Joe Knight looks at what to expect over the next fortnight.
This week, the Prime Minister set out to prove there was more to her term than Brexit, as she outlined new measures to tackle the housing crisis. Mrs May said people were “right to be angry” about the lack of affordable homes, and announced an overhaul of planning laws to drive an increase in housing supply. She also floated plans to punish developers who fail to build on land with planning permission. It remains to be seen whether these measures are bold enough to revitalise a Government on the back foot since the snap General Election, and if they will satisfy the voters from ‘generation rent’ who broke heavily for Labour in June.
We can expect no such boldness from Chancellor Phillip Hammond however, as his stripped down Spring Statement on Tuesday (13 March) will make no new spending announcements or tax changes. The Chancellor is expected to use his abridged 15 minute speech to respond to the latest forecasts from the Office of Budget Responsibility, and may also open some minor consultations ahead of the Autumn Budget in November.
Meanwhile, the House of Lords continues its scrutiny of the EU Withdrawal Bill, with seven days of debate scheduled before the 26th of March. The respected Lords Constitution Committee called the Bill “constitutionally unacceptable” in its current form, and the Government is anticipating resistance from Peers on a number of provisions in the Bill. These will be similar to the provisions that caused problems for the Government in the House of Commons, such as the reliance on secondary legislation and lack of Parliamentary scrutiny of the final Brexit deal. The important votes are not anticipated until the Report Stage after Easter, but opposition to the Government could crystallise in the coming weeks of debate.
