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Advance UK News Diary

June 6-12: MPs return to Westminster and French parliamentary elections

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June 1, 2022
  • Slice 1

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week 

MPs return to the Commons on Monday (June 6) to a Westminster gripped by the intrigue over a possible leadership challenge to Boris Johnson amid rising Tory party anger over the conclusion of Sue Gray’s partygate investigation. Speculation was rife during the recess week about the prime minister’s future, with many in SW1 playing a game of letter-counting as more Conservative MPs went public with their submissions to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady.  

While the usual loyal Cabinet members came out in support of Johnson on the day of the Gray report’s publication, the number of public demands for his resignation from disgruntled backbenchers and former ministers shows that the triple apology was not enough to draw a line under the matter. With the number of letters reportedly getting closer to the magic figure of 54, this is likely to be one of the most crucial weeks of Johnson’s premiership…though there is speculation that some MPs (or Brady) may wait until after the June 23 by-elections to make their move, leaving Johnson in limbo a bit longer. 

Labour will use its Opposition Day debate on Tuesday (June 7) to debate ministerial standards and force a vote on enshrining the commitment that ministers who commit serious breaches of the Ministerial Code must resign, following changes Johnson published last week. The Privileges Committee meets the same day to wrap up its outstanding business so it can begin its inquiry (with a new chairman in place) into whether Johnson misled the House. 

With allegations about new parties and interference in Gray’s report continuing to trickle out, Keir Starmer may choose to focus on standards again at PMQs on Wednesday to avoid putting too much of a spotlight on the government’s £21 billion cost of living package (even if Labour is taking credit for it). Chancellor Rishi Sunak is grilled on the nuts and bolts of the package by the Treasury committee on Monday, and the economic impact will continue to crop up throughout the week as the OECD publishes its Economic Outlook on Wednesday and the ONS puts out a release on Friday looking at people’s worries about the rising costs of living.


Looking abroad 

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne

After securing re-election in April by defeating far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron faces a fresh challenge as France begins its legislative elections on Sunday (June 12), with a second round taking place a week later, on June 19. Macron will be hoping to secure a majority for his LREM movement to push through some of the more controversial aspects of his legislative agenda, such as pension reforms. But he faces challenges from the right and left, notably from the new Nupes leftist alliance headed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who harbours hopes of winning enough seats to force Macron into appointing him prime minister. 

To add to the uncertainty, Élisabeth Borne, the current prime minister who was only appointed to the position on May 16, is herself seeking election to parliament for the first time. Macron has confirmed that any ministers, including the prime minister, would be expected to step down if they lose their elections, and Borne’s resignation would require a whole new government to be nominated. But a loss for Borne is viewed as unlikely, despite claims from opponents that she has parachuted into the area; she has the backing of the outgoing LREM representative of the Vire-Evrecy (Calvados) seat, Alain Tourret, and Macron defeated Le Pen in both rounds in the district. 

Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

All eyes are on Congress as lawmakers return from recess (June 6) facing mounting pressure to confront the nation’s gun violence epidemic in the wake of horrific mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer postponed legislative action on the issue until this week in the hopes of reaching a bipartisan agreement, but with only a handful of Republicans at the negotiating table, Democrats face an uphill battle to fulfill President Joe Biden’s promise to the families of victims in Uvalde that politicians will ‘do something’ to tackle gun violence. 

In the House of Representatives, votes are due on a package of eight gun control bills that are likely to pass but almost certain to stall in the Senate. The House Oversight Committee has also scheduled a hearing on gun violence (June 8) with further committee hearings expected during the week. If progress has not been made by the weekend, pressure is set to reach a climax when the survivors of the 2018 Parkland school shooting hold a March for Our Lives rally in Washington DC (June 11).


 

Also look out for...

June 6

Four-day week pilot begins 

London Underground strike 

Estonian Prime Minister awarded Grotius Prize 

IAEA Board of Governors meeting 

England v New Zealand first test 

June 7

Lord Frost at Public Accounts Committee on international treaties 

Sajid Javid at committee session on NHS staffing crisis

‘March on the Met’ protest 

US midterm primaries in seven states 

CBI Net Zero Conference 

Time 100 Summit 

June 8

Swiss corruption trial for Sepp Blatter and Michael Platini 

E.ON CEO at select committee session 

Sergei Lavrov visits Turkey 

European Parliament debate on Ukraine 

Summit of the Americas 

June 9

January 6 investigation hearings resume 

Eric Pickles at select committee session on Greensill  

Katherine Birbalsingh speech on social mobility 

Tommy Robinson in the High Court 

OECD Ministerial Council 

ECB interest rate decision 

June 10

IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 

Premier League transfer window opens 

England v New Zealand second test 

June 11

Co-Operative Party Local Government Conference 

Le Mans 24hr Race 

June 12

WTO Ministerial Conference 

GMB Congress 

F1: Azerbaijan Grand Prix 

Tony Awards 

Statistics, reports and results

June 6

Oxfam report on climate change and communities 

Comparing international labour markets over the pandemic (ONS) 

Forced saving during the pandemic (ONS) 

UK household finance review 

SMMT car sales figures 

June 7

South Africa and Greece Q1 GDP 

British Retail Consortium Retail Sales Monitor 

UK services PMI 

Centrica AGM 

June 8

Japan Q1 GDP 

UK environmental protection expenditure 

UK construction PMI 

June 9

UK labour productivity statistics 

Counter-terrorism statistics 

UNCTAD World Investment Report 

Travel Trends 2021 

June 10

US CPI and consumer sentiment index 

ONS release on public opinions and social trends 

Anniversaries and Awareness Days

June 6

78 years ago: D-Day landings 

Bike Week (to June 12) 

World Tetris Day 

June 8

World Oceans Day 

National Best Friends Day 

June 9

Three years ago: Hong Kong protest over extradition changes 

June 10

15 years ago: Final episode of The Sopranos aired 

June 11

One month ago: Shireen Abu Akleh killed 

June 12

Six years ago: Orlando Pulse attack 

55 years ago: US legalised interracial marriage 

Russia Day 

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