MPs will be allowed to cram into the House of Commons chamber next week for the first “full capacity” session of prime minister’s questions since the Covid pandemic began. With social distancing due to be scrapped across England from 19 July, some rules on the parliamentary estate will also be relaxed to make sure that Westminster keeps in step with the rest of the country. The Commons went into a hybrid system of virtual and in-person proceedings last March, with just 50 MPs allowed into the main debating room where bills are discussed and ministers give statements. While some government figures have attempted to return the building to its pre-pandemic state over the past 12 months, strict protocols remained in place. They include hazard tape marking out areas in which MPs should avoid moving around, masks needing to be worn by those waiting to speak, and plastic covers being placed over the dispatch boxes that can be cleaned between items of business. With Covid cases rising to their highest level since January 2021 but the vaccine programme meaning deaths have remained relatively low so far, senior MPs on the House of Commons commission – chaired by the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle – decided on Monday to ditch some restrictions.
In the chamber, the maximum capacity limit will be lifted and ticks and crosses to signify which seats can be used will be removed. For the four days the Commons will sit before the summer recess, virtual participation will continue, MPs will be encouraged to wear face coverings and proxy voting will remain. This means on 21 July, the penultimate day before parliament breaks up, hundreds of politicians will be able to congregate for PMQs. Wera Hobhouse, a Liberal Democrat MP, said that while parliament was usually quieter in the run-up to recess, Johnson may seek to use his weekly grilling as a “publicity stunt”, with Tory backbenchers packed in to “scream, shout and cheer him on like in the old days”. Jawad Raza, a national officer of the FDA union, which represents many civil servants, also said the relaxation “shows scant regard for the wellbeing of parliamentary staff”, adding that cramming hundreds of MPs into a building with “little to no ventilation” was “downright reckless”. Bars on the estate will also open but staff will be encouraged to come on to the estate only for a business or wellbeing reason. Hoyle said in a letter to MPs: “I look forward to seeing the House buzzing again, and to welcoming back so many colleagues who we haven’t seen for many months due to the pandemic.”