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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Peter Walker Political correspondent

Parliament returns: the major challenges facing MPs on all sides

Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May
Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May will face each other in the Commons amid a feverish political atmosphere. Photograph: Sky News

When parliament resumes on Tuesday, MPs will return to one of the most feverish political atmospheres in recent decades. There is a lot at stake, not just for Theresa May, and much could change in the coming weeks. Here are the main challenges ahead:

Conservatives

  • Agree a Brexit deal with Brussels. Otherwise, with fewer than 30 weeks to the deadline for leaving the EU, the prospect of a no-deal exit looms.

  • Shepherd a Brexit deal through parliament – possibly May’s biggest challenge.

  • One for Tory MPs: decide whether May should stay in place for now, or launch a more immediate challenge to her leadership.

Labour

Other parties

  • The Liberal Democrats need Vince Cable to either clarify his position and assuage worries over his leadership, or stand aside.

  • The Scottish National party faces serious divisions over Alex Salmond’s plan to take legal action over the government’s handling of allegations of sexual harassment made against him.

  • The Greens face a leadership switch, and an inquiry into a major safeguarding failure in the party.

Calendar for the coming months

4 September: Parliament returns after the summer recess. New Green party leaders announced.

15 September: The Lib Dem annual conference opens in Brighton.

20 September: Informal EU summit in Salzburg, Austria, which is expected to discuss May’s Brexit plan.

23 September: The Labour conference starts in Liverpool, where Corbyn is likely to face pressure over antisemitism, Brexit and internal party rules.

30 September: The Conservative conference begins in Birmingham, where several of May’s would-be successors are likely to be on manoeuvres and her Chequers plan could face opposition.

18 October: EU summit in Brussels, at which – in theory – a Brexit deal should be agreed.

November/December: More likely period in which a Brexit deal will be agreed.

29 March 2019: Brexit day.

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