Summary

  • The first Prime Minister's Questions since the General Election takes place

  • MPs pay tribute to ex-Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, who died aged 55 on Monday

  1. Wednesday round-uppublished at 18.14

    The House of Commons has paid tribute to the late Charles Kennedy , who died on Monday aged 55. David Cameron, who led the special session, said the former Lib Dem leader was the "most human of politicians".

    In other political news today;

    David Cameron clashed with acting Labour leader Harriet Harman and the SNP  in the first Prime Minister's Questions of the new Parliament.

    - Nominations for the next Lib Dem leader  have closed , with Tim Farron and Norman Lamb to go head-to-head in the race to succeed Nick Clegg.

    - Up to 1,000 schools in England, including all those rated inadequate by Ofsted, will be turned into academies  under plans published  in the new Education and Adoption Bill.

    - Leadership contender Andy Burnham  has said  Labour should run its own "distinctive" campaign to stay in the EU in the upcoming referendum.

    - Senior Labour and SNP MPs have said they will not accept a £7,000 pay rise proposed by the independent watchdog that sets their salaries.

    - Lindsay Hoyle, Eleanor Laing and Natascha Engel have been confirmed as deputy Commons Speakers, following in-House elections.

  2. 1922 electionspublished at 18.10

    Elections to the Conservatives' influential 1922 committee were held earlier. The ConservativeHome website, external has published a handy list of who has made it onto the powerful body and in what capacity. Members include the newly-elected MPs James Cleverly and Antoinette Sandbach. 

  3. Kennedy tributes: round-uppublished at 18.09

    During an emotional 90-minute session in the Commons earlier, MPs paid tribute to the late Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy. Here's a flavour of what was said by political friends and foes alike. 

    Labour's Tom Watson directed his remarks to Mr Kennedy's son, Donald, who was present in the public gallery with his mother Sarah.

    "Your father was a very great man, he stood up for what he believed in... when you are older you will know your mum and dad believed in a cause greater than themselves and you will be proud."

    Stephen Pound, another Labour MP: "This was a man who was loved and adored right the way across the political spectrum, across the national spectrum, across the world."

    Tory Sir Edward Leigh: "I think his faith was very powerful, and I like to think that in some previous life he and I might have marched together in some hopeless Highland cause, perhaps as Jacobites, I don't know."

    Sir Gerald Kaufman, Labour: "He had very, very strong views but he was never vindictive. He was never malevolent in expanding those views, he knew where he stood, he worked out where he should stand and you knew when Charles spoke he thought it out."

  4. Circumventing the pay risepublished at 17.56

    BBC assistant political editor tweets...

  5. 'Shaking up' Labour contestpublished at 17.53

    The Daily Mail

    Mary Creagh with Ed MilibandImage source, Getty Images

    "Labour MPs are plotting to lend their votes to Mary Creagh in a bid to shake-up their 'drone-a-thon' leadership contest," writes Mail Online's political editor, Matt Chorley., external He says background talks are under way to get Ms Creagh on the ballot paper to "break up the 'uninspiring' contest between Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper". Liz Kendall is also in the running for the leadership.

  6. Peer moots NHS insurance modelpublished at 17.36

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    PAImage source, Accident and Emergency sign
    Image caption,

    Accident and Emergency sign

    Former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Fowler has said the government should consider funding the NHS through an insurance scheme, a special health tax or more up-front charging

    The peer called for a major review of the way health care is funded, and said benefits for the elderly should no longer be protected from cuts.

    While he believed the NHS could survive in the short term with the present model of funding, he added:

    Quote Message

    What I'm not convinced about is whether in the decades ahead we can go on in the same way, financing health predominantly from general taxation."

  7. Will PM take a pay rise?published at 17:22

    David CameronImage source, Reuters

    With MPs in line for a £7,000 pay rise, the prime minister is being pressed to say if he would take it or donate the money to charity.

    Speaking to journalists this afternoon, David Cameron's official spokesman repeatedly said the prime minister disagreed with the proposed rise but refused to say if he would give the cash away:

    Quote Message

    The PM has through this process urged IPSA (the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) to reconsider, rethink and made it clear he doesn't agree with the increase."

    Mr Cameron went into politics "to serve his constituents and serve his country", the spokesman added.

    IPSA - the body which sets MPs' pay - has proposed a 10% rise, which would see salaries go from £67,060 to £74,000.

  8. More 1922 committee newspublished at 17:14 British Summer Time 3 June 2015

    BBC political correspondent tweets...

