Prime Minister David Cameron has written to Welsh Labour MP Paul Flynn defending PMQs.

Mr Flynn has been a leading voice in calls for the weekly session to change or be scrapped, saying the prime minister often fails to properly respond to questions and criticising the tone of debate.

In a letter to him, however, Mr Cameron says PMQs has a "long tradition of robust exchanges". 

You can read the full reply here, external . 

Lord Stoddart of Swindon has claimed pro-Europe campaigners are using scare tactics to try and "frighten" voters about the prospect of the UK the EU. 

The independent Labour peer has long campaigned for the UK to leave the union. 

Image source, PA

Tony Blair's former speech writer Philip Collins writes about Charles Kennedy in his Times column today, external. Paying tribute to the former Lib Dem leader, he writes that Mr Kennedy "deserved all the encomiums, every one of them sincere, that he received in the House of Commons on Wednesday."

But he questions the late MP's approach to power and suggests the party would be better to avoid returning to "the repository of protest". 

You can read the full piece here, external. 

The Daily Telegraph

Today marks 40 years since UK voters backed continued membership of the European Economic Community by a large majority in a referendum.   

Matthew Elliot, chief executive of the eurosceptic group Business for Britain, has written for the Telegraph on lessons to be learned from the 1975 referendum.

They include setting clear objectives before renegotiation begins, making sure changes are enshrined in treaties and allowing minister a free vote.

You can read the full piece here, external. 

As we've reported, the High Court has ruled a delay in paying welfare benefits to two disabled people was "unlawful" and "unacceptable". They waited nine months for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and said this left them dependent on loan sharks and food banks.

Minister for Disabled People Justin Tomlinson has responded to the ruling, saying decisive action" had now been taken to speed up payments.  

The Conservatives have won a council seat once held by UKIP in the first council by-elections since 7 May. The Tory candidate comfortably won the Wisbech South contest for the seat on Cambridgeshire County Council.

The outcome of another by-election in three seats in Rothwell ward at Kettering is to be declared.

The Guardian

There is more to the Conservative programme than soundbites and wickedness, writes Michael Kettle in the Guardian today. He argues that some of the government's ideas are well judged and Labour is in danger of missing the big picture. 

You can read the piece here, external. 

Image source, AP

Fewer than a third of voters have firmly decided whether to back Britain's continued membership of the European Union, a new poll suggests. 

Seven out of 10 remain open to persuasion by the time of the vote, a Survation survey of almost 4,000 people for thinktank British Future indicated. 

Almost six out of 10 (59%) of those questioned said they distrusted former prime minister Tony Blair when he speaks about the EU. Some 56% said they did not trust UKIP leader Nigel Farage on the issue. 

In comparison, just 28% said they trusted Mr Blair and 36% Mr Farage on the issue.

Image source, EPA

More on the High Court's ruling the government took too long to pay new welfare benefits to disabled people.

The judge was told at a recent hearing that vulnerable people have been forced to turn to loan sharks and food banks because of the delays in providing them with personal independence payments. The payments are replacing the disability living allowance (DLA). 

In this case, two claimants asked Mrs Justice Patterson to declare that - because of the magnitude of the delay - Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith breached his common law and human rights duties to make payments within a reasonable time. 

The judge ruled the delay in both cases was "not only unacceptable, as conceded by the defendant, but was unlawful".

The Government took an "unlawful and unacceptably long time" to pay new welfare benefits to two unnamed disabled people, the High Court has ruled.

State-backed Lloyds Banking Group has been fined a record £117m for mis-handling payment protection insurance (PPI) complaints by the City watchdog.

It is the latest fine imposed on the bank, in which the taxpayer still holds a 19% stake.

Earlier this week, the government said it would launch a Lloyds share sale to the public "in the next 12 months".    

More here . 

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty

A bit more from 5 live's Europe Day. European Parliament President Martin Schulz has told the station that presenting a wish-list of concessions or threatening to leave the EU is not the way to get a deal.

Mr Schulz said it was in the "mutual interest" of the UK and the EU for Britain to stay in, but would be of more disadvantage to the United Kingdom if it were to leave.

And the German politician said UK citizens should decide whether they want the advantages of continued membership of the single market, including increased political and economic influence.

Image source, PA

Yvette Cooper has become the second Labour leadership candidate to reach the 35 nominations needed to ensure her place on the ballot. 

Four more MPs have declared their support for her this morning, including Jack Dromey and Geoffrey Robinson.

Andy Burnham has already surpassed the threshold. 

Handing control of income tax to the Welsh government is a "logical next step", as long as a deal can be reached on the size of the national budget, Wales' first minister is expected to say later.

UK ministers want Carwyn Jones to hold a referendum on devolving control over 10p in the pound of income tax.

Mr Jones has resisted, calling for more assurances over minimum funding first.

In a speech in London he is expected to say he will "always consider proposals providing they are fair to Wales".

More here. 

BBC Radio 5 Live

Our colleagues at Radio 5 live are spending Friday discussing Britain's relationship with Europe. We'll bring you some updates over the course of the day. 

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Yesterday, the Scottish Government warned lack of clarity from the UK Government over subsidies for onshore wind farms could stall substantial investment in the UK and Scotland.  The UK government is expected to announce measures to "end any new public subsidy" for onshore wind.  

Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, says there needs to be consistency and clarity, particularly on whether the renewables obligation, external - the the main support mechanism for renewable electricity projects in the UK - will carry on. Changing the mechanism would have a negative effect on confidence when it comes to investment, he says. 

Image source, PA

Whitehall has failed to plan properly for the implications of past and future cuts to civil service staffing, the public spending watchdog has warned.

The National Audit Office said 90,000 jobs were cut from 2010 to 2014, saving £2.29bn from the annual wage bill.

But it said the recruitment freeze had created a "generational gap" which could cause a serious skills shortage.

The government said it was working to ensure the civil service was "more skilled and diverse".

Full story here. 

David Cameron is unlikely to achieve anything of significance as he seeks to renegotiate the UK's EU membership, former Chancellor Lord Lawson has said.

The Eurosceptic Conservative peer said the prime minister's efforts probably will not deliver "fundamental change".

Lord Lawson told BBC Newsnight the PM promised to hold an in/out referendum "largely" to keep the Tories together.

Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of the 1975 referendum, he feels the UK will vote to stay in and "regret it".

More here.