How does the Speaker recall Parliament?

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The short answer is, he doesn't.

While House of Commons standing orders(page 16) make clear that the final decision rests with Mr Speaker, the initial approach must come from ministers.

It is the government that will decide whether or not to recall MPs to Westminster.

Any recall must be requested by ministers and then considered by the Speaker.

But there is no mechanism by which the Speaker can instigate the process.

This is set out in Standing Order No. 13, which dates from 1948:

13. - (1) Whenever the House stands adjourned and it is represented to the Speaker by Her Majesty's Ministers that the public interest requires that the House should meet at a time earlier than that to which the House stands adjourned, the Speaker, if he is satisfied that the public interest does so require, may give notice that, being so satisfied, he appoints a time for the House to meet, and the House shall accordingly meet at the time stated in such notice.

(2) The government business to be transacted on the day on which the House shall so meet shall, subject to the publication of notice thereof in the order paper to be circulated on the day on which the House shall so meet, be such as the government may appoint, but subject as aforesaid the House shall transact its business as if it had been duly adjourned to the day on which it shall so meet, and any government order of the day and government notices of motions that may stand on the order book for any day shall be appointed for the day on which the House shall so meet.

(3) In the event of the Speaker being unable to act owing to illness or other cause, the Chairman of Ways and Means, or either Deputy Chairman, shall act in his stead for the purposes of this order.

In recent Sessions, a motion to amend Standing Order No. 13 has been tabled and appeared in the 'Remaining Orders and Notices' section of the Order Paper. The motion calls for paragraph 1 of Standing Order No. 13 to be replaced by the following text:

(1) If the Speaker is of the opinion that the public interest requires that the House should meet at a time earlier than that to which it stands adjourned, the House shall meet at such time as the Speaker shall appoint.

However, no such change has been made.

As far back as 2001, the Hansard Society Commission on Parliamentary Scrutiny recommended that the Speaker should be able to recall Parliament at times of emergency.

According to a House of Commons library research briefing, there have been 23 events leading to recalls of Parliament since 1948.

27-29 September 1949 Devaluation

12-19 September 1950 Korean War

4 October 1951 Prorogation – followed by dissolution

12-14 September 1956 Suez Crisis; Cyprus

18 September 1959 Prorogation – followed by dissolution

17-23 October 1961 Berlin Crisis

16 January 1968 Government expenditure cuts

26-27 August 1968 Czechoslovakia, Nigeria

26-29 May 1970 Prorogation – followed by dissolution

22-23 September 1971 Northern Ireland

9-10 January 1974 Fuel

3-4 June 1974 Northern Ireland

3 April 1982 (Saturday) Falkland Islands

14 April 1982 Falkland Islands

6-7 September 1990 Kuwait invasion

24-25 September 1992 Government economic policy; UN operations in

Yugoslavia, Iraq, Somalia

31 May 1995 Bosnia

2-3 September 1998 Omagh Bomb: Criminal Justice (Terrorism and
Conspiracy) Bill

14 September, 4 and 8 October 2001 International terrorism and attacks in the USA

3 April 2002 Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen
Mother

24 September 2002 Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction