The 'wash-up' period

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's decision to call a general election has kickstarted the "wash-up" period, as Parliament is to be formally dissolved. Today, Friday 24 May 2024, marks the end of the current Parliamentary session before the dissolution of Parliament on Thursday 30th May 2024.

The wash-up period involves the Government rushing to progress outstanding legislation and striving to pass laws prior to Parliament being prorogued later today. With such a stringent timeframe, numerous bills that have defined this parliamentary session are likely to fall by the wayside if not finalised before the prorogation.

The leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, has spoken out on the Bills to be ‘shelved’ and the Bills to be included in wash-up process and rushed through. Ms Mordaunt confirmed yesterday that wash-up negotiations with the Opposition parties are ongoing and could not yet confirm which Bills will or will not be in, but that cross-party support was needed at this stage of the Parliament to get this legislation through.

One of the Bills likely to be dropped is the Renter's Reform Bill. The Bill was the Conservative Government's masterplan to transform the private rented sector, redressing the balance between landlords and renters, including the ban on no-fault evictions. Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, says he cannot say for sure whether the Renters Reform Bill will be ‘waved through’ into law in the so-called wash-up period before Parliament is dissolved later today. As of late last night, it looked unlikely that the Bill would be considered today.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, which promises to ban the sale of new-build leasehold houses and to restrict ground rents on existing homes, is set to be debated before Parliament today in attempt to pass the law prior to Parliament being prorogued.