Former SNP leader Alex Salmond challenges David Lidington to rule out holding the referendum on 5 May 2016 - the same day as elections to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. The minister does not do that but he insists that the government will consult on the timing of the referendum when the moment comes. On the issue of whether 16- and 17-year-olds should be allowed to vote, he accepts that there are "strongly held opinions" on either side and the matter will be considered in detail at committee stage. However, he says there should not be "a one-off" exception for the EU referendum and there needs to be consistency across all UK-wide elections and votes. 

Pat McFadden says Labour will argue for the UK to remain an "open, engaged and confident" member of the European Union. His Conservative counterpart, Europe minister David Lidington, is now summing up for the government. He starts by praising the 12 new MPs who have made their maiden speeches during the debate and contrasts their contributions with the interventions from older and more experienced members, many of which he jokes had a "ring of familiarity" about them. 

In the Commons, backbenchers have finished having their say for the time being on the EU Referendum Bill and we are onto the closing arguments from the opposition and the government. Shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden is currently summing up for Labour. We are expecting the Second Reading vote at about 1900 BST. 

You can see the list of nominations the Labour leadership candidates - and deputy leadership candidates - have received so far on the Labour party website, external  here.

House of Commons
Parliament

Glasgow South MP Stewart McDonald, of the SNP, says he is a European citizen and Scotland is "an outward-looking European nation", as he makes the case for the UK's continued membership. He also advocates voting rights for 16 and 17-year-olds in the referendum.

He warns that attempts by Conservatives to "kill one union" might result in them "killing two".

House of Lords
Parliament

Laws to crack down on the sale of so-called legal highs will protect the public from the potentially fatal consequences of the drugs and help end a "reckless trade", Home Office minister Lord Bates has said.

Opening the debate on the Psychoactive Substances Bill, which is being debated in Parliament for the first time, he said: "New psychoactive substances are not merely a bit of harmless fun providing an instant buzz. 

"These substances are untested and unknown with clear evidence of short-term harms and potential long-term adverse consequences."

The House of Commons is some hours in to its debate on the EU Referendum Bill, with a vote to be taken on second reading at about 19.30 BST.

Opening the discussion, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said "for too long" powers had been ceded to the EU and it was time to give people a say on the UK's future relationship with the 28-member bloc.    

So-far the majority of speakers have welcomed the planned referendum on Britain's membership of the EU, with the exception of the SNP which wants to block the bill from progressing further.

However, several of the opposition parties - including Labour, the Lib Dems, and the Greens - have indicated that they will seek to amend the bill, to give 16 and 17-year-olds and EU nationals a vote in the referendum – something the government has rejected.

There has also been cross-party criticism of plans to scrap the purdah period in the run-up to the poll, with disquiet also emanating from David Cameron’s own backbenchers, including ex-ministers Damian Green and Crispin Blunt; perhaps signifying the rocky road that may lie ahead for the PM on the Europe question.

Keith Taylor, Green MEP for South East England, says staying in the EU "would guarantee a better future for the UK". 

Speaking before this afternoon's second reading of the EU referendum bill, he said: "The EU is far from perfect - however, vitally important workplace protections and environmental legislation would be under threat if we decided to exit."

The Green party also wants to see 16 and 17-year-olds given the chance to vote in the referendum.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Tim Loughton offers the prime minister some words of advice in his EU reform negotiations.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Peter Bone, a well-known Eurosceptic, says its remarkable that the EU referendum is to come to fruition and says it shows how can MPs can affect change.

The Wellingborough MP expresses concern about the timetabling of the bill's committee stage, which will receive two days of scrutiny. He wants more time to be set aside.

House of Commons
Parliament

Kelvin Hopkins, the Labour MP for Luton North, joins many previous speakers in welcoming the planned referendum on the UK's EU membership. He says he welcomes his party leadership has had "a change of heart" and now supports holding a vote.

Mr Hopkins notes that former Labour PM Harold Wilson allowed ministers free rein during the 1975 EU referendum and hoped all parties would follow that "wise example" to allow a "free"debate. "We should be free to vote with our consciences," he adds.

Image source, PA

And here is the Huffington Post article, external from 2013, in which Zac Goldsmith - who has now said he would like to stand as Conservative candidate for Mayor of London - says that to do so would be a "suicide mission". 

At the time, he added: "The odds of my succeeding in the mayoral contest, I think people have had enough of white male Etonians, 

"I'm not sure my chances would be very high." He added when pressed: "It's simply not going to happen. I'm not going to stand as a candidate for mayor of London."

Robin Brant
Political Correspondent

The prime minister's official spokesman said David Cameron's view "has not changed" on the matter of assisted dying, adding that he thought it was an "issue of individual conscience for parliament to decide".

Mr Cameron's personal opinion is that "he is not convinced that further steps need to be taken" and he is "concerned that legislation may push people into things they do not actually want for themselves'". 

Labour MP Rob Marris is expected to unveil a new private member's bill later this month which will attempt to legalise assisted dying. It is likely to be considered in detail by MPs in September.

We have a story about Rob Marris' assisted dying bill, which was announced earlier. Now we've learned what the PM's view of the matter is:

The prime minister's official spokesman said he wanted to "talk each (EU) leader through why he thinks this is the right approach", says BBC political correspondent Robin Brant. 

He will meet the president of Cyprus, the leaders of Belgium, Spain and Finland, plus the president of Romania on Thursday. 

House of Commons
Parliament

Steve Baker, the Conservative MP for Wycombe, confesses: "I am a sinner who has repented. For many years I annoyed my wife most sincerely by being in favour of European integration."

But he adds that when he realised it meant "surrendering our democracy" he changed his tune. Welcoming the EU Referendum Bill he says it is "a very happy day indeed".