  9. Nicola Sturgeon's English rootspublished at 17:04

    Nicola Sturgeon plants marigold plants with volunteerImage source, PA

    Nicola Sturgeon's family has roots in the North East, highlighting the close-knit relationship the area has with its neighbours north of the border. But will the region benefit from the rise of Scotland's first minister and the SNP or will it be overshadowed? David Rhodes reports.

  10. Weekend viewingpublished at 16:40

    1975 referendum literatureImage source, Getty Images

    Not got any plans this weekend? You do now. To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1975 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Economic Community, BBC Parliament will be broadcasting the two-hour results programme, presented by David Dimbleby, with analysis by election expert David Butler. Tune in from 19:00 on Saturday 6 June.

  11. Can we trust opinion polls again?published at 16:35

    The Daily Politics

    Jo Coburn with YouGov poll graphic

    Peter Kellner from YouGov was asked about what the post-election polls have to say,

    He spoke to Jo Coburn and Andrew Neil, along with guests Chris Bryant and David Gauke, about what voters have had to say since May 7, about parties and priorities.

    Pollsters have been reviewing their methods since the many predictions of a hung parliament were wide of the mark, ahead of a Conservative majority which surprised many voters, commentators and politicians.

    Watch the clip 

  12. Afternoon recappublished at 16:30

    David Cameron

    Now seems like a good time for a summary of today's political developments:

    David Cameron has led Commons tributes to former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, who he described as the "most human of politicians"

    - The first PMQs of the new Parliament has taken place, which saw David Cameron clash with acting Labour leader Harriet Harman and the SNP

    - Up to 1,000  schools in England, including all those rated inadequate by Ofsted, will be turned into academies under plans published in the new Education and Adoption Bill

    - Leadership contender Andy Burnham has said Labour should run its own "distinctive" campaign to stay in the EU in the upcoming referendum

    - Nominations for the next Lib Dem leader have closed, with Nick Clegg's successor to be elected in July

  13. Glowing praise?published at 16:22

    PA parliamentary editor tweets...

  14. 'We can't take mayoral race for granted'published at 16:20

    Senior Labour MP Jon Cruddas - who wrote the party's 2015 election manifesto and is now leading a review into the defeat - has warned that Labour must not “take for granted” the 2016 London mayoral election or it could lose.

    He told the Evening Standard, external he backed Tottenham MP David Lammy to be Labour’s candidate, saying he can "unite across Left and Right ... and not just a Labour base".

  15. Sorting out school turnaroundpublished at 16:05

    Chris Cook
    Newsnight Policy Editor

    Nicky MorganImage source, Getty

    Today, the Education Secretary has made good on her promise of rapid legislation to make school turnaround faster. They think their plans will keep the number of schools taken in hand at around 200 schools a year.

    Nicky Morgan says that a new bill will tackle "campaigners [who] could delay or overrule failing schools being improved by education experts by obstructing the process by which academy sponsors take over running schools."

    The need to make it easier to convert weak local authority schools to academy status is not obviously apparent. The press release cites a high-profile campaign to "save" Downhills School in Tottenham from being shifted to academy status.

    Read the full post on Newsnight Live.

  16. Reviewing first PMQs of new Parliamentpublished at 16:00

    The Daily Politics

    Chris Bryant and David Gauke

    The first Prime Minister's Questions of the new Parliament was reviewed by the BBC's deputy political editor James Landale, with Conservative David Gauke and Labour's Chris Bryant.

    They went over the exchanges between David Cameron and Harriet Harman, while Daily Politics presenters Jo Coburn and Andrew Neil looked at the viewers' reaction to the questions and answers, and a new range of camera angles.

    Watch the clip

  17. Jail votes?published at 15:55

    BBC political reporter tweets...

  18. Lords v Commons in a real tug of warpublished at 15:55

    The Daily Politics

    MPs and peers have faced each other in a tug of war raising money for charity.

    Daily Politics reporter Giles Dilnot plays commentator in the 29th annual contest in a different kind of battle between those who normally sit on the red and green benches. Watch his film

    Parliamentary tug of war team
  19. Rising star?published at 15:54 British Summer Time 3 June 2015

    Huffington Post political editor tweets...

  20. Kinnock maiden speechpublished at 15:50

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Stephen Kinnock

    Stephen Kinnock, son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, is making his maiden speech in the Commons. He was elected as Aberavon MP last month.

    The Labour MP says actors Michael Sheen and Anthony Hopkins are just two of "the local lads made good" from the area, but perhaps "the most famous of its sons" is Richard Burton.

    Mr Kinnock, who is married to Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt, tells MPs it's "truly an honour" to represent the constituency and pledges to "strive always to get the best deal for my constituents".