Parliament and Government Summary — 13 July 2026

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MPs and peers considered high-impact legislation across immigration, industry and transport, while the Government also published statistics and announced new trade steps, alongside Culture Committee scrutiny of music and heritage.

Key points

  • MPs voted at Second Reading on the Immigration and Asylum Bill, deciding whether it should proceed through Parliament.
  • Peers debated Lords legislation including bills on steel nationalisation, railways and civil aviation consumer protection.
  • The Government published ONS analyses and divorce and dissolution figures, and announced a UK–Switzerland free trade agreement aimed at food and drink exporters.

Main development

The day’s central legislative focus in the Commons was the Immigration and Asylum Bill. MPs took it to Second Reading and then voted in a grouped sequence, which is the stage where the House decides whether the Bill should continue through Parliament. In parallel with the formal bill consideration, Members also held a Westminster Hall debate on illegal immigration, concentrating on offshore detention and deportation policy. Together, the bill vote and the debate show Parliament’s attention to the direction of immigration legislation and the practical operation of removals and detention for people seeking protection. [1] [2] [3] [4]

In the Commons

  • MPs questioned Home Department ministers during Oral Answers on police response to domestic abuse, focusing on safeguarding and how victims can access effective policing and accountability. [5]
  • MPs also debated local government reorganisation in the Commons Chamber, examining how changes to local governance structures could affect the organisation and delivery of public services. [6]

In the Lords

  • In the Lords Chamber, peers considered the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill, reflecting scrutiny of legislation that would change ownership and governance of a strategic sector. [7]
  • Peers also considered the Railways Bill in the Lords Chamber, examining rail legislation that can shape regulation and the delivery of rail services. [8]
  • Further Lords Chamber legislative consideration covered the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill [HL], targeting aviation regulation and consumer protections for air passengers and aviation services. [9]
  • In a Lords Chamber policy debate, peers discussed climate change impacts on housing insurability, mortgage lending and overall financial resilience, focusing on household and finance-sector exposure to climate risk. [10]

Government announcements

  • The Government announced a UK–Switzerland Free Trade Agreement intended to create new opportunities for UK food and drink exporters, setting the focus on access to the Swiss market. [11]
  • The Office for National Statistics published analysis on death certification reform in England and Wales, including how long deaths take to be registered and the causes recorded since the 2025 reforms. [12]
  • ONS also released divorce and civil partnership dissolution figures for England and Wales for 2024 and 2025, reporting annual numbers and rates by partnership type and other breakdowns. [13]

Committee reports

  • The Culture, Media and Sport Committee published a second Special Report on a fan-led review of live and electronic music, together with the Government’s response to the committee’s findings for the sector. [14]
  • The same committee published a third report on protecting built heritage, focusing on how heritage assets are safeguarded and the implications for stewardship and long-term conservation. [15]

Sources used

  1. Immigration and Asylum Bill — Hansard
  2. Illegal Immigrants: Offshore Detention and Deportation — Hansard
  3. Immigration and Asylum Bill: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading — Votes in Parliament
  4. Immigration and Asylum Bill: Second Reading — Votes in Parliament
  5. Domestic Abuse: Police Response — Hansard
  6. Local Government Reorganisation — Hansard
  7. Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill — Hansard
  8. Railways Bill — Hansard
  9. Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill [HL] — Hansard
  10. Climate Change: Housing Insurability, Mortgage Lending and Financial Resilience — Hansard
  11. UK-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement to deliver new opportunities — GOV.UK
  12. Death Certification Reform, England and Wales: 2025 — GOV.UK
  13. Divorces and dissolutions in England and Wales: 2024 and 2025 — GOV.UK
  14. 2nd Special Report – Fan-led review of live and electronic music: Government response — UK Parliament Committees
  15. 3rd Report – Protecting built heritage — UK Parliament Committees

Licensing

Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Last updated

First published on 13 July 2026. No corrections at the time of publication.

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