HOLYROOD will be recalled in order to allow a motion of condolence following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, it has been announced.
The Presiding Officer, Ken Macintosh, made the announcement this afternoon, saying that the condolence motion would be the only item of business.
The Scottish parliament will be reconvened on Monday April 12 at 11am for a single session, where party leaders are expected to speak on Prince Philip’s passing.
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.”
READ MORE: BBC halts TV programming across 'all networks' to air news on Prince Philip
The parliament will meet in a hybrid format from 11am for 25 minutes.
The meeting will start with a minute’s silence before considering the motion of condolence. This will see each of the party leaders make a short statement to pay tribute to Prince Philip.
Each party leader will speak for around four minutes, with the Scottish Government’s statement expected to take six.
This will be the sixth time the Scottish Parliament has been recalled. Most recently it was recalled on January 4, 2021 to discuss the ongoing Covid emergency.
The other recalls were on October 13, 2000, following the death of Donald Dewar, April 3, 2002 following the death of the Queen Mother, August 24, 2009 to allow a ministerial statement on the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, and December 30, 2020 to allow a debate on the Brexit agreement.
Scotland's political parties have all suspended their election campaigns in the wake of Philip's passing, with the Scottish Tories having previously announced that theirs would resume on Monday.
Now, with the Scottish parliament due to reconvene on that date, it is unclear if the planned suspension will be extended.
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