With Parliament in Easter recess until 16 April, a lack of parliamentary business will allow MPs to spend time in their constituencies, focusing on local issues with the council elections on 3 May fast approaching.

The report published by the Committee on Exiting the European Union this week – detailing fifteen key tests that should be met by the Brexit deal the Government eventually agrees with Brussels – shows that the political agenda is likely to remain dominated by Brexit, as negotiators begin to focus on the future relationship between the UK and the EU. The 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, on Tuesday 10 April, will likely intensify discussions over arrangements at the Irish border post-Brexit. 

A General Debate on anti-Semitism is scheduled for the day after Parliament returns, on Tuesday 17 April. In this light, it is likely that accusations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party will continue, maintaining pressure on the Leader of the Opposition, and highlighting divisions within the Party more broadly.

Once Parliament has returned, the Government will be under pressure to pass as much legislation as possible before Summer Recess. Debates on Brexit and related legislation have already significantly delayed the Government’s domestic agenda - and this is unlikely to change any time soon.