Radical plans to revamp a part of the historic Commons Chamber are being drawn up to deal with a possible Labour ‘super-majority’, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
This might contain roping off a number of the inexperienced benches historically utilized by the Opposition, reserving them for newly elected Labour MPs to allow them to slot in throughout debates.
The key preparations observe predictions that Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour might soar from simply over 200 MPs to properly over 400 within the new Parliament.
And the variety of Tory MPs might, on some estimates, collapse from about 345 to fewer than 100.
One well-placed Commons supply mentioned: ‘It is doable there might be so many Labour MPs that we allow them to spill over on to what are usually the Opposition benches.
Labour chief Keir Starmer on the marketing campaign path. The key preparations observe predictions that Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour might soar from simply over 200 MPs to properly over 400 within the new Parliament
Diagram of how the Home of Commons might look with a Labour ‘super-majority’
‘We might use a crimson rope or crimson tape to mark out the place Labour MPs would sit.’ The plan emerged simply 24 hours after Boris Johnson raised the alarm over a so-called ‘Starmergeddon’ and urged individuals to vote Tory to forestall a Labour ‘elective dictatorship’.
And the Tories issued alerts over future Labour tax rises by warning that Sir Keir would hit individuals with a ‘vacation tax’ on flying to assist fill a projected £38.5 billion ‘black gap’ in his spending plans.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper mentioned that whereas Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had dominated out any so-called frequent flyer levy, the Labour manifesto was silent on the problem. Tory sources mentioned that there have been so many questions on Sir Keir’s tax plans that Labour will ‘have to reprint their manifesto at this charge’.
Labour hit again by accusing the Tories of creating up ‘fantasy’ tax plans to keep away from answering questions on their very own proposals which might result in a £4,800 hike in household mortgages.
The tax row got here as:
- A brand new seat-by-seat ballot by Survation recommended Labour would win 456 seats, the Tories simply 72 seats, Lib Dems 56 and Reform as many as seven.
- Nigel Farage ready to launch Reform’s election manifesto, with anticipated insurance policies tomorrow to incorporate boosting tax breaks for married {couples};
- Labour candidate Tan Dhesi was known as a ‘Zionist satan’ whereas campaigning in Slough, with authorities adviser Lord Walney branding the abuse ‘disgusting’;
- Well being spokesman Wes Streeting unveiled Labour’s plans to clear the NHS ‘most cancers backlog’ in England amid claims that 700,000 sufferers will wait too lengthy if the Tories are re-elected;
- The PM – attending a peace summit on Ukraine in Switzerland – warned Russia’s allies that they have been ‘putting themselves on the aspect of the aggressor and on the incorrect aspect of historical past’.
A packed Home of Commons in January 2023. By design, the Commons Chamber – opened in Could 1852 – solely has seating for 427 out of 650 MPs, with the remaining pressured to face
Bomb injury within the Homes of Parliament through the Blitz in 1941. After it was destroyed by German bombs within the Second World Conflict, there have been requires the Chamber to be enlarged by changing its well-known rectangular form with a semi-circular design
By lengthy custom within the Commons Chamber, MPs from the governing celebration sit to the appropriate of the Speaker’s Chair and the assorted Opposition events sit to the left. However Commons sources mentioned yesterday that after the election there might be so many Labour MPs – doubtlessly greater than the 418 after Tony Blair’s first landslide in 1997 – that area might be marked out on the Opposition benches to accommodate them
Bodily roping off benches could be controversial as it might seem to breach Commons conference that, technically, MPs can sit the place they like. Nonetheless, one supply identified that it might not be the primary time a Authorities celebration had spilled over on to Opposition benches, saying it occurred in 1931 and 1935 after large majorities for the ruling events.
And by design, the Commons Chamber – opened in Could 1852 – solely has seating for 427 out of 650 MPs, with the remaining pressured to face.
After it was destroyed by German bombs within the Second World Conflict, there have been requires the Chamber to be enlarged by changing its well-known rectangular form with a semi-circular design. Nonetheless, it was rebuilt roughly to its unique dimension and form after Sir Winston Churchill led requires it to retain ‘a way of crowd and urgency’ on nice events.
The nice war-time prime minister argued: ‘If the Home is large enough for all its members, nine-tenths of its debates might be carried out within the miserable ambiance of an virtually empty or half-empty Chamber.’
The brand new Chamber was used for the primary time on October 26, 1950.
Final night time, Home of Commons officers confused that it was as much as MPs – not them – to determine who sat the place on the inexperienced benches.
