Analysis: How a virtual Parliament should work

Professor Meg Russell, Director of UCL Constitution Unit and Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Hansard Society set out some key principles for a virtual parliament, during the coronavirus pandemic. Among the many extraordinary consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic are the wide-ranging powers granted to the Government to manage the situation, facilitating lockdown, demanding closure of businesses, and promising compensation at unprecedented levels. To date, the primary accountability for these wide-ranging decisions, and for the detailed handling of the health crisis, has been through journalists at the daily Downing Street press conferences. Increasingly, that feels inadequate, with growing pressure for democratic accountability and scrutiny through Parliament. But as a busy workplace, drawing participants from all over the UK, the challenges that this crisis poses for Parliament itself are huge. With increasing impatience, demands are being made, not least by some MPs, for Parliament to resume its work and scrutinise ministers' handling of the crisis. Its planned return is next Tuesday, 21 April.