Helen Catt
Political correspondent

There are so many questions to be answered about the Labour leadership contest, not least of which, when are we going to have it.

The general secretary of Labour has written to the National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s ruling body, saying that Jeremy Corbyn would like a new leader to be in place by the end of March.

For that to happen, things would need to get moving pretty swiftly because a Labour leadership contest usually takes somewhere around 12 weeks.

We understand there is a special meeting of the NEC pencilled in for 6 January to decide the exact timescale, with the idea that the process will then start the next day.

But it’s unlikely we will need to wait that long to find out who will be putting themselves forward.

Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent

Boris Johnson has a much freer hand in terms of deciding what to do now that he has such a large majority in government.

That is a bit of a double-edged sword though. While he's able to do what he wants, he won't be able to blame anybody else for anything that goes wrong.

So he'll be held to account and will have to come forward with new ideas, perhaps even new ideologies for this new government - which will tell us more about what Mr Johnson actually wants to do with his power.

The PM acknowledged on the steps of Downing Street that some people may have voted for the Conservatives reluctantly - and might be planning on taking their votes back to Labour in the next election.

So he will have to have an eye investing in and providing for those communities in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales.

A senior member of a Brexit research body says only a "quick and dirty" trade deal with the EU would be possible by the end of 2020.

The government insists one can be done - in a quick but non-dirty fashion, they would argue - in that time period.

But Prof Catherine Barnard, senior fellow at UK in a Changing Europe, says because most trade agreement conversations take years - not 11 months.

That's when the post-Brexit transition period is due to end and the Conservatives have insisted they won't extend it.

So what kind of trade deal could be agreed in that time?

"We could do something quick and dirty," Prof Barnard says.

"Quick and dirty is a trade deal on goods [not services too], probably zero tariffs, perhaps a bit of mutual recogniton of standards."

She adds that the closer the UK agrees to align with the EU's existing rules and regulations, the more easily a deal would be struck.

You can read more about what's next for Brexit here.

The election might seem like quite a long time ago to some of you, but let us give another plug to some of our best bits of material making sense of it all.

• Here we break down the results in maps and charts
• Prof John Curtice looks at what's behind the Tory victory
• What's it like to lose your seat?
• And who were the biggest casualties?
• The final Electioncast - the results one!

Image source, Getty Images

The Queen's Speech on Thursday will be the second in two months, but what exactly happens?

Find out here.

We mentioned earlier there was a feeling in some camps that the next Labour leader had to be a woman - there's never been a female leader before.

But does that individual have to be someone from the North, given last week’s seismic political shift?

Well, former Labour MP Chris Mullins certainly thinks so…

But others, including the Times' Phil Collins and the FT’s Jim Pickard disagree…

Our piece looks at some of the possible contenders.

Image source, PA Media

As we've been saying, Northern Ireland's political parties are in talks all day, hoping to restore devolved government at Stormont.

The latest to come out of a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith is Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald.

She says any executive formed has to be "inclusive" of all communities there, and "heavy political lifting" will be required to secure a deal.

Ms McDonald says the UK government also needs to deliver a "big cash injection" to help tackle the problems facing public services in Northern Ireland, in particular the health service.

Earlier today, medical leaders in Northern Ireland urged political parties to "put patients first" and restore local government.

Ms McDonald continues by saying there should be no "red lines" in the negotiations.

"At a time of great challenges, because Brexit still looms large, there is an obligation to deliver on issues. So I don't think anybody should be digging themselves into trenches and refusing to acknowledge and to honour other people's rights," she says.

Read our full story here.

We've been hearing the phrase a lot and we can guarantee it's not going anywhere... so what exactly is One Nation Conservatism?

Well, the term has long been ascribed to Benjamin Disraeli, the author, Conservative politician and statesman who served as prime minister twice in the 1860s and 1870s.

Before he became an MP, he wrote that the Tory Party “unless it is a national party, is nothing”.

In his novel Sybil, or The Two Nations - published in 1845 - he suggested that the rich and poor were as “ignorant of each other’s habits, thoughts and feelings as if they were dwellers in different zones or inhabitants of different planets”.

Many Conservative leaders have used the phrase since then but often interpreted it in different ways, whether it is improving the condition of the working class or defending the United Kingdom.

In the 1950s and 1960s, it was associated with a paternalistic support for the welfare state and public housing, and in the 1980s with a more economically liberal message of home and share ownership and social mobility through individual enterprise.

Earlier this year, a group of Tory MPs launched a One Nation caucus, saying their aim was to heal Brexit divisions, but also to fight injustice, champion community and increase opportunity.

The new intake of MPs are continuing to take pictures and tweet about their experiences today.

Labour MP Olivia Blake has posted a picture by the famous green benches in the Commons and Conservative MP Fay Jones is the latest of many to say it's like the first day at school.

Other MPs - including the SNP MPs Patrick Grady and Amy Callaghan and Labour's Zarah Sultana - earlier tweeted that they were on their way to Westminster.

Chris Page
BBC News NI Political Correspondent

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

There is a sense that there's greater optimism with these Stormont talks than there have been with previous rounds of negotiations that have failed.

It's now almost three years since the power-sharing devolved government, made up of the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein, collapsed.

And public services are creaking under the strain of not having any ministers at the helm.

• Read more: Why does Northern Ireland not have a government?

All this has translated into politicians taking a lot of heat on the campaign trail during the general election, and the DUP and Sinn Fein both suffered a drop in their vote share.

So the thinking is that's a sign there's a tipping point in the public mood. People are saying "look, we can't stand for this anymore, you've got to get back into government at Stormont."

There are still sticking points, not least the legal status of the Irish language.

Sinn Fein want a standalone piece of legislation to protect and promote the Irish language. The DUP don't - instead they say they want a broader law, which will look at all aspects of culture including those that are important to unionists.

