Burnham could be forced to set out his policy plans in Parliament | Politics | News

Conservative Lords have launched a rare Parliamentary ambush by introducing a motion in the House of Lords to drag ministers in front of their colleagues and grill them about Andy Burnham’s plans. It comes after Labor was accused of shutting down parliament by canceling the Conservative Opposition Day debate last week; for fear that MPs would force a vote extending the session to question the new Prime Minister.

Labor replaced this with the General Debate on Iran, which died out early, which critics branded as a smokescreen to avoid scrutiny. With MPs on summer recess, the country is faced with a Prime Minister who has not made any statement to the House of Commons and will not do so for weeks.

The Lords are still sitting, so the Conservatives want a Government minister brought in to answer questions before the adjournment.

Lord True, Leader of the Opposition in the Lords, said: “Andy Burnham fears Parliamentary scrutiny because he has not done the hard work of producing a coherent plan for the Government.”

He added: “Our democracy depends on the Government being held to account and the Conservatives will fight to ensure that happens.”