Respect for the late Queen should be balanced with the functioning of our politics

It is right that normal politics has been suspended for the 10 days of national mourning, which will end after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September. The Trades Union Congress and the Liberal Democrats are to be commended for cancelling their annual conferences because they were due to take place during this time. However, once the official period of mourning has passed, it is important that traditional politics resumes.

It seems that some Conservatives unofficially floated the idea of the two main parties also scrapping their conferences as a mark of respect to the Queen. But Labour has rightly insisted that its gathering in Liverpool will go ahead as planned on 25 September, six days after the funeral.

Cancelling the Labour conference would deny the main opposition party its biggest media platform in a non-election year, handing the governing party an unfair advantage even if the Tories called off their conference in Birmingham starting on 2 October.

It is vital that the two events go ahead. Inevitably, the mood will be different this year: tributes will be paid to the Queen and senior figures in both parties will want to reflect on how her passing has brought the nation together. But there should also be room for normal political matters.

Labour will want to set out its alternative to Liz Truss’s package to soften the blow of rising energy bills, while pressing for more detail on how her rather sketchy plan will be funded and holding the government to account on other fronts. Keir Starmer needs to take the opportunity to set out how he and his party would change the country for the better.

A dramatic last seven days was not the start to her premiership Ms Truss imagined or wanted. She had planned to “hit the ground running” on policy, knowing the public’s views of her government would likely be shaped by their initial impressions. She hoped that last Thursday’s swift announcement of her energy price guarantee, limiting the average domestic bill to £2,500 a year, would create room for other initiatives, not least on the NHS. They have now been postponed. 

A mini-Budget including her proposed tax cuts, pencilled in for the day of the funeral, has inevitably been delayed, although Downing Street insists that help will still arrive in time for the rise in energy bills taking effect on 1 October.

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The House of Commons might not return to normal business until 17 October, which would be an unnecessarily long gap without the scrutiny the new government deserves, something that is a healthy part of our democracy. There is no reason why MPs should not return once the Tory conference ends on 5 October.

As a new prime minister joins a new monarch when King Charles III tours the four corners of the UK this week, the public will see Ms Truss in a very different setting to the one she envisaged. Without overstepping into the King’s territory as he too tries to make his mark, Ms Truss must accurately reflect the mood of the nation, as Tony Blair memorably did after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, four months after he became prime minister.

If Ms Truss rises to this unexpected challenge when people are looking for leadership and continuity at a time of uncertainty and change, it could create a positive impression for a prime minister who has taken office with poor personal ratings.

Crucially, the public might be more likely to give Ms Truss the benefit of the doubt – a precious ingredient all politicians crave, and one she will undoubtedly need in the tough times that lie ahead. While it might suit the governing party to prolong the current hiatus, normal politics must not be put on hold for any longer than necessary. Although that would be the case in normal times, it is even more important during an economic crisis.