Parliament prorogued: Home Affairs Committee sitting 'informally' for Brexit discussions despite five-week suspension

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Yvette Cooper at a previous Home Affairs Committee meeting (file)
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Jacob Jarvis10 September 2019
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Yvette Cooper has declared the Home Affairs Committee will sit informally despite being unable to do so officially due to the suspension of Parliament.

Ms Cooper, who chairs the cross-party committee, said due to the prorogation a scheduled "formal evidence session" on no-deal Brexit preparations could not take place.

She tweeted: "So instead we are meeting informally - still taking public evidence from the Borders Inspectorate & the Freight Transport Assoc at 10am."

Yesterday she had said the suspension meant the group "can’t meet formally tomorrow to take evidence on border preparations or immigration arrangements under No Deal".

"We’ve not yet had evidence from new Home Secretary on her plans & Parliament is now being stopped for 5 weeks. Completely irresponsible," she tweeted.

Parliament was suspended at around 1.45am this morning and will be shut until October 14 when it will recommence with a Queen's Speech - which the PM said he needs to layout his new legislative agenda.

In chaotic scenes in the Commons, several politicians holding signs which read “silenced” gathered around Speaker John Bercow’s chair shortly before he stood to give his speech on the suspension.

A number of Conservative MPs criticised opposition MPs over their protests in the Commons and Chris Green tweeted: "Just when you thought Labour could not get any more shameful they grapple with doormen to try and stop a normal procedure of the HoC and then stage a sit in. If they want change, they could have called a general election."

Sport minister Nigel Adams accused the opposition of a "ludicrous playground stunt after you blocked a general election for the second time".

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