BBC News 16 August 2021 - by David Cornock
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| Boris Johnson told MPs in July there could "never be a perfect moment" to withdraw UK forces from Afghanistan. |
The UK Parliament is being recalled from its summer recess on Wednesday to debate the situation in Afghanistan.
MPs had not been due to return until September 6, but the decision follows pressure from opposition parties and critics of government policy.
The decision was taken by the House of Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, after a request from the government.
The House of Lords is also being recalled.
The Commons was last recalled in April to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, but this is the first summer recall since 2013 when MPs debated Syria and the use of chemical weapons.
Why is Parliament being recalled?
Under parliamentary rules, it is up to the Commons Speaker to decide whether it should be recalled "on the basis of representations made by ministers". The Speaker has to decide whether it is in the public interest for MPs to return.
He or she cannot decide to recall the Commons without being asked to do so by the government - a rule that has often been criticised by MPs.
The House of Lords is usually recalled - by the Lord Speaker - at the same time as the House of Commons.
What will happen?
MPs will meet in the Commons at 0930. The prime minister will open the debate which last around five hours. No vote is expected.
During the pandemic, MPs have been able to speak in debates via video link from their offices or homes. Although Boris Johnson has suggested MPs could contribute remotely on Wednesday, in fact, with most Covid restrictions in the Commons having been lifted, only those present in the chamber will be able to take part.
Attendance is not compulsory - MPs are being "encouraged" to attend. If there is a vote - which looks unlikely - only those absent due to parental leave will be able to vote by proxy rather than in person.
The House of Lords, whose members include former defence chiefs and ministers involved in the deployment of British troops in 2001, will also meet at 1100 for a five-hour debate. Unlike in the Commons, this will be a "hybrid" sitting, with peers able to contribute by video link. Again, there is unlikely to be a vote. By noon on Monday, more than eighty peers had indicated they wish to speak, including the former head of the Army, Lord Dannatt.
Previous recalls
This will be the 34th recall of Parliament during a recess since 1948. Some of the more significant recent recalls have seen MPs debate and vote on Covid restrictions in England (January 2021) and, a week earlier, both the Commons and the Lords sat to debate legislation to put the UK's Brexit deal into law, one day before the deadline of December 31.
International events have often prompted recalls. MPs returned from recess to debate the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the "Iraq and weapons of mass destruction" a year later. In 1982, there were two recalls, including a rare Saturday sitting, to debate the invasion of the Falkland Islands.
What might MPs raise with the PM?
Some have questioned the point of Parliament being recalled to discuss events that have already happened over which their influence is limited.
Conservative former Defence Minister Johnny Mercer told the Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4: "Parliament's being recalled. So what? The airport is under siege.
"Boris Johnson has said he doesn't want Afghanistan to become a place for terrorism, it doesn't mean anything to the families of those who lost their sons and daughters in this war."
But Labour Party Chair Anneliese Dodds said there were urgent questions for ministers to answer over resettlement programmes for Afghans who had been left "to sink or swim."
She added: "There most definitely is a point in Parliament being recalled, it's been very disturbing that we have not seen a clear government response. We do need to have that session in Parliament."
And the SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, told Sky News he hoped the debate would help to "guide the UK government" and its approach to Nato and the United Nations.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the prime minister should call a meeting of UK party leaders to discuss what he said was an "extremely dangerous" situation.
