The prime minister restates his commitment to a one-nation government "on the side" of anyone "who wants to get on". He says the previous administration did make progress, but not enough - for example, on coasting schools or workless households.

David Cameron has started speaking at a school in Runcorn. He says there'll be no jokes in the speech... He begins by praising the power of a great education to tackle underachievement and boost opportunity.

A bit more from the prime minister's official spokeswoman. Asked about the demands of the Business for Britain group  that he secure national vetoes for the UK over EU policy, she said the government wants to strengthen the role of national parliaments - but that doesn't mean restoring national vetoes. "The proposal on the table has always been about groups of parliaments," she added.

The PM's spokeswoman confirmed David Cameron will meet Angela Merkel for a bilateral meeting at the chancellor's office in Berlin before the banquet on Wednesday night. 

The PM will also hold a number of bilateral meetings in Brussels on Thursday morning before the European Council meeting starts. He has spoken to 20 EU leaders so far and still needs to meet those from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal and Malta.

The Daily Politics

The panel debate warnings by union leaders that a new pay threshold for migrants means non-European nurses will have to leave the UK after six years if they are not earning at least £35,000.

Conservative Rishi Sunak says what the government is "trying to do is make sure our immigration system is not abused". He says there is the scope for an exemption from the rule where occupations have a skills shortage, but at the moment the independent migration advisory body doesn't think that's necessary for nurses. 

Lib Dem Tom Brake says he believes the policy is simply about trying to fulfil the commitment to cut migration down to the tens of thousands.

Labour's Catherine West says the government has failed in its skilled immigration approach. When it's put to her by Mr Sunak that Labour also failed, she replies: "That's ancient history. You've had five years to get it right and you're failing."

David Cameron's official spokeswoman told lobby journalists a short time ago that "technical discussions" concerning his efforts to bring about EU reform would take "several months".

"We would like to maintain the momentum in the discussions we have had so far and therefore pave the way for moving to technical talks on the issues on the table following the European Council," she said.

She added: 

The Daily Politics

Tom Brake is asked about news that the Lib Dems have launched an investigation into allegations Norman Lamb's leadership campaign team may have breached data protection rules. 

He replies:

Mr Brake is backing Mr Lamb to get the top job.

The Daily Politics

The working age benefit bill has spiralled out of control, says Rishi Sunak, and is now bigger than the education budget. He says the current system is trapping people in welfare dependency and acts as a disincentive to people looking to work more hours.

Lib Dem MP Tom Brake says the country is now going to see the sort of contribution his party made to the coalition - evidenced, he says, by the cuts that will be made without them. People on low incomes often cannot survive without income top-ups, he says.

The Daily Politics

Jo Coburn is chatting to new MPs Catherine West and Rishi Sunak about their maiden speeches in Parliament.

The former, a London Labour MP, chose to talk about housing - something she wants to make one of her focuses. "I don't accept people saying [of Labour] 'This is your fault,'" she tells the Daily Politics. "This is David Cameron's sixth year of being prime minister and not enough is being done."

Mr Sunak, who replaces William Hague as Conservative MP for Richmond, says he doesn't just have big shoes to fill, but "impossibly large Wellington boots".

His topic of choice for his first Commons speech? "This broad idea that those in rural areas shouldn't feel they are penalised for living there," he says, citing issues like broadband and small village schools.,

Image source, PA

Some shuffling of cards in Labour's deck this morning - Harriet Harman has rejigged her front bench after the election of new Select Committee chairmen.

Dan Jarvis - you may remember him as being an early, but ultimately fruitless tip in the party leadership race - joins the shadow Foreign Office team.

Wayne David will wear two hats, as part of both the shadow justice and Cabinet Office teams, while Stephen Doughty takes on a business brief. Finally, Jessica Morden joins the Whips’ Office.

Stephen Twigg and Iain Wright are leaving the shadow front bench after being elected to chair of the International Development and BIS Select Committees respectively. John Spellar also announced last week he was stepping down.

