Thank you Sarah - it’s been a privilege to serve EAC and its members.

Benson: [expires]
Temple and Maclagan: you haven't parsed the code properly

There's literally too many amazing contributors to tag, but I'll try... Thank you @profnjallen.bsky.social @martynpatrick.bsky.social @carolinebha.bsky.social @profrosiecamp.bsky.social @tomcaygill.bsky.social @chloechallender.bsky.social @profsarahchilds.bsky.social @woodstockjag.bsky.social...

You are very welcome!

Now returning to my box.

Expenditure of revenue raised (‘supply’) also requires Commons approval. The Govt has secured fast-track procedures for such approval, but they have to be invoked by particular calendar dates annually which are set in Commons standing orders.

It’s not the Finance Acts that ought to concern you, but the annual Supply and Appropriation Acts and their ilk.

Plus as Alex mentions the Commons requires the Govt to seek its approval each year for the maximum numbers to be retained by each of the armed forces.

/… However, the Govt power to appropriate the funds thus raised is strictly governed by Commons standing orders relating to supply, which enable the Govt to secure its supply legislation through abbreviated procedures only if the relevant Estimates motions are tabled by certain days each year.

/… sought in a series of separate bills which were each individually vulnerable to rejection by the Lords.

Bills of aids and supplies can only be introduced on the basis of a Commons resolution authorising their introduction.

Nothing to stop Chancellor introducing a multi year Finance Bill …/

The presentation of a Finance Bill, roughly annually, as part of the annual fiscal cycle is a convention: the Government began to adopt the practice of including all its fiscal legislation in an omnibus Finance Bill in 1860. Prior to that year the legislative authority for fiscal measures was …/