UK Parliament to hold virtual debates amid virus lockdown

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Parliament is going back to work, and the political authorities have a message for lawmakers: Stay away. Lawmakers are returning Tuesday to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, but much of their business will be done remotely. House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle hopes to preside over an almost-empty chamber, with space being made for a maximum of 50 of the 650 members of Parliament. Other lawmakers can ask questions from home using videoconferencing program Zoom. Hoyle acknowledged “there are bound to be bumps along the way” as the tradition-steeped 700-year-old institution takes a leap into the unknown. But he urged lawmakers to observe a nationwide lockdown and not travel to Parliament.