The description of the weekend tour suggested Downing Street was planning for Truss to accompany the new king on engagements in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – which had caused some concern among MPs and the opposition. “It is not a requirement, but the prime minister feels it is important to be present at an important time of national mourning across the UK,” the spokesman said. On Sunday, Downing Street moved to emphasize that Truss will only attend reflection services in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. “The king is declaring national mourning across the UK and the prime minister will join and attend the services,” a No 10 source said. “The prime minister is not ‘accompanying’ the king and it is not a ‘tour’. It’s just monitoring the functions.” Over the weekend, newspapers reported that the pair would be “touring the UK” and Truss’ spokesperson had stressed that her attendance was “not a requirement” but that she felt it was important she was present to offer support. The Telegraph reported that the mini-tour, called Operation Spring Tide, would include public greetings. The First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, as well as the First Minister-designate of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, will attend commemorations in their respective capitals. Ministers began tentative discussions on whether to cancel parts of the party conference break to free up time for parliamentary business – including approving the new energy bill relief package. Truss will face a nightmare schedule for parliamentary business in the days following the funeral on Monday 19 September, with parliament scheduled to recess on Thursday 22 September. The prime minister also planned to attend the UN general assembly that week in New York. 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. Labor have expressed fears that the government could try to force parliament into session during parts of their annual conference. Both the Conservatives and Labor have taken the decision to go ahead with their annual conferences, which start the weekend after the Queen’s funeral. However, both parties are expected to request that the fringe events and receptions be moderated, without intense celebrations. A senior Labor source said the party was determined to go ahead but said party leaders would meet in the coming days to agree guidelines on how the events should ideally be run. “I don’t think the public would find it proportionate to cancel our conference,” the source said. The opening day of Labor’s conference on Sunday is expected to amend its agenda to include tributes to the Queen. Labor members said they were “relaxed” for allowing fringe events discussing republicanism to go ahead. Conservative party officials are also expected to meet to discuss guidelines for events – including a late-night karaoke party often attended by cabinet ministers. A senior Conservative said they expect the tone of some political attacks may also take a more subtle approach. The Liberal Democrats canceled their conference which was due to start on September 17 and would have conflicted with the date of the funeral.
