Week beginning 14th September 2026

This was a short week before the start of conference recess, when the parties will hold their annual conferences.

Monday 14th September 2026

Monday began with the announcing of the plan to nationalise Speciality Steel, a steel plant.

The sovereign grant, money given to the crown, was debated. The amount is decreasing due to the conclusion of renovation of Buckingham Palace.

Parliament recognised the 90th anniversary of the battle of Cable Street, when Jewish people, socialists and trade union members worked together to stop fascists from marching through Jewish neighbourhoods in east London by forming a blockade, despite violence initiated by both the fascists and police.

Tuesday 15th September 2026

Parliament debated a bill that would allow strategic authorities, such as mayoralities, to decide to levy a tourism tax for overnight stays in the area. The details of the tax and what it is spent on would be decided by each strategic authorities who would hold a consultation.

Freddie van Mierlo used this to opportunity to ask the government to decrease the VAT on hospitality.

A total ban on fracking was debated. Fracking, where liquid is injected into rock at high pressure in order to fracture it and release natural gas, is currently subject to a moratorium due to the risk of contamination of the water supply and earthquakes. The moratorium only applies to fracking with high volumes of liquid and a total ban would ensure that lower volume fracking doesn't take place.

Reform's Tice attacked the idea of a ban, going as far as saying that it would be "probably of a criminal order" to not further test fracking techniques despite low public support for shale gas fracking.

The government said that their commitment to no new oil and gas extraction licenses and the current moratorium on high volume fracking for existing extraction is enough to ensure that shale gas fracking does not occur in England.

Endnote

Parliament is now in recess and will return on the Monday 12th October. Last Week will return after that week.

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-- Tom Brandis

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For further infomation see Hansard (the official parliament report).

To contact Freddie van Mierlo email freddie.vanmierlo.mp@parliament.uk. You can follow him on Bluesky.

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