Summary

  • A report says restoration of Parliament without moving MPs and peers out would cost £5.7bn and take 32 years

  • If MP and peers were moved out for six years, the cost would drop to £3.5bn, the report adds

  • UKIP deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans is facing the sack after she said party leader Nigel Farage was perceived as "very divisive"

  • European President Martin Schulz says compromise is needed over EU reform during talks with David Cameron

  • Subsidies for new onshore wind farms will end on 1 April 2016, a year earlier than expected

  • London mayor Boris Johnson has been caught on film swearing at a taxi driver

Live Reporting

Alex Hunt and Tom Moseley

  1. Thursday recap

    The cost of renovating Parliament and subsidies for onshore wind farms have both been high on the agenda today. Here's a recap of the day so far:

    A report said major restoration of the Houses of Parliament without moving MPs and peers out would cost £5.7bn and take 32 years

    If MPs and peers were moved out for six years, the cost would drop to £3.5bn, the report added

    It was announced new onshore wind farms will be excluded from a subsidy scheme from 1 April 2016, a year earlier than expected

    The Scottish Government warned the decision could be the subject of a judicial review

    David Cameron said his negotiations to reform the UK's relationship with the EU were getting "a good response"  

  2. Blair at Russia conference

    Tony Blair has addressed an international conference hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, a day after he was invited to become an adviser to the President of Ukraine. 

    The former PM's attendance at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum came as the European Union mulls whether to renew sanctions against Mr Putin's regime over Russia's interference in its smaller neighbour. 

  3. EU referendum date

    Another snippet from the EU amendment's voted down today.

    Labour failed in a bid to stop the EU referendum clashing with other elections held during the period up to the Government's deadline of before the end of 2017. 

    Labour tabled an amendment preventing the referendum being held on the same day as Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, London mayoral or local authority elections. But it was defeated by 308 votes to 267. 

  4. Sturgeon on wind farms

    Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to David Cameron, asking the prime minister to reassess the decision to end onshore wind farm subsidies from 1 April 2016. She writes: 

    Many in the industry have warned that there may be a legal challenge by a company or companies whose investment in planned schemes has been rendered useless by this decision, and that may raise more costs for the taxpayer as well as the bill payers. I ask that you look again at the impact these proposals will have on the Scottish and the wider UK economy and find an alternative approach."

  5. MPs at odds over Parliament plan

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  6. Voting age

    The Electoral Reform Society has responded to today's votes at both Westminster and Holyrood on lowering the voting age (the former rejected a bid to reduce the voting age to 16 for the EU referendum, while Holyrood voted to lower the age to 16 for Scottish elections). 

    The Electoral Reform Society has long argued that the franchise should be extended to include 16 and 17-year-olds so we are delighted that today Holyrood has given our young people the opportunity to participate in all Scottish elections. The UK government should now follow Holyrood’s example, allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the upcoming EU referendum."

  7. Point of order - on tweets

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Ian Murray has asked the deputy speaker if SNP MPs have brought the Commons into disrepute by tweeting incorrect information on how Labour MPs voted.

    The deputy speaker says people will choose which reports to believe and that it's not a matter on which she can rule at the moment.

  8. References for Parliament renovations

    In the report on the options for the renovation of the Palace of Westminster, authors say costs of a number of projects were taken into account to work out how much different elements of the repairs would cost. Reference projects included:

    • Renovation of the Royal Festival Hall
    • Royal Academy of Arts
    • Victoria and Albert museum
    • UK Supreme Court
    • Old Bailey
    • Manchester Town Hall

  9. Holyrood backs votes at 16

    BBC journalist tweets...

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  10. Yvette Cooper on Greece

    Chris Mason
    Political Correspondent

    Yvette Cooper

    The Labour leadership candidate Yvette Cooper has compared Greece to the former investment bank Lehman Brothers - which collapsed during the financial crisis.

    At a lunch with Westminster reporters, Ms Cooper said: 

    My warning to the government is do not do a Lehman Brothers over Greece. It is a hugely serious problem. I fear there is a similar view about Greece as there was in the US Treasury about Lehmans - let them go. That was catastrophic. The eurozone needs a long term, sensible approach; this will have an impact on the British economy. Greece needs to reform, there's no doubt about it, but my concern is European policy experts are underestimating the effect of cutting Greece loose."

    She added that the prime minister's renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the European Union "must help us build the broadest case and the widest consent for staying in Europe". 

    So pulling out of the Social Chapter might win over a some of his backbenchers but it'll make it harder to win the support of working people. And he must not allow his focus on renegotiation to distract him from Greece."

  11. Pickles on reshuffle

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  12. Votes at 16 rejected

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs have just rejected a Labour amendment which would have allowed 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the EU referendum

  13. MPs reject SNP amendment on referendum franchise

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs have rejected an SNP amendment which would have allowed EU citizens living in the UK to vote in the referendum on EU membership by 514 votes to 71. 

  14. Votes at 16 would make teens 'sexually vulnerable'

    More 16 and 17-year-olds would become vulnerable to sexual predators if the voting age was lowered, a Labour MP has said. Barry Sheerman warned against allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the EU referendum as he claimed the policy "shrinks childhood" and would result in adulthood beginning at 16 rather than 18. 

    Up and down this country we've had vulnerability to sexual predators and ghastly things happening right through to 18, up and down this country, and this move to have adults at 16 will make a lot of young men and women more vulnerable to sexual predation than that happens at the moment."

  15. Kendall: 'No separate Scottish party'

    Labour's Liz Kendall has rejected the prospect of a separate Scottish party during a visit north of the border.  The leadership candidate said she believes in a united party just as she believes in keeping the UK together. 

    She was at Holyrood to meet MSPs.

    I am not in favour of an independent Scottish Labour Party as I am not in favour of an independent Scotland, because I believe in solidarity."

    We need a strong partnership, there needs to be greater autonomy throughout Scotland, Wales and throughout England, but I believe in being a United Kingdom Labour Party."

  16. PM on Parliamentary renovations

    David Cameron says renovation is an issue primarily for the House of Commons authorities. The PM says he has not yet read the report and may give his view after the weekend - but added, "in all these things we obviously have to be cost effective".  

  17. 'Stay in the EU'

    Enda KennyPA

    Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny tells a press conference in Downing Street he wants the UK to vote to stay in the EU, telling journalists it is "critically important" the UK is a member. 

  18. Borehole?

    ParliamentAP

    Amongst the many details in the (very) lengthy report on restoring Parliament, is a section on sustainability, with options already looked at including "harvesting" rainwater and a possible 120m deep borehole in Black Rod's garden.

  19. Cameron/Kenny talks

    PM and Enda KennyPA

    Prime Minister David Cameron met Enda Kenny, the Irish Taoiseach, today. Speaking after their talks, Mr Cameron said the bilateral relationship between the UK and Ireland "continues to flourish".

    On Europe, the PM said he set out to Mr Kenny how he wants to address the concerns of British people through renegotiation and reform. 

  20. Schedule of works...

    In today's report there's what looks like a possible schedule for the 32 year restoration work of Parliament. It has work on the Speaker's residence slated for 2028-2030, the Whips' offices from 2031 to 2034. Westminster Hall, Member's Offices and Central Lobby are at the end of the schedule - in the last couple of years up to 2050.