What are the dates?
MPs are off for the summer, and they'll return to the House of Commons on September the 5th.
Is it really that simple?
If only. In reality, the set dates are often abandoned. While Parliament can be put on hold, the problems it’s built to deal with can’t. That’s why it’s been recalled on 41 occasions since 1949, including twice in 2013: once to honour Thatcher, once to discuss the crisis in Syria. The recesses do often run through without being cut short, but that’s often down to the resilience of the Prime Minister, not the contentment of MPs. The most extreme example of someone refusing to recall parliament probably belongs to King Charles I, who refused to summon Parliament for 11 years in the early 17th century. Unable to raise taxes without MPs’ support, he resorted to a then-antiquated law which required towns to contribute money for ship building. It didn't go down smoothly.
Is it just one long holiday?
No. Many squeeze a quick one in, but you won’t catch Jacob Rees-Mogg jet-skiing round Thailand just yet. Recesses exist so that MPs have enough time to do their constituency work. As lots of this needs doing even when they aren’t in Parliament, they tend to use the time to respond to letters, visit local businesses, and run advice surgeries for constituents. That, along with obligatory attendance of the local strawberry fayre, means MPs are kept fairly (fayrely?) well occupied. Michael Ellis, MP for Northampton North, even spent one recess a few years ago flipping burgers so as to better understand his constituents’ work.
Are other countries the same?
Plenty of countries operate on similar schedules to ours: The Dutch House of Representatives is on recess from 3rd July to 31st August, and their Christmas recess this year will be 24 days to the UK’s 19. There’s some variation, though. One thing’s clear: with Norway’s Storting chamber in recess for almost as long this summer as our MPs are over the entire year, and Finland’s Parliament in summer recess for well over two months, our MPs might be value for money after all.
MPs are off for the summer, and they'll return to the House of Commons on September the 5th.
Is it really that simple?
If only. In reality, the set dates are often abandoned. While Parliament can be put on hold, the problems it’s built to deal with can’t. That’s why it’s been recalled on 41 occasions since 1949, including twice in 2013: once to honour Thatcher, once to discuss the crisis in Syria. The recesses do often run through without being cut short, but that’s often down to the resilience of the Prime Minister, not the contentment of MPs. The most extreme example of someone refusing to recall parliament probably belongs to King Charles I, who refused to summon Parliament for 11 years in the early 17th century. Unable to raise taxes without MPs’ support, he resorted to a then-antiquated law which required towns to contribute money for ship building. It didn't go down smoothly.
Is it just one long holiday?
No. Many squeeze a quick one in, but you won’t catch Jacob Rees-Mogg jet-skiing round Thailand just yet. Recesses exist so that MPs have enough time to do their constituency work. As lots of this needs doing even when they aren’t in Parliament, they tend to use the time to respond to letters, visit local businesses, and run advice surgeries for constituents. That, along with obligatory attendance of the local strawberry fayre, means MPs are kept fairly (fayrely?) well occupied. Michael Ellis, MP for Northampton North, even spent one recess a few years ago flipping burgers so as to better understand his constituents’ work.
Are other countries the same?
Plenty of countries operate on similar schedules to ours: The Dutch House of Representatives is on recess from 3rd July to 31st August, and their Christmas recess this year will be 24 days to the UK’s 19. There’s some variation, though. One thing’s clear: with Norway’s Storting chamber in recess for almost as long this summer as our MPs are over the entire year, and Finland’s Parliament in summer recess for well over two months, our MPs might be value for money after all.
