Tomorrow MPs will swap dodgy internet connections and politics by Zoom for a real life journey into the House of Commons. Under government orders, MPs who can are to return to Parliament, as part of the government’s drive to encourage those who cannot work from home to travel to the office.
For one group of MPs though, the changes will be more dramatic. At the moment, the government is advising that those over 70 are in a high-risk category and should therefore not really be travelling in to work. So where does that leave the over-70 MPs who can no longer take part in proceedings via video link? And will it change the composition of the Commons?
At the moment there are 24 MPs who are aged 70 or over, split fairly evenly between the Labour party and the Conservatives.
11 Tory MPs are over the threshold, including backbenchers such as David Davis, Christopher Chope and William Cash.
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