The Houses of Parliament will shut after MPs debate an emergency motion today

Parliament is to be suspended for at least four weeks as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

An emergency motion to be passed today will mean that MPs start the Easter recess a week early over fears that politicians and staff are at risk.

There are also concerns that parliament continuing to sit is sending the wrong message at a time when millions of people are being urged to stay at home.

Is this Boris Johnson’s Churchill moment?

One Tory MP said that the situation had become untenable. A Labour source said: “It looks mad for us to still be here.”

Meanwhile ministers are preparing to drop their plans to reduce the number of parliamentary seats from 650 to 600 as part of a long-anticipated review of constituency