New Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged to ‘come clean’ on government plans by Tories
A minister from Andy Burnham’s newly formed government could face parliamentary questioning this week if a Conservative initiative gains support from colleagues.
The Conservatives are pressing for a debate in the House of Lords to examine the Prime Minister’s policies after MPs adjourned for the summer break last week.
Mr Burnham, who replaced Sir Keir Starmer as leader on Monday, promised the most significant change in British politics in four decades.
But he is now being urged by Lord True, leader of the Conservative Shadow Lords, to “be upfront” about his intentions for the UK. Lord True will introduce a motion to the House of Lords on Tuesday, which if accepted will pave the way for a debate on Wednesday.
Lord True said: “Andy Burnham fears scrutiny from Parliament for not doing the hard work required to produce a coherent plan for the Government. He and his party have gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid having to answer MPs’ basic questions by allowing the Commons to go home for recess and leaving the public in the dark.”
He added: “We are therefore asking ministers to answer questions in the House of Lords, which is still sitting, and make clear their intentions for the country. We will consider any reasonable proposal from the Government to allow parliamentary scrutiny of the new Prime Minister’s briefings and statements on his policies. Our democracy depends on the Government being held to account, and the Conservatives will fight to make this happen.”
The move followed previous criticism from the Conservative Party over the cancellation by the then government of Opposition Day, which is often used by non-government parties to choose debate topics.
This cancellation paved the way for a general discussion of a legal document regarding Iran and national security.
Last week, shadow Commons leader Jesse Norman also indicated his party’s intention to propose a Commons debate to delay the summer recess until Monday, July 20, specifically “to allow the new prime minister to make a statement about his plans for the Government”. However, the Leader of the House of Commons, Sir Alan Campbell, defended the agenda change, stating that he had not seen the Conservatives’ draft Opposition Day motion.
