Recall of Parliament

Both Houses of Parliament can be recalled when they are adjourned (not sitting) if there is urgent business that they need to consider.

On Saturday 12 April 2025, both Houses of Parliament were recalled to debate and pass the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill (see the House of Commons Hansard and House of Lords Hansard records for details of the debates). This was the 35th recall during a recess since 1948. It was the first recall of Parliament on a Saturday since 1982. 

Who decides whether the Commons is recalled?

Under standing orders, the Speaker of the House of Commons determines whether the House is to be recalled on the basis of representations made by government ministers.

Under the 1997 to 2010 Labour government, MPs argued that they, rather than the government, should be able to make representations to the Speaker to recall Parliament. The Labour government announced proposals to allow MPs as well as the government to request that the Speaker recall Parliament, but the proposals were never implemented.

In a Hansard Society Lecture in October 2017, the then Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, noted that the current rules allow only the government to request a recall of the House of Commons. He said that the government should have the power to request a recall, but he asked whether another mechanism could be devised to allow other MPs to request a recall.

Who covers MPs’ costs when the Commons is recalled?

The costs incurred by MPs in attending the House when it is recalled are met by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in accordance with rules in The Scheme of MPs’ Business Costs and Expenses.

Can the Lords and the devolved legislatures be recalled?

The standing orders of the House of Lords and of the devolved legislatures in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast provide for early recall if the circumstances require it.

The House of Lords has generally been recalled when the House of Commons has been recalled. As noted above, the House of Lords was recalled on 12 April 2025 to debate the steel industry and the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill.

Was Parliament recalled when the Queen died?

Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, neither House was recalled under the procedures in their standing orders.

The Succession to the Crown Act 1707 requires Parliament to meet if it is adjourned or prorogued. Both Houses were scheduled to sit on 9 September 2022, but scheduled business was not taken. Instead, tributes were paid to Her late Majesty.