Summary

  • MPs approve the EU Referendum Bill at second reading by 544 votes to 53

  • A separate SNP amendment seeking to block the bill is defeated by 338 votes to 59

  • Boris Johnson says ministers should be free to campaign on either side in EU referendum

  • Zac Goldsmith says he will stand to be Conservative candidate for London mayor

  • Labour leadership contenders face questions from union activists at a hustings event in Dublin

  • Andy Burnham has 53 nominations from fellow MPs, more than any other contender, according to details published on Labour's website

  • Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall also pass the 35 threshold needed to get on the ballot paper

  • The Parliamentary Labour Party holds hustings for the deputy leadership

  1. More meetings for Cameronpublished at 16:22 British Summer Time 9 June 2015

    BBC political correspondent tweets...

  2. Another maiden overpublished at 16:19

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Drew Hendry

    Drew Hendry, the new SNP MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (possibly the longest constituency name in Parliament), follows Mr Scully to deliver a maiden speech of his own.

    He criticises cuts to the Scottish budget and says the SNP wants to "banish" austerity policies from Scotland.

  3. Burnham backs manifestopublished at 16:12

    Labour leadership hustings

    North West and Irish delegate Kevin Flanagan asked the candidates if they had been in the toilet when Labour's election manifesto was drawn up. 

    Andy Burnham admitted he had not been as involved as he would have liked. 

    But he won applause when he rejected the suggestion that the party's manifesto had been "too left wing".

    "I would say that it is the best manifesto that I have stood on in the four general elections I've stood for Parliament for Labour," he said. "I pay tribute and give credit to Ed Miliband. I believe he did something important in re-focusing our party on inequality."   

  4. 'Major investment' neededpublished at 16:11

    Labour leadership hustings

    Mary Creagh stressed the need for major investment in the transport infrastructure. 

    She said: "We had a huge row about High Speed 2. I want High Speed 3, 4 and 5. I want Crossrail 2, 3 and 4. 

    "Physical mobility is key to social mobility."

    She was the only one of the five candidates who said that she would be prepared to share a platform with David Cameron to campaign for a "yes" vote in the EU referendum, saying to do so was "in Britain's interests".

  5. It's a hat-trickpublished at 16:11

    Paul Scull

    Paul Scully, the Conservative MP for Sutton and Cheam, becomes the third of the new intake to make his maiden speech today.

    On the EU, he says the referendum is about "retaining sovereignty", and accountability and transparency.

    Just before he got to his feet the new deputy chair of the Commons, Natascha Engel, announced that the time limit for backbench speeches has been cut further, to six minutes now.

  6. Who said it first?published at 16:04 British Summer Time 9 June 2015

    The Spectator assistant editor tweets...

  7. 'Rebuilding takes time'published at 16:01

    Labour leadership hustings

    The five candidates said they did not believe the party's election manifesto was too left wing, with Mr Burnham praising former leader Ed Miliband for his policies.

    They were asked how Labour could win back votes in Scotland. Ms Cooper said: "We have to rebuild - but it will take us time." 

    Mr Burnham was applauded when he said Labour made a mistake by sharing platforms with the Conservatives during the Scotland independence campaign, while Ms Creagh said Labour had to earn back the trust of voters by rebuilding from the grass roots.

  8. Redwood: EU thoroughly undemocraticpublished at 16:00

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    John Redwood

    John Redwood says it should be for the UK Parliament to take decisions on its welfare system and border controls - not the EU as he says is currently the case. He also insists that UK jobs and trade are "not at risk" in the event of a 'Brexit'.

    The Eurosceptic MP concludes by saying the European Union is "thoroughly undemocratic" and "above all, it is the past and is holding us back". It's also "a myth" that the union keeps the peace, he adds.

  9. 'Puppet parliaments'published at 15:55

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative Eurosceptic John Redwood declares the referendum as a "great opportunity" for the British public to "restore their precious but damaged democracy". For too long they’ve had to watch as important powers have been given up to Brussels, he adds.

    The Wokingham MP says Britain "fortunately still has a fairly powerful parliament" as it stayed out of the euro - but those that didn't have been reduced to "puppet parliaments".

