MPs to spend longer paying tribute to Prince Philip than they did scrutinising Brexit deal

Parliament have been recalled to spend over seven hours paying tribute to Prince Philip today

The House of Commons authorities said: "The House of Commons will sit at 2.30pm on Monday 12 April for tributes to HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh." There will be opening statements from prime minister Boris Johnson, Labour leader Keir Starmer, Scottish National Party leader Ian Blackford, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died peacefully at home at the age of 99 on Friday last week. He died the longest serving Queen consort in British history. Tributes have poured in from across the political spectrum both in the UK and across the globe, including from US president Joe Biden and German chancellor Angela Merkel. Pressing issues - such as unrest in Northern Ireland - will be debated later this week. There has been violence on the streets of Londonderry and Belfast for over a week, as tensions among loyalists boil over. Police and civilians in buses have been petrol bombed, and children as young as 13 have been arrested in connection with the rioting. The length of time MPs will spend paying tribute to Prince Philip in the Commons today will also be longer than was spent debating Boris Johnson's Brexit withdrawal agreement - which stood at around five hours. The House of Lords will also pay tribute to Prince Philip today, but they will not devote the entire day to remembering the Duke.