This House of Lords Library briefing gives a brief overview of the ceremony for the 2017 State Opening of Parliament and how it differs from previous years.
State Openings of Parliament: Reduced Ceremonial (527 KB , PDF)
It has been announced that the State Opening which will take place on 21 June 2017 will be conducted on the following basis:
This briefing gives an outline of the traditional State Opening Ceremony, followed by a description of the State Openings of 1939 and March 1974, setting out how the ceremonies in these years differed from the norm.
State Openings of Parliament: Reduced Ceremonial (527 KB , PDF)
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the House of Lords agreed to introduce virtual participation in debates to allow for social distancing and help prevent the spread of the virus. It has also introduced remote voting in divisions. This In Focus article considers the impact of these changes. It also summarises the discussions over how long these changes should be retained.
The House of Lords made several changes to its procedures during the Covid-19 pandemic. This included the use of virtual sittings and sittings which featured both physical and remote participation. This article provides a chronology of these developments.
Catch up on parliamentary and constitutional developments with a selection of articles you may have missed. Articles this month look at the politics of the campaign trial, and mark ten years since the referendum on the alternative vote electoral system.