  10. Lib Dems back referendumpublished at 15:52

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Tom Brake

    Tom Brake - one of the few Lib Dem MPs to hold on to their seats at the general election - says the party has changed its position, as it was "clear" from the election result that people wanted an in/out referendum.

    "Now therefore the focus should be on ensuring we win that referendum," the Carshalton and Wallington MP adds (which for the Lib Dems means securing a vote to stay in the union).

  11. 'Tolerance and decency'published at 15:48

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Objecting to EU aims for "ever closer union", Mr Fox warns that the logical endpoint of this "is union, and I do not want to lose our status as an independent sovereign nation".

    Turning to his party, he urges colleagues to take care with how they conduct themselves over the EU referendum, saying this will be of fundamental importance in "our ability to pull ourselves back as a united party" after the vote.

    Quote Message

    We may do it passionately but we should do it with tolerance and decency and how we treat one another will be a judgement that the country will make upon us all."

  12. 'Real life round'published at 15:46 British Summer Time 9 June 2015

    Labour leadership hopefuls are now being asked if they know the price of common items - such as an NHS prescription, a loaf of bread and a TV licence - by Mirror journalist Kevin Maguire, who is chairing the session. 

    Paul Waugh from Hufifngton Post has these updates: 

  13. 'Complicated question'published at 15:40

    Mr Burnham continued: "I am not setting my face against changes to the benefit system but it depends how they do it and I am not going to give you an answer like that to a question that complicated." 

    Ms Cooper said: "I understand that everybody wants a yes or no, but we need to reform the legislation. 

    "As it stands, I think it is unfair. It is our job in the Labour Party to try and argue for change and to try and make changes, whether that is in Parliament or anywhere else and that is what we are going to have to do."    

  14. 'Let's celebrate this moment'published at 15:46

    Liam Fox

    "Most people feel deep down that too many of our laws are made abroad", says Liam Fox, as he argues that "we cannot continue with this European model that is failing".

    He says MPs should "celebrate" this moment as it is "a triumph of democracy" that the British public are finally to be given a say on the UK's future in Europe.

  15. Jeers for candidatespublished at 15:40

    Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper did not give a yes or no answer when asked if they backed Tory plans to reduce the household benefits cap to £23,000 a year - and were jeered by trade unionists as a result. 

    Liz Kendall and Mary Creagh said they supported the change but warned it could cause localised problems. 

    Jeremy Corbyn was the only candidate to say he was opposed to the cap.

    While Mr Burnham said he backed the principle of the cap, he insisted it was "unfair" to expect a direct answer.  

  16. 'Voters left behind'published at 15:36

    Yvette CooperImage source, PA

     Yvette Cooper said Labour's election campaign was too "narrow", adding that the party should reach out to win back voters "left behind".       

  17. EU 'increasingly diminished'published at 15:45

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Welcoming the referendum, former Conservative Defence Secretary Liam Fox says no-one under the age of 58 in the UK has been able to have a say on the country's membership of the European Union.

    He says the 28-member bloc finds itself "increasingly diminished, politically and economically" and asks whether people would still have voted to remain in the EU in 1975 if they knew what it would become today.

  18. Human Rights Act v British Bill of Rightspublished at 15:35

    The Daily Politics

    Winston ChurchillImage source, Pathe

    There has been a lot of talk about the Human Rights Act, a possible British Bill of Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Court of Human Rights.

    In a Daily Politics film. Giles Dilnot looks into the archive and explains the inevitable confusion.

  19. 'Their future at stake'published at 15:34

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Wes Streeting

    Wes Streeting becomes the second of the 2015 intake to make their maiden speech in the Commons today. The new Labour MP for Ilford North says UK should be leading, not leaving, Europe.

    He also endorses his party's call for 16 and 17-year-olds to be allowed to vote in the upcoming referendum, telling MPs: "It's their future as much as our which is at stake."

  20. 'Not a sensible approach'published at 15:27

    Damian Green

    Damian Green says that if the UK backs a British EU exit, the government can expect to spend "at least 10 years trying to renegotiate ourself back into a position where we have any kind of reasonable access to our largest export market".

    "This is not a sensible approach for any British government to adopt," he adds, warning there would be "long-term harm" to the UK's economic interests.