A break for punch-drunk politicians

Nick Clegg
Image caption Former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg was a casualty of the 2017 general election

So farewell, then: majority government, the EU, deficit reduction, new grammar schools, Commons clerks with wigs, MPs with ties, and Nick Clegg.

Parliament's summer break gives a punch-drunk political establishment a much-needed chance to ponder the total transformation of the political scene over the year since the EU referendum.

But Parliament and in particular the Commons will now be critical to whatever decisions the government attempts to push through, whether on Brexit, social care funding or pretty much anything else.

So, leaving aside the PM and the Labour leader, who will be the key figures?

John Bercow

Image copyright PA
Image caption John Bercow is unlikely to be vacating the Speaker's chair any time soon

In other circumstances Mr Speaker would be cruising toward the end of his period in the chair. In this unexpectedly hung Parliament, he has been reinvigorated and shows no signs of moving on.

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Blockages as committee system struggles to get going

Dominic Grieve Image copyright HoC
Image caption Keen to stand: will Dominic Grieve be the chair of the ISC?

As the new set of select committee chairs don their purple striped togas, there are still a few vacant niches in key parts of the committee system.

First off - the Intelligence and Security Committee. The ISC is emphatically not a select committee of Parliament; it is a committee of parliamentarians appointed by the prime minister to oversee the security services.

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Week ahead in Parliament

Parliament Image copyright AFP

It's the final four days of Parliament before the summer recess, with not all that much to occupy honourable members and noble lords, although Labour have succeeded in engineering an emergency debate to complain about the way the Commons has been managed, since the election.

Wiser heads are advising new members to enjoy the relative quiet while they can, on the expectation that Brexit hostilities will commence when they return in September, and the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill is debated.

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What do the elections of select committee chairs tell us?

Treasury Committee Image copyright HoC

To the smartest the spoils.

The results of the elections for chairs of the Commons select committees are due this evening, and the detailed results will shine a fascinating light on the fault-lines of the new House of Commons.

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Week ahead in Parliament

Brexit Committee Image copyright HoC
Image caption Committee chairs will be chosen next week - all eyes on those important prizes

Parliament continues to mark time, with business in both Houses dominated by general debates and uncontroversial legislation.

But beneath the surface, Westminster life seethes with intrigue.

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Parliament takes pride in role in gay rights struggles

Flying the flag for LGBT rights - Parliament shows it solidarity
Image caption Flying the flag for LGBT rights - Parliament shows it solidarity

Westminster's "palace of enchantments" will be given an LGBTI gleam this weekend - lit up in the colours of the rainbow flag to mark both Pride Week and also the 50th anniversary of the Act of Parliament which legalised gay sex.

The decision was taken by Commons Speaker John Bercow and the Lord Speaker, Lord Fowler, who explained their thinking in their first-ever joint interview, for Radio 4's Today in Parliament.

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Five takeouts from this Parliament so far

Scaffolding Image copyright PA
Image caption Will MPs move out to allow repairs to the Houses of Parliament?

Some take-outs from this Parliament:

1. Conservative Brexiteers maintain their public show of confidence that their vision will be fulfilled, but some are increasingly nervous.

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Who's the Tories' six million dollar man?

Candidates
Image caption Some of the names in the frame: would Priti Patel, Rory Stewart or Grant Shapps provide the magic the Tories need?

Remember the Six Million Dollar Man, the 1970s TV series in which an injured astronaut was equipped with super-strong mechanical limbs and ultra-acute senses?

I've often wondered if its tag line, "we can rebuild him, better than before, stronger...." was the inspiration for a number of projects on the Labour benches of the Commons in the last Parliament, where teams of MPs toiled to retrofit potential leadership challengers with such qualities as people skills, a sense of humour, policy grasp, or a political cutting edge.

Read full article Who's the Tories' six million dollar man?

Week ahead in Parliament

Theresa May at this week's PMQs Image copyright HOc
Image caption PMQs this week was just over 50 minutes long - Mr Speaker is letting it run on longer than the allotted half hour

The last time I noted a quiet-looking parliamentary week ahead, the prime minister went and called an election, so it is with some trepidation that I suggest that next week's agendas in the Commons and Lords look a little short of drama.

Labour MPs are on a two-line whip for a humdrum week of non-controversial legislation and several general debates, with no sign, yet, of the eagerly-awaited Great Repeal Bill, which will be the centrepiece of the forthcoming Brexit legislation.

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Week ahead in Parliament

Theresa May Queen's Speech Image copyright Hoc
Image caption Will Theresa May face problems as MPs vote on the Queen's Speech on Thursday?

The new Parliament swings into action next week with votes on the Queens Speech in the Commons and Lords.

And behind the scenes the whole place is seething with intrigue and jockeying for position.

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