Long-serving former cabinet minister Michael Gove has been formally introduced to the House of Lords.

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The commons speaker insisted that the trade minister, Douglas Alexander, deliver a statement on the US-UK deal after the government attempted to defer it until Monday.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the House, rejected the government’s attempts to defer the statement after Alexander suggested it would be “courteous” to delay its delivery.

Rising initially on a point of order, the minister said: “On a point of order, it had been the intention of the government to make a statement to the House this afternoon immediately following the scheduled press conference by the US president and the words of our own prime minister.

“Both of these sets of remarks were delayed with the result that at this relatively late hour, the government would now suggest respectfully to you that it would be more courteous to the House to be able to provide all members on Monday the opportunity for a full statement.”

The speaker responded: “You’ve got to come forward with the statement… I understand that people were going round telling people to go home, as there’ll be no statement as Downing Street had decided.

“We don’t do business like this!

“It is totally wrong… I’m sure you would like to update the House on the position of where we are now and of course the details – I would expect them to come on Monday.”

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Parliament was suspended on Thursday as the House of Commons speaker led MPs and peers on a procession to Westminster Abbey, a ritual to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The procession served as a re-enactment of the historic walk MPs did from parliament on VE Day in 1945, after it was announced that fighting in Europe had come to an end.

Rising in the commons chamber, the prime minister requested that the speaker suspend the sitting of the House so that parliamentarians could attend a service in Westminster Abbey.

Keir Starmer said: “Mr Speaker, can I ask that you now suspend the sitting so we may attend at Westminster Abbey to give thanks and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the greatest victory in the history of our great nation?”

Sir Lindsay Hoyle responded: “We will now follow in the footsteps of our predecessors 80 years ago.

“On 8 May 1945, honourable members formed a procession out of the House of Lords, where they secretly relocated because the House of Commons chamber had been destroyed during the Blitz.

“Today, we shall again follow the mace, but this time from our own chamber – through the bomb-scarred Churchill Arch, which stands as a permanent reminder of the fortitude of those who stood firm through the war.”

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Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin has taken her seat as an MP in the House of Commons.

Pochin, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, won the recent by-election in her new constituency by a margin of six votes.

She was flanked by Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, and Lee Anderson, the party’s chief whip, as she entered the chamber.

Pochin swore an oath to the King, something all MPs are required to do, as the commons returned following the local elections.

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A group of protesters chanting “Lords out, people in” interrupted peers in parliament’s upper chamber on Thursday.

The protesters later said they were acting on behalf of Assemble, an organisation that campaigns for the Lords to be abolished and replaced by a citizens’ assembly.

The Lords was adjourned as the protesters were escorted out.

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Reform UK was accused of an “abdication of responsibility” as at least two MPs alleged none of the party’s representatives spoke in the chamber to respond to the prime minister’s statement on defence.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn referred to the party, led by Clacton MP Nigel Farage, as “Putin’s puppets”, as he took a swipe at its purported non-attendance on Tuesday afternoon.

Conservative MP Simon Hoare added: “What an abdication of responsibility and duty that on these precious issues of defence and security, there’s not a single member of the Reform party who’s capable or able to stand and ask a question to the prime minister this afternoon.”

But Lee Anderson, who serves as Reform’s chief whip, appeared to refute the accusations in a point of order later on Tuesday.

The Ashfield MP said: “During the debate on defence and security, the leader of the SNP described Reform UK MPs as ‘Putin’s puppets’ and [said] that they were missing from the debate.

“This is not true. I was present for the prime minister’s statement, left for a comfort break and returned for the rest of the debate.”

He went on to accuse Flynn of “misleading the House”.

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Former Downing Street chief of staff Sue Gray has been formally introduced to the House of Lords.

Baroness Gray of Tottenham, who was replaced in her No 10 role by Morgan McSweeney, wore the traditional scarlet robes for the introduction ceremony.

She recited an oath to the King before shaking hands with the Lord Speaker, Baron McFall of Alcluith.

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A Labour and Liberal Democrat MP have called for proposals to be introduced to curtail foreign political donations, following speculation Elon Musk could donate as much as $100 million to Reform UK.

Joe Powell, the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater, said this “issue is much bigger than Elon Musk” and noted research which estimates that £1 in £10 of political donations come “from questionable sources”.

Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, added: “Surely even in these febrile times, it shouldn’t be difficult to build a consensus around the proposition that foreign money should not be coming into British politics.

“So can we not just get the parties together now to agree the strongest possible package of reforms so that we don’t have to react when it’s too late?”

The comments came as MPs questioned Sir Jeremy Wright, a member of the speaker’s committee on the electoral commission.

