statement this month by the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, but that may also be delayed until October. There is also covert turmoil among Treasury officials following the immediate decision by Trass and her new chancellor to sack Tom Scholar, the ministry’s most senior civil servant. His removal was one of Kwarteng’s first acts and was planned by Truss and her team. Scholar had been involved in drafting the response to the financial crisis and advised former chancellor Rishi Sunak through the Covid response. Scholar’s departure is seen in Whitehall as the loss of a figure with the experience needed to deliver an energy package that is set to be one of the government’s biggest peacetime programmes. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Unions also plan to resume industrial action in the days after the funeral for wage increases to match inflation. There is concern in the movement about the impact the delays and cancellations of events have had on businesses and workers. Some plan to seek compensation for those most affected. The TUC has already postponed its annual meeting which was due to take place this weekend. Attendees were told it has been delayed until next month. But even that decision has been questioned by some in the union movement, who believe there is now an urgent need for the union as cost-of-living issues bite. “Respect is right, but people will not stop being poor for the next 12 days,” an official said. The timing and tone of the relaunch of militant daily politics is being carefully considered. “It’s very difficult and nobody wants to be the first to move,” said one political insider. “With parliament not in session, the funeral will be the milestone. It certainly shouldn’t last longer than that and conferences shouldn’t be cancelled. There are many difficult crises at the moment. Nobody wants to be disrespectful, but there comes a point where we have to get on with life.” The Conservative Party conference is scheduled for early next month, making it more likely to go ahead. It could, however, become the forum for early Tory concern about Truss’s leadership. Conventions are also cash generators for parties, so they would take a financial hit from the cancellation.
