British Steel vote: Can the House of Commons meet on a Saturday - and when has it been done before?

Draft legislation that would nationalise British Steel companies requires an extra sitting, which will now be read on a rare Saturday sitting. The goal is to secure the future of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant in north Lincolnshire.

Jingye, the Chinese owner of British Steel, plans to close the blast furnaces and switch to a greener form of production.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has been clear, his government will always act in the national interest. All actions we take are in the name of British industry, British jobs and for British workers.

“Tomorrow Parliament will be recalled to debate the Steel Industry (Special Measures) bill. The bill provides the government with the power to direct steel companies in England, which we will use to protect the Scunthorpe site.

“It enables the UK Government to preserve capability and ensure public safety. It also ensures all options remain viable for the future of the plant and the livelihoods it supports.

“We have been negotiating with British Steel’s owners in good faith ever since coming to office. We have always been clear there is a bright future for steel in the UK. All options remain on the table.”

It’s rare for the House of Commons to sit on a Saturday, but not uncommon. However, it has been mainly deployed in times of crisis, initially in wartime. The Parliament website states: “Although it is possible, weekend sittings are very rare. The last time the House sat at a weekend on both the Saturday and the Sunday was on the outbreak of war in 1939.”

Here are all the occasions that the House of Commons has previously met on a Saturday:

July 30, 1949: Summer adjournment debates

November 3, 1956: Suez Crises

April 3, 1982: Falkland Islands invasion

October 19, 2019: EU Withdrawal Agreement

September 10, 2022: Tributes to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II