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The speaker of the House of Commons has reprimanded the government over the manner in which it is announcing measures ahead of the budget.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle told MPs on Monday that the “premature disclosure” of the contents of the budget is a “supreme discourtesy”. Last week, chancellor Rachel Reeves stated her intention to alter the government’s fiscal rules at the budget in a series of media interviews.

A furious Sir Lindsay said: “The premature disclosure of the contents of the budget have always been regarded as supreme discourtesy to the House.

“Indeed, I still regard it as such. I am very, very disappointed that the Chancellor expects the House to wait nearly a full week to repeat these announcements in the budget statement on Wednesday.”

The speaker added: “It’s not acceptable. I don’t want it to continue and I want you to treat this House with the respect it deserves.

“Whether it’s this side or that side, it is totally unacceptable to go around the world telling everybody rather than these members.”

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Former Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay has been formally introduced to the House of Lords.

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A bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales has been formally introduced in the House of Commons.

There were cries of “hear, hear” from MPs after Kim Leadbeater presented her Private Member’s Bill before the House. Asked “second reading, what day?” by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the commons speaker, Leadbeater replied: “Friday, 29 November”

MPs will now hold their first debate on the bill at the end of November. They will be given a free vote on the bill, meaning they can vote according to individual conscience.

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Former prime minister Theresa May has been formally introduced to the House of Lords.

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The environment secretary has accused the last Conservative government of trying to “cover up” the volume of sewage spills ahead of the election.

Speaking in environment, food and rural affairs questions on Thursday, Steve Reed said he wanted to make sure that “regulation is as tough as possible to ensure that practices and, frankly, abuses that were going on in the past can no longer happen”.

He added: “It was very disappointing when the shadow minister, when he was a minister, tried to cover up the extent of sewage spills before the election, telling Environment Agency officials not to put the key figures on the front page of the environmental portal.”

The comment led to an intervention from speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who said: “Can I just say, ‘he tried to cover up’, that’s suggesting that a member is lying.”

Reed responded: “I withdraw that comment, perhaps I should have said he could have been more open and transparent.”

The environment secretary’s comments came in response to shadow minister Robbie Moore, who pressed the government on whether it intended to offer “regulatory easement” to water companies, such as “permission to lower standards, relax environmental permits, or reduced agreed levels of investment”.

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As is time-honoured tradition, Black Rod had the House of Commons doors slammed in her face on Wednesday as she came to summon MPs to hear the King’s Speech in the House of Lords.

The doors are slammed to symbolise the commons’ independence from the monarchy.

Sarah Clarke, who was appointed as Black Rod in 2017, then enters the commons after banging on the door.

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Labour MP Clive Lewis returned to the House of Commons on Tuesday to swear in for a second time.

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Craig Mackinlay returned to the House of Commons chamber for the first time on Wednesday after having his hands and feet amputated last year due to sepsis.

The Conservative MP for South Thanet was met with rapturous applause, prompting the Speaker to intervene: “As you know, we don’t allow with clapping, but this is an exemption!”, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said.

Mackinlay, who entered the chamber just before prime minister’s questions at noon, was later called by the Speaker. He used his question to pay tribute to the NHS staff who had treated him and to seek greater recognition for the early signs of sepsis.

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Ahead of prime minister’s questions today, a large section of the parliamentary Labour Party jeered Conservatives MPs as they entered the House of Commons, following two preceding sessions which have been marked by defections.

On Wednesday last week, Natalie Elphicke became the latest Conservative MP to defect to the Labour Party, with her statement published at noon exactly.

As Conservative whip Simon Hart took his usual seat to the right of the prime minister on Wednesday afternoon, Labour appeared to beckon him to join the opposition benches.

It prompted an intervention from the Speaker, who insisted: “I’m not sure the chief whip is [defecting]!”

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PMQs verdict: Sans defection, Starmer continues to mock Conservative dysfunction

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Chris Webb took his seat as a Labour MP in the House of Commons today after winning the by-election for Blackpool South on May 2nd.

Webb received 10,825 votes after Thursday’s contest — a 58.9 per cent vote share.

The Conservatives trailed far behind with just 3,218.

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The Safety of Rwanda Bill received Royal assent today, meaning it has become an act of parliament and has become law.

The prime minister created the bill, which declares Rwanda a safe country to deport asylum seekers to, to revive the full deportation scheme after the Supreme Court ruled the plan “unlawful” in a landmark case last year.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 states that Rwanda should be regarded as a safe country “for the purposes of relocating people, including in UK courts and tribunals” .

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