Coronavirus: Labour demands ‘urgent talks’ with government to recall parliament amid Covid-19 crisis

'The best decisions are those that are challenged and subject to scrutiny,' says Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer has demanded “urgent talks” with the government over the coronavirus pandemic as a cross-party group of MPs and peers called for the immediate virtual recall of parliament.

After the UK death toll rose towards 10,000, the Labour leader said the House of Commons should open for business after Easter, even if it means MPs ask questions over webcams.

“Parliament has a responsibility to put questions to ministers at this time of national crisis,” Sir Keir wrote in a letter to Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg.​

“The best decisions are those that are challenged and subject to scrutiny. And by that process issues can be resolved, mistakes quickly rectified and individual concerns addressed, which will help save lives and protect our country.

“But if parliament is not sitting or functioning effectively that cannot happen.”

The former director of prosecutions for the Crown Prosecution Service said Labour supported “many of the measures” implemented by the government but set out a list of questions that “need to be answered”.

He called for clarity over an exit strategy from the lockdown imposed on the UK, along with answers over the “ramping up of testing” for Covid-19 and the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS staff.

It comes after home secretary Priti Patel told reporters during a Downing Street briefing that she did “not know yet” whether parliament would resume on the scheduled date of 21 April.

Ed Davey, acting leader of the Lib Dems, Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas and the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford all support an immediate virtual recall of parliament this coming week.

They have signed a letter from a cross party group of MPs and peers to Dominic Raab stating that “we should be able to hold the government to account publicly”.

The Labour leader is not a signatory but has requested a meeting with Mr Rees-Mogg and Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to discuss how to “guarantee” the Commons would return to work.

“I accept that it is difficult for parliament to return to business as usual at the moment, but there are clear examples around the world of parliaments operating effectively by using new technologies and different models,” Sir Keir added.

Work has been commissioned by Mr Hoyle to ensure a “virtual” chamber can be up and running after the Easter recess.

It could see MPs questioning ministers from their homes by webcam if the lockdown is still in place and a relaxing of rules that require MPs and peers to be physically present to walk through voting lobbies when passing legislation.

Additional reporting by agencies