Prince Philip: Scottish Parliament and UK Parliament recalled following death of Duke of Edinburgh

Both the Scottish Parliament and Westminster will be recalled to allow members to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.

Flags fly at half mast outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to mark the death of the Duke Of Edinburgh. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The Scottish parliament will be recalled at 11am on Monday so that party leaders can express their condolences.

Meanwhile, the Commons is expected to meet from 2.30pm on Monday, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson leading the tributes.

Announcing the recall, the Rt Hon Ken Macintosh said: “I have this afternoon decided that the Parliament should be recalled to show our respect to the Duke of Edinburgh following today’s sad announcement.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, lived a life dedicated to duty and public service and his support for this institution was clear.

“This is why I have taken the decision to recall in order that we may take the time to pause, remember and pay tribute to his work.”

He added: “Party leaders will be given the opportunity to speak to a motion of condolence.”

A motion of condolence will be the only item of business and will last for approximately 25 minutes.

In Scotland, this will be the sixth time parliament has been recalled in its history.

Most recently, it was recalled on January 4 to discuss the ongoing Covid emergency.

The other recalls were for the death of former First Minister Donald Dewar in 2000, the death of the Queen Mother in 2002, a ministerial statement on the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi in 2009 and in 2020, for a debate on the trade and co-operation agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The UK Parliament will also be recalled from its Easter recess to allow MPs and peers to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.

Downing Street and parliamentary officials confirmed the move to reconvene the House of Commons on Monday, a day earlier than scheduled.

The House of Lords was already scheduled to return from recess on Monday, and officials spent Friday finalising adjustments to business.

They confirmed the Lords will pay tribute to Philip shortly after 1pm.

The House of Lords will also not sit on the day of Philip’s funeral.

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