So there is some hard talking to be done, difficult issues to be overcome, but there is a legal deadline now of the middle of January for an agreement.

• MPs are returning to Westminster following last week's election. There are new school vibes aplenty as the 2019 intake get to grips with Parliament's procedures and protocol. They'll be formally sworn in from tomorrow
• Many of those new MPs are Conservatives elected to represent areas of the country that are traditionally Labour. Politics watchers expect Boris Johnson to focus his key message in the days ahead on reaching out to those parts of northern England and the Midlands - offering investment and a stronger voice
• We're expecting a mini cabinet reshuffle to begin in not too long. Later in the week, we'll have a slimline Queen's Speech, setting out the government's legislative programme. And then on Friday, Mr Johnson aims to bring his Brexit bill - the legislation needed to actually leave the EU - back before MPs
• While the Conservatives set out their plans, Labour is looking inward, working out what to do in response to last week's defeat. Jeremy Corbyn has said he'll stand down next year, although some want him to go much sooner
• Labour MPs Lisa Nandy and Clive Lewis say they're considering running to replace him, but no-one has officially thrown their hat into the ring. Read more on the likely contenders
• Talks are going on to try to revive the long-stalled Stormont Assembly. Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith is meeting party leaders there amid hopes that the election could give fresh impetus to the political process there

On other Labour matters, a row is rumbling on after Labour's Caroline Flint accused her former colleague Emily Thornberry of saying: "I'm glad my constituents aren't as stupid as yours."

Shadow foreign secretary Ms Thornberry said Ms Flint's claim was "simply untrue" and confirmed this morning she would be taking "legal action".

Ms Flint lost her Yorkshire seat to the Conservatives in Thursday's election while Ms Thornberry is one of those tipped for Labour's leadership race after she was re-elected for Islington South & Finsbury.

More on the inquest into what went wrong for Labour and what should happen next.

The party's MP for Tottenham, David Lammy, has written of a "collective amnesia" among some in the party who believe it lost the election for being too anti-Brexit.

He says "the most important question when choosing the next leader is not Leave or Remain".

"It is: who can carry out the greatest comeback in one Parliament in modern times?"

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Lord Falconer, a senior Labour figure under Tony Blair, says "there needs to be a break" with the party's recent past.

He tells The World at One if a "continuity Corbyn candidate like Rebecca Long Bailey makes the offer that we are going to continue as before, then that is not going to appeal" to those who did not vote Labour at the election.

He argues that the only way to restrain a government with a large majority is to have a popular leader of the opposition, so it is important for the country that the new Labour leader does not propose the same platform voters have just rejected.

He calls for the party to ensure the widest possible electorate in the leadership election, but agrees Mr Corbyn should stay on until a new leader is in place.

Asked who he would support, Lord Falconer lists a few options, including Emily Thornberry, Sir Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Jess Phillips, but won't be drawn on his preference.

Speaking of new MPs, they've been taking pictures and tweeting their experiences all morning.

Here is Conservative MP for Hinckley & Bosworth Dr Luke Evans, starting with a meeting about how to register complaints to the Parliamentary authorities...

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

New Conservative MPs have been speaking to the BBC's World at One.

"It's like a new first day of term," says Andy Carter, MP for Warrington South, "with everyone starting to get to know each other".

Newbury's Laura Farris confesses to being "a little scared" and "desperately trying to keep the plates spinning" as she reads a multitude of guides to being an MP.

Mr Carter says he wants to hear a reinforcement of One Nation values when Boris Johnson addresses MPs tonight, and Ms Farris is keen to "move on to the domestic agenda" after Brexit.

Mr Carter says "the Conservative Party does feel different," with more young and female MPs than before, and says he hopes this will affect how the party is seen.

The party has won dozens of northern and midlands seats it has not held before.

Formal swearing in of the new MPs will begin on Tuesday.

The Times' Matt Chorley has just tweeted a video from Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) showing the moment the exit poll dropped on Thursday night.

It, of course, predicted a big victory - one that subsequently materialised.

A word of warning - if you value your eardrums, you might want to readjust the volume on your device before you press play.

Image source, Nadia Whittome

The House of Commons' new youngest MP says she had been looking for temporary Christmas jobs before winning her seat in the snap general election.

Nadia Whittome is the new Baby of the House after topping the poll in Nottingham East with a 17,393 majority.

The 23-year-old was picked as Labour's candidate after Chris Leslie quit the party to stand as an independent.

She has pledged to donate a large chunk of her MP salary to the local community.

Read more of what she had to say here.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has dismissed suggestions that he was sidelined during the general election campaign.

Speaking in Whitehall as MPs returned to work, the current leader of the House said: “The election wasn’t about me - it was a choice between the prime minister and Jeremy Corbyn, and the country made their choice and what a wonderful choice they've made.”

He was also asked whether he thought he’d be included in the next cabinet.

“You’ll have to ask the prime minister, as you know,” he said.

You might remember that Mr Rees-Mogg was strongly criticised at the start of the election campaign for comments he made about the Grenfell Tower fire.

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Image source, DehennaDavison/Twitter

The BBC's North East political editor Richard Moss shares his analysis of the Conservative surge in the region.

He says: "The new Tory MPs in the North East sense an opportunity. Because of the scale of the Conservative victory, many seats in the North East are now marginal. The danger for Labour is that the region becomes like Scotland. Once you start to lose it, it can keep slipping away.

"Where the Tories won, they often had either candidates who were very local or were northern. Jacob Young, the 26-year-old who won in Redcar, nobody expected. He works in the local chemical industry. Born and bred in the area. I met his mum on the platform at Darlington station like she was seeing him off to university.

"It is results like that - a bit like 1997 in the south - that were not expected."