In the United Kingdom, decisions as to whether the
House of Commons or
House of Lords should be recalled are the responsibility of the
Speakers of those individual bodies, and are usually taken following a request from the government. This follows a 2001 recommendation from the
Hansard Society Commission on Parliamentary Scrutiny that "the Speaker of the Commons should have the ability to recall Parliament at times of emergency". This is codified by the House of Commons Standing Order 13.
Examples Westminster In the United Kingdom, Parliament has been recalled on the following occasions:
20th Century • 27–29 September 1949: To discuss the
devaluation of the
pound sterling. • 12 and 19 September 1950: To discuss the
Korean War.
21st Century • 14 September 2001: To discuss the
September 11 attacks in the United States. • 24 September 2002: To debate the situation in Iraq following the publication of the
September Dossier on
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. • 20 July 2011: For a statement on public confidence in the media and police in the wake of the
News International phone hacking scandal. • 10 April 2013: To allow MPs to pay tribute to former Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher following
her death. • 29 August 2013: To discuss the
Syrian Civil War, and the use of
chemical weapons by the Syrian government. • 26 September 2014: To discuss possible
military intervention against the
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in
Iraq and
Syria. • 20 June 2016: To allow MPs to pay tribute to
Labour MP
Jo Cox, who was
killed in a violent attack a few days earlier. • 25 September 2019: Following the outcome of
R (Miller) v The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland the previous day, which had ruled the
prorogation of parliament earlier that month was "unlawful, void and to no effect" and that MPs and peers should be free to resume sitting immediately. However,
Speaker of the House John Bercow did not consider this to be a recall of parliament since the prorogation had been ruled unlawful. • 2 June 2020: The House of Commons was recalled for an earlier sitting to debate and vote on proceedings during its
divisions, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. • 30 December 2020: Parliament was recalled to debate and pass the
European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020. • 6 January 2021: The House of Commons was recalled to debate and vote on regulations relating to public health during the
COVID-19 pandemic. • 12 April 2021: The House of Commons was recalled a day early after its Easter break to allow MPs to pay tribute to
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh following
his death on 9 April. The House of Lords was already due to sit on 12 April. • 18 August 2021: To discuss the
situation in Afghanistan following the
fall of Kabul to the Taliban. • 12 April 2025: To discuss emergency legislation to save the
Scunthorpe Steelworks from closure.
Northern Ireland • 9 September 2021: The
Northern Ireland Assembly was recalled to discuss levels of
COVID-related school absences. • 8 August 2024: Stormont was recalled to discuss the
2024 United Kingdom riots.
Wales • 6 August 2024: The
Senedd was recalled to choose a new
First Minister following the resignation of
Vaughan Gething and the
July 2024 Welsh Labour leadership election. ==References==