ALL four UK parliaments were suspended during the national mourning period following the Queen’s death - but politics is set to ramp up again with a packed schedule following the state funeral.
For 10 days, ministerial statements, debates, announcements and scrutiny of any legislation were all paused until after the Queen was laid to rest on Monday.
The Scottish Parliamentary estate was closed to the public until after the funeral but is expected to reopen on Tuesday 20, although no official items have yet been scheduled on Holyrood’s website, nor has the parliament published a business paper.
What's happening in Westminster?
In London, Liz Truss’s ministers will set out a swathe of announcements over four days including a mini-budget from Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.
With just one week of parliamentary time until recess for party political conferences to go ahead, MPs have been asked to sit for an extra day on Friday instead of finishing up on Thursday as initially planned.
After the Queen’s funeral, Truss will fly to New York on Monday night for the United Nation’s general assembly, and her first foreign trip as PM.
Truss's new chief of staff Mark Fullbrook will not be joining her after it emerged at the weekend that he had been interviewed by the FBI regarding work he conducted for a banker accused of bribery.
By Wednesday, Jacob Rees-Mogg is expected to set out the details of government support for businesses struggling with energy prices.
The Business Secretary previously announced an "Energy price guarantee" of £2500 for households, just hours before the Queen’s death was confirmed - although this policy was heavily criticised as it is still almost double what the original energy price cap was in August 2021.
He also vowed to scale up production in the North Sea, plans to award around 100 new licenses and lifted the fracking ban.
In the House of Commons, MPs will be given the opportunity to swear allegiance to King Charles from 10am on Wednesday, but this will not be taking place in Holyrood.
On Thursday, Health Secretary Therese Coffey will outline her plans for the NHS in England, where a record 6.8 million people have been waiting for hospital treatment and staff vacancies reached a new height of 10%.
Finishing off the week on Friday, Kwarteng will give a fiscal statement. He is expected to follow through on Truss’s pledge to scrap the National Insurance increase and plans to raise corporation tax, which will cost nearly £30 billion annually.
The plan to undo the National Insurance increase has come under criticism from some quarters as it directly benefits higher earners.
Economic analysis suggests the country’s poorest three million households will be as little as 63p better off per month thanks to the move, while the richest will keep an extra £150, according to The Times.
Truss is also reportedly considering slashing personal taxes in addition to business levies in her proposed “investment zones”, dubbed “full-fat freeports”.
The contentious plan to abolish the bankers’ bonus cap is also expected to be announced by Kwarteng, a policy that even Tory insiders are calling “tone deaf” and “utterly toxic”.
After the week of parliamentary business, MPs will be in recess until October 17 while parties have their political conferences. Labour’s is due to take place in Liverpool from Sunday 25 to Wednesday September 28.
The LibDems had already cancelled their conference due to the Queen’s death, while the Tories are set to hold theirs in Brighton between Sunday 2 and Wednesday October 5.
What's happening in Holyrood?
In the Scottish Parliament, few details about the next week’s agenda have emerged, with business papers for the following week likely to be published on Thursday.
However, there are likely to be several business items from committees, the Scottish parliamentary bureau and the Scottish Government on Tuesday when business restarts.
On Wednesday, John Swinney is due to take questions from MSPs for both the departments currently under his brief.
He is covering for Finance Secretary Kate Forbes whilst she is on maternity leave and will also take queries from MSPs on Covid-19 recovery.
Parliamentary business should be back to normal by Thursday when Nicola Sturgeon will take part in her second FMQs of the term, with questions scheduled for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Secretary Michael Matheson in the afternoon.
