What’s happening in Parliament this week?

Instead of Liz Truss’s new government enjoying a legislative victory lap, launching a new agenda in Parliament next week, it will be running the gauntlet.

Backbench dissent killed the abolition of the 45p income tax band. The lesson absorbed by Conservative MPs from the last few days is that any new policy opposed by 40 plus colleagues is vulnerable.

Labour will doubtless seek to engineer votes to give potential rebels the chance to defy their new leader.

Then there’s the visible fraying of cabinet collective responsibility, which the prime minister urgently needs to deal with.

Normally cabinet ministers are expected to sing an Hallelujah chorus for whatever the PM happens to be doing – and it is telling that several don’t feel compelled to do so.

So again, the opposition parties will seek to stoke dissention. It’s going to make for an interesting three-day week in the Commons.

On the Committee Corridor, watch out for elections for two committee chairs. After a brief interlude back in the cabinet as levelling up secretary, Greg Clark is bucking to return to the chair of Science and Technology. And, so far, he’s the only nomination, so if no rival appears, he will be confirmed in office on Tuesday.

But the contest for the plum job as chair of Foreign Affairs (vacated by Tom Tugendhat, when he became Security Minister) is boiling up into an interesting inter-generational conflict, with former Conservative Leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith vying with 2019-er Alicia Kearns.

One Conservative MP told me anyone who stood against IDS “would be humiliated,” but I wonder….

Under the division of committee chairs agreed between the parties, only Conservatives may seek this particular post, but the election is across the Commons, which means unless an overwhelming majority of Tories rally behind one candidate, opposition MPs could tilt the balance.

So who will they prefer? The ballot takes place on Wednesday.

Commons: Not sitting

Lords: At 11:00, there’s an early start to allow peers to swear allegiance to King Charles III – a requirement in the standing orders of the upper house, but not for the Commons.

Regular business begins (14:30) with the introduction of Lord Markham, co-founder of the Covid-19 testing company Cignpost Diagnostics, who’s been made a health minister (new Trade Minister Dominic Johnson may be introduced in the near future, too).

Questions Time covers the legacy of the 2021 Olympics and the prospects for the NHS this winter – will it be Lord Markham answering?

The main debate is on the economy, in the light of the chancellor’s mini-statement of 23 September. As I write there’s a medium-sized speakers list, featuring just one of the Lords contingent of former chancellors, the Conservative Lord (Norman) Lamont.

Commons: At 14:30, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and his team field Treasury questions, probably followed by a statement or urgent question on the fallout from his September mini-budget, and by further statements and UQs.

Unusually, there are two Ten Minute Rule Bills – Sir Bill Wiggin on banning the sale of property by sealed bids, and Chi Onwurah on requiring the government to publish a regular assessment of the incidence of bowel conditions and diseases.

The main business will be the rushing through of the Health and Social Care Levy (Repeal) Bill – reversing the abortive Johnson-era plan for a National Insurance levy to boost social care. It will be rammed through the Lords on 17 October.

Committees: Treasury (16:00) has minister Andrew Griffith in to talk about the Financial Services and Markets Bill and its controversial powers to allow the government to “call in” decisions by regulators such as the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, when it disagrees with them. Does that undermine their independence?

There’s a different kind of witness before the Lords Communications and Digital Committee (14:30). Ai-Da becomes the first robot to give evidence to peers, on their inquiry “A creative future”. Ai-Da and her creator Aidan Meller are due to be questioned at 15:30.

Lords: The main debate (14:30) is the Second Reading of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.

There are objections both to the purpose of the bill, to override the Brexit arrangements agreed at the end of 2019, and to the sweeping powers it confers on ministers, but peers don’t normally block government legislation at this stage.

There is, however, an interesting backbench move afoot to delay committee consideration until a series of conditions around consultation with the NI parties and response to select committee reports are met. Labour, meanwhile, have a “reasoned amendment” urging the government to pause the Bill to allow for negotiations.

Commons: Scotland Questions (11:30) and PMQs – an important test for the prime minister.

Second Reading of the Identity and language (Northern Ireland) Bill, which aims to “promote and respect” the Irish language and Ulster Scots.

That’s followed by a debate on proxy voting for MPs, and on allowing babies in the chamber. The Procedure Committee recommended that MPs should not bring babies in – rejecting a call from Labour’s Stella Creasy. But it does support extending proxy votes to MPs with serious long-term illness – some say they risk their health by using the traditional voting lobby system.

Committees: Treasury (14:15) scrutinises the “September 2022 Fiscal Event” with a panel of usual suspect economists headed by the Resolution Foundation’s Torsten Bell and Paul Johnson of the IFS. These sessions normally tee up an appearance by the chancellor – and the committee is hoping to quiz Mr Kwarteng the following week, although this may be dependent on the timing of, and choreography around, his autumn budget, which is to be brought forward from November.

Transport (09:15) looks at the summer travel disruption to rail, aviation and ports.

Women and Equalities (14:30) question Ofsted and the Office for Students plus ministers Andrea Jenkyns, and Kelly Tolhurst, on attitudes towards women and girls in education.

Lords: The main event (15:00) is Report Stage scrutiny of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill – which aims to secure smart devices against cyber-attacks and speed the deployment of gigabit capable digital networks.

Commons: Transport questions (09:30) – a debut for new Secretary of State Anne Marie Trevelyan.

That’s followed by questions on forthcoming Commons business to the Leader of the House, Penny Morduant. She’s one of the ministers who’s tested the boundaries of cabinet collective responsibility on policy issues, and the unusually open nature of business questions will provide plenty of opportunity for the opposition to have a go.

The main debate – unusually for a Thursday – is on new legislation, the Second Reading of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, which deals with fraud and money laundering, with dirty Russian money particularly in mind.

Lords: The usual Thursday balloted debates (11:00) led by backbench peers, Lib Dem Lord Foster on “Loot boxes” (virtual prizes in online games, linked to gambling); offenders on indefinite sentences (Bns Hamwee); and the Times Education Commission’s report (Conservative Lord Lexden).

The Green Party’s Baroness Jones has a one hour mini-debate on the effects of corruption in the UK – she plans to cover political access, corporate lobbying, party donations and procurement and privatisation.

Neither House is due to sit.

Reports /TrainViral/