The current session of Parliament would normally end this May.
The new session, however, with the State Opening and the first King’s speech, has now been postponed until the autumn. This is fuelling speculation that the next General Election will be twelve months after that in the autumn of 2024.
One of the consequences of this delay in the Parliamentary calendar is that there will be no
more sitting Fridays between now and 2024.
There are normally 13 days in each session during which Private Member’s Bills (PMBs) have precedence.
During longer
sessions the number of such days has often been increased by the Government.
But despite these precedents, the Government is intent on closing down this legislative avenue for backbenchers until next January.
As the MP with the largest number of PMBs in the current
session, I have registered my concern not least because three of my Bills which have been

blocked by the Government relate to the plight of those who have suffered adverse effects
from Covid-19 vaccines and call for changes to the Vaccine Damage Payments legislation.
I am delighted, however, that one of my Bills, the Mobile Homes (Pitch Fees) Bill has now been enacted after completing its passage in the House of Lords.
This measure will help at least 2,000 of my constituents who live in park homes.
Good progress is being made with the legislation to deter illegal immigrants from coming
to the UK in small boats. Fortunately, the Government seems to be listening to those of us who wish to prevent the European Court of Human Rights frustrating the will of Parliament.

The challenge remains of what to do with the large number of asylum claimants in expensive accommodation whose cases are still undecided. Until that is resolved, we will remain a long way short of having taken back control over our borders. Another example of this relates to Northern Ireland. When discussing my amendments, one of which was accepted, to the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, I pointed out that the Bill only applies to Great Britain despite the Conservative Party manifesto having promised an import ban into the UK. The Windsor Framework still prohibits this applying to the whole of the UK which is a good example of the shortcomings of that agreement. That is why I voted against the ‘Stormont Brake’. Some people thought such opposition to be pointless because it could not alter the outcome with the Opposition Parties being in support.

But the essence of democracy is that elected politicians should exercise the courage of their instincts and convictions and vote accordingly.
It was reassuring that so many of my senior colleagues
took the same view.