The Daily Politics

Jo Coburn is joined by three MPs - Conservative Rishi Sunak, Labour’s Catherine West and Lib Dem Tom Brake - to discuss the latest political news on the Daily Politics.

The panel will debate Conservative plans to cut the welfare bill by £12bn a year, while Peter Stringfellow defends black cab drivers against Uber when he debates with Ivan Massow. 

Caroline Wheeler, from the Sunday Express, and Rafael Behr, from the Guardian, will help look ahead to the political week. 

And the panel will look at the so-called brain drain, and why one marketing firm in Leicestershire (pictured) is offering £1,000 for suitable applicants who turn up for a job interview. Watch the film here. 

The Labour leadership contest is still wide open, say Tim Bale and Paul Webb over at the New Statesman., external They asked 1,200 party members who they wanted to get the job and opinion was divided. "Whatever the pundits or the bookies say, nobody has this thing sewn up - not yet at least. It could be an interesting summer after all," they write.

They also asked those surveyed which qualities they value most in a leader and came to the conclusion that "Labour members... were much less likely than Tory members to rank strength and authority number one, and much more likely to put having strong beliefs first."    

Earlier, we posted Cabinet Office Minister Matt Hancock's tweet celebrating the flying of the rainbow flag over his office. Well, the Huffington Post thinks that was an act of defiance, external against Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. 

The latter, it says, ordered his office and British embassies overseas not to display the rainbow flag in the week leading up to London Pride. The FCO said in a statement that the Union flag was always flown from its HQ and "never substituted for another flag", but as Huff Post points out, in 2014 Mr Hammond's predecessor William Hague shared a picture of the rainbow flag flying during Pride.  

Image source, AFP

David Cameron should push for Britain to leave the EU unless other leaders agree to a "special deal" for the UK, a business lobby group says.

Business for Britain's demands include giving member states control over migration levels and employment laws, a "veto" for national parliaments and protection for the City of London.

This contrasts with remarks from Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond earlier this month, when he said a "red card" national veto system was not possible, and would "effectively be the end" of the EU.

Read our full story.

Carole Walker
Political correspondent

Image source, Getty

The government is to include some of the money spent on peace-keeping missions in calculating its defence spending, as it remains under pressure to commit to the Nato target of 2% of GDP. 

Nato figures out tomorrow are expected to show the UK is spending more than 2.1%. But a government source has confirmed that for the first time this includes a proportion of the £1billion Conflict Pool which is managed jointly by the Foreign Office, the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence. 

The MoD provides almost £450 million of the costs and the source said Nato has confirmed that under its guidelines, this could be included in its assessment of which countries are meeting the target.

Yesterday, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told Andrew Marr tomorrow's figures would show the UK is spending "comfortably over 2%" on defence. But when asked about future commitments he said the budget would be set in September.

The Conflict Pool has now been updated and is called the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund which the government says "will draw on the most effective combination of defence, diplomacy, development assistance, and national security assets at Her Majesty's Government's disposal to promote peace and stability and to tackle threats to UK interests arising from instability overseas".

The Daily Mail

Today's Daily Mail says "soaring numbers", external of children living in mainland Europe "are being supported with generous tax credits sent home from the UK". It says the figure is now 12,000 - a rise of 75% in two years. David Cameron has said he wants migrants to be required to work for four years before they can access tax credits and child benefit and the Mail says the latest figures "heap pressure" on him to secure those "curbs".

The Guardian

Image source, PA

Would banning foreign non-residents from owning homes in the UK help solve the housing crisis? Yes, according to Zoe Williams, in the Guardian. It's already done in Norway and Australia, and she argues it makes perfect sense.

Image source, Other

Candidates bidding to become leader and deputy leader of Scottish Labour are due to hold their first debate seeking support from members.

MSPs Ken Macintosh and Kezia Dugdale - above - are going head-to head for the leadership.

Fellow MSPs Alex Rowley and Richard Baker are joining Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson in the race for deputy leader.

Scottish Labour, of course, had a wholesale clear-out at the top following its terrible general election performance.

Read the full story.