Opinion: UK government must loosen its grip on parliamentary process

Temporary measures introduced in a pandemic panic should have been phased out a long time ago, says Professor Meg Russell (UCL Constitution Unit). The House of Commons returned from Easter recess a year ago transformed by the Covid pandemic. With the population told to "work at home if you can", new arrangements were established to allow MPs to participate virtually in committees, debates and votes. Before Easter, parliament had rapidly passed the Coronavirus Act granting the government extensive emergency powers. Initially, many assumed that the emergency measures affecting both parliament and the public would operate only briefly. But today conditions remain far from normal. Covid's impact on the operation of parliament has been profound, to an extent most would have considered unthinkable a year ago.