Labour make plans to fill “zombie government’s” empty parliamentary time

Labour are devising plans to form a series of debates over the coming weeks, forcing Lib Dem and Tory MPs to return to Westminster from their constituencies, in order to highlight the lack of legislation coming from the Government.

According to the Financial Times, senior figures in the party are unhappy that the Coalition, whom they’ve dubbed the “zombie government”, now lacks a legislative agenda and are instead using the spare time to campaign in marginal seats.

The FT points out: “By the midpoint of the second Labour government, from 2001-2005, the government had allocated nearly 390 hours of Commons time to government business. Half way through its third government, from 2005-2010, the party had spent just over 370 hours. By the midpoint of this parliament, however, the equivalent figure was just over 284 hours.”

Governments tend to call elections after around four years, but the Coalition agreement included  fixed five-year terms for parliaments, meaning the date for the next election has already been set for next May. However, the majority of policies within the agreement have now been legislated for, and controversial Conservative strategist Lynton Crosby has supposedly instructed departments now to concentrate on issues that “are not core to the government’s agenda”.

The question now on everyone’s lips is surely: Will this mean return of 2001’s zombie posters?