Exhausted by weeks of campaigning, the 650 successful MPs elected on 8 June will have just five days to rest and recharge their batteries before the new Parliament begins and gets back to business on Tuesday 13 June.

Unless current plans were to be changed, Parliament will sit for six weeks before rising for summer recess on Thursday 20 July. In that time it will go through a number of important procedures that mark the start of any new Parliament.

The first item of business will be to choose the Speaker of the House, with John Bercow seeking to return to the Chair.

Substantive policy and legislative business will not begin until the Queen’s Speech on Monday 19 June. Owing to the snap nature of the general election, this year’s State Opening of Parliament will be a pared-back affair. However, the contents of the government’s legislative programme will be as important as ever.

This paper outlines the proceedings that will take place in the early days of a new Parliament, including the swearing-in of MPs, the election of Deputy Speakers, and the establishment of select committees and election of their chairs and members. The paper also explores the anticipated timing and management of future business such as the Queen’s Speech, a possible Budget, and the Private Members’ Bill ballot.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. First Week: Speaker’s Election
  3. First Week: Swearing-In
  4. The Queen’s Speech
  5. Election of Deputy Speakers
  6. Select Committees
    • Election of select committee chairs
    • Term limits for chairs
    • Election and nomination of select committee members
    • Committee membership and minor party representation
    • Time-limited committees: Exiting the EU Committee and Women and Equalities Committee
    • House of Lords select committees
  7. Opposition Parties
  8. The Budget and Estimates
    • The Budget Statement and debate
    • The Finance Bill
    • Estimates
  9. Private Members’ Bill Ballots
  10. Issues for the 2017 Parliament

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