MPs are returning to the House of Commons this week following the summer recess, though they’re not going to be there for too long, as party conference season gets underway this month, with Reform UK opening its flagship event in Birmingham this weekend.
The House will rise again on 16 September ahead of the conferences of the most represented parties in the Commons.
Beyond Westminster, the world is keeping a watchful eye on the fallout from a US court decision striking down the majority of US President Donald Trump’s tariff programme.
Parliament returns
Politicians are back in Westminster this week as Parliament returns from its summer recess. Despite the break, it’s been a busy few weeks for international trade.
“Across the summer, international trade has rarely been far from the headlines,” Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade director general, Marco Forgione, wrote in The Parliament Politics.
“No matter your constituency, you will have businesses large and small who are being affected by the rapidly evolving trade landscape,” he said, in his op-ed welcoming MPs back from the summer break.
The government received a boost yesterday, however, after Norway agreed a £10bn contract to build naval frigates in Glasgow. Scottish secretary, Ian Murray, celebrated this as a “success” for Scotland’s shipbuilding industry, saying it would support thousands of jobs.
Movers and shakers
Late last week, Sir Keir Starmer announced a reorganisation of Downing Street ahead of what’s set to a busy autumn for his government. This included adding former Bank of England deputy governor, Minouche Shafik, as a chief economic adviser, and replacing Nin Pandit with Dan York-Smith as principal private secretary.
The minor No 10 reshuffle is ongoing, according to the Guardian. Chief secretary to the treasury, Darren Jones, has been promoted to serve in the same role in the Cabinet Office, being replaced in the treasury by James Murray. A wider Cabinet reshuffle is not expected.
Professor John Van Reenen has also been appointed a growth adviser by chancellor Rachel Reeves today (1 September), as the treasury also continues to prepare the Autumn Statement.
Party conference season
We’re approaching the start of party conference season, as the UK’s political leaders set out their stall for the next year with set-piece speeches and policy discussions.
Reform UK kicks things off on Friday and Saturday (5-6 September) in Birmingham. As well as an “intimate champagne breakfast” with Reform’s leader, Nigel Farage, attendees will hear from senior figures such as Richard Tice and Lee Anderson.
On 7 September, the Trades Union Congress will open its own conference in Brighton, followed by the Liberal Democrats in Bournemouth later this month (20-23 September). Labour’s begins on 28 September, with the Conservatives following on 5 October.
The season ends with the Scottish Green Party on 17-19 October in Edinburgh. MPs will be back in Westminster before then though, when the House returns on 13 October.
Trump tariffs
The world is reacting after a federal appeals court struck down US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies late Friday (29 August), ruling that he overstepped his authority.
By a 7-4 vote, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit set aside five executive orders imposing tariffs on nearly every country on earth, ruling that he was not authorised to impose the measures under his emergency powers.
Trump responded on social media by calling the court “highly partisan” and said the ruling was a “total disaster for the Country”.
“For the second time in this case, a federal court has held that the President’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs are unlawful,” said Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel and director of Litigation at the Liberty Justice Center, adding that the ruling would protect businesses.
The tariffs will remain in place until 14 October to give the administration the chance to appeal.
Legal experts told the Daily Update, before the latest decision, that even if the Trump administration lost the appeal, they expected that it would have a good chance of a favourable outcome in front of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court.
Other dates for the diary
- Monday: Labor Day national holiday in the US
- Tuesday: Final phase of trial of former Brazil president, Jair Bolsonaro, begins
- Wednesday: Trump to host Polish president, Karol Nawrocki, in the White House
- Thursday: 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival begins
- Friday: EU GDP and US jobs report both published
- Saturday: England men’s football team play Andorra in Aston Villa stadium
- Sunday: US Open tennis tournament ends
