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Parliamentary Stamp Duty holiday debate to go ahead on Monday

Petitions committee circumvents ban on Westminster Hall debates with online meeting at 4.30pm on 1st February.

Nigel Lewis

jesse norman stamp duty

The property industry is to get its parliamentary debate on a Stamp Duty holiday extension after the Petitions Committee announced that MPs will be able to debate the popular e-petition on 1st February via a virtual debate.

This had originally thought to have been delayed after Jacob Rees-Mogg announced that the chamber in which e-petitions with more than 100,000 signatures can be debated was to be closed ‘until further notice’ due to Covid.

The Stamp Duty e-petition in question, which has been signed by over 125,000 people so far, asks for a six-month extension to the Stamp Duty holiday for homes for sale under £500,000.

The online debate will not be hosted by the Petitions Committee at 4.30pm on 1st February

Elliot Colburn, member of the Petitions Committee, will lead the session. Jesse Norman MP (pictured, above), Financial Secretary to the Treasury, will respond. A second petition, relating to musicians’ problems touring in the EU after Brexit, is to be heard the week after.

stamp duty mckinnell mpCatherine McKinnell MP, Chair of the Commons Petitions Committee (pictured) says: “I’m delighted we have been able to schedule two e-petition sessions, where Members from across the House, including those self-isolating and shielding, will be able to scrutinise the Government directly on issues raised by petitioners.

“As was the case when Westminster Hall was closed due to Covid-19 last year, we have had to innovate to find ways to hold the Government to account, and crucially to voice the concerns of petitioners in the House of Commons, while our usual debates cannot be held.

“As these petitions demonstrate, there are important issues affecting hundreds of thousands of people that are being missed. Their calls for help and support must be heard.”

The petition session will be available to watch live on Parliament TV and Parliament’s YouTube channel.

Industry reaction

Dominic Agace, chief executive of leading estate agency Winkworth, says: “I welcome the opportunity for MPs to discuss the predicament facing many thousands of their constituents who are facing an impossible deadline – and hope common sense will triumph.”

January 26, 2021

One comment

  1. With the massive delay in searches here in Cornwall, I personally believe that the fairest way is to allow those sales which where agreed before Jan 1st or Jan 31st(cant decide which is best) to benefit from the stamp duty break. Surely this is better for the Government as surely getting something in is better than nothing!!!

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