Political Updates 18th April 2017

This week’s Political Updates, covers moves and changes at all levels of government. 

• Prime Minister Theresa May has announced plans to call a snap general election on 8 June.
• The House of Commons returned from recess on the 18th April.
• Professor Francis Davis, who is the Professor of Communities and Public Policy at the University of Birmingham, has been appointed to the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) by Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work.
• Philip Rycroft has taken up a role as Second Permanent Secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union. 
• Professor Julius Weinberg has been appointed as the next Chair of Ofsted.
• Julian Knight has been discharged from the Communities and Local Government Committee and has been replaced by Christopher Chope. 

Scottish Parliament

• The Scottish Parliament returned from recess on the 17th April.

Northern Ireland Assembly

• Talks aimed at restoring a power-sharing cross community government in Northern Ireland were given a deadline of 18th April. At this point, there is still a lack of agreement between the parties. Sources at the talks have described the government’s planned moves if the negotiations fail as “direct rule by stealth”.

• This week the Members of the European Parliament will be undertaking activities outside the Parliament. They will work either in their constituency in their home country, where they have the opportunity to interact with their electorate, or in Parliamentary delegations, responsible for maintaining relations with non-EU countries.