This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate scheduled to take place in the House of Lords on 22 March 2018 on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 and on the International Relations Committee report, 'Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018'.
CHOGM 2018 (392 KB , PDF)
From 16 to 20 April 2018, the United Kingdom will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The summit will focus on delivering four outcomes under the theme of working ‘towards a common future’. The outcomes are: prosperity by boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment; security and increasing cooperation to tackle issues such as cybercrime and human trafficking; fairness by promoting democracy across the Commonwealth; and sustainability through building the resilience of smaller states to deal with the effects of climate change and global crises. In her speech at the meeting, the Prime Minister, Theresa May, will outline the need for the Commonwealth to have a clearer purpose, and to be better able to address the global challenges that the Commonwealth faces.
Preceding the Heads of Government Meeting will be four forums: the Commonwealth Youth Forum; the Commonwealth Women’s Forum; the Commonwealth Business Forum; and the Commonwealth People’s Forum.
This Briefing examines the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the desired outcomes of the meeting. It also details recent parliamentary activity about the 2018 meeting, including the recommendations and conclusions made by the House of Lords International Relations Committee in its report, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018, published on 7 February 2018. In addition, this Briefing provides a background to the Commonwealth and some of its bodies.
CHOGM 2018 (392 KB , PDF)
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill is a government bill carried over from the 2022–23 session. It is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 5 December 2023.
The chancellor presented the autumn statement on 22 November 2023. He said that because of difficult decisions he had taken over the last year, he was able to announce tax cuts in support of boosting growth. However, the Office for Budget Responsibility noted that taxation as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) was still predicted to rise in each of the next five years to a post-war high of 38% of GDP in 2028/29. In addition, commentators have expressed concern that the funding for the tax measures has come at the expense of increased pressures on public services.
This briefing considers the current economic situation ahead of the 2023 King’s Speech. It also covers other economy, business and trade-related measures that the government has indicated it may pursue. Such measures include regulatory reform, reforming the way in which building societies can fund themselves, and legislation to implement specific areas of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in UK domestic law.
