It’s set to be another testing week for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro today and tomorrow. Perhaps the biggest headline coming from the visit is the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping – the first time a UK Prime Minister has met a Chinese leader in six years. Sir Keir is expected to encourage cooperation in areas such as economic growth and climate change but be firm on the need to have honest conversations on areas of disagreement.
Tuesday marks 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in one of his last acts as President, Joe Biden has changed his mind on allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russia - hours after a Russian missile attack in Ukraine killed 11 people. Biden stated he decided to give the green light after reports of North Korean troops supporting Russia. This has been supported by the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell who has said he hopes the bloc’s members will follow suit.
President elect Donald Trump has made a plethora of appointments following his election win, causing raised eyebrows across the world. Perhaps of greatest concern following recent COP29 talks is the appointment of oil and gas industry executive Chris Wright to lead the US Energy Department. Wright's appointment is a win for the fossil fuel industry, who expect an increase in production of US fossil fuels rather than investment in renewable energy sources such as wind power.
Back at home, farmers are set to protest in Westminster on Tuesday over the inheritance tax policy introduced during the Budget. The PM said there is going to be no change in the policy despite facing the biggest protest over domestic policy since the election. The BBC highlights the parallels between Tuesday’s planned protests and the rows Labour had with rural communities when it was last in power, with 400,000 people marching through central London to highlight the needs of the rural sector. The Government is set to make further announcements this week on how it plans on supporting farmers, in the hope of appeasing them.
From agriculture to law and order - the PM stated over the weekend police forces should prioritise fighting crime that “matters most to their communities” rather than spending time and resources investigating non-crime hate incidents. This announcement comes as many MPs weigh up whether to leave social media platform ‘X’ and move to alternative options. Over 60 MPs have turned to Bluesky, a platform originally set up by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey which has seen a sharp increase in users in recent weeks. Whether further MPs and even government departments make the change is yet to be seen.
What’s on in Parliament
Monday 18th November
House of Commons
- Oral questions: Defence
- Legislation: Armed Forces Commissioner Bill - second reading
- Adjournment debate: Rollout of free breakfast clubs in primary schools
House of Lords
- Oral questions: Increasing the amount of legal aid available for early advice in the areas of social welfare law and family law
- Oral questions: Cost efficiency of the prescription of new anti-obesity medication by the NHS
- Legislation: Great British Energy Bill - second reading
Tuesday 19th November
House of Commons
- Oral questions: Health and Social Care
- General debate: Infected blood inquiry
- Westminster Hall debate: Use of foodbanks
House of Lords
- Oral questions: Developing a National Carers Strategy
- Oral questions: Police records of non-criminal hate incidents
- Legislation: Data (Use and Access) Bill – second reading
Wednesday 20th November
House of Commons
- Oral questions: Science, Innovation and Technology
- Prime Minister’s Question Time
- Legislation: Financial Assistance to Ukraine – second reading
- Westminster Hall debate: Apprenticeships and T-levels
House of Lords
- Oral questions: The government’s counter-extremism strategy
- Oral questions: The adverse effects of large numbers of satellites to astronomy
- Legislation: Water (Special Measures) Bill – report stage
Thursday 21st November
House of Commons
- Oral questions: Transport
- Business Statement: Business Questions to the Leader of the House
- Backbench Business: Debate on a motion on International Men’s Day
House of Lords
- Oral questions: Reducing water bills for consumers
- Short debate: Continuity of farming families
- Debate: Communications and Digital Committee report: ‘Large language models and generative AI’
Friday 22nd November
*The House of Commons is not sitting. It will next sit on 25th November.
House of Lords
Debate: Grenfell Tower Inquiry