Communities Secretary Greg Clark earlier assured a Labour MP a "Geordie Boris" would not be imposed on the people of the North East as part of the government's devolution bill.

But Labour's shadow communities secretary John Trickett still smells a rat. 

"The truth is that metro mayors in local areas are a precondition of devolution and that is simply wrong," he tells MPs. 

Labour will vote against the Bill at second reading and favours its own model of "bottom up" devolution beginning with a constitutional convention. 

But not all Labour MPs agree - Manchester MP Graham Stringer says he will not be backing his party's amendment, as it would undo "all the work that has been done by local government leaders in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Merseyside" if it was passed.

Tim Reid
BBC Scotland Westminster Correspondent

Labour has described the UK government's decision to devolve abortion laws to Scotland as "shocking." 

It follows confirmation of the move by the Scottish Secretary David Mundell in evidence to the Scottish Affairs committee this afternoon.

The Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray has previously opposed the move saying that any consultation a woman's right to choose should be "determined by robust medical evidence and not by where you live."

A Labour source said the decision "had been taken behind closed doors by UK and Scottish Government ministers with no consultation with women's groups" and pointed out that it comes months after women's organisations warned of the consequences of devolving abortion laws.

Image source, EPA

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has caused a bit of a stir with his comments about the state of negotiations between the EU and UK - and whether or not he thinks the UK needs the EU:

He then added - with the crucial word being the one which sounds like "don't" but which his staff insists was "do":

Here's the clip in question so you can hear for yourself:

The Women's Equality Party - a new group to promote greater female representation in politics - wants to see all-women shortlists and more women appointed to the Lords to reach a gender balanced Parliament by 2025.  

Party leader Sophie Walker said the recently published Sex and Power report, external shows how stark the under representation of women in politics is.

Setting out her party's aims, she says:

To reach gender equality the party is proposing women should make up 2/3 of new MPs and 3/4 of new Peers.

The Daily Politics

Conservative David Gauke and Labour's Lilian Greenwood review the second PMQs session with David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn.

They looked at wage and welfare claims with Laura Kuenssberg, Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn on the Daily Politics, after they heard what viewers had to say of their first exchanges since the conference recess.

Watch here

Cripes! Or should that be whey aye? Either way the people of the North-East don't want a "Geordie Boris" imposed on them, reckons Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell.

Elected mayors are seen as a big part of the government's much-vaunted Northern Powerhouse plans - but the North East rejected an earlier proposal for regional government in a referendum some year ago.

"If it is all about democracy and sharing democracy why are you imposing the mayor on us?," asks the Labour MP.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark insisted there would be no imposition, as he introduced the second reading of the government's Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill.

He promised a "bold new era of devolution" but with a "bespoke approach" to handing over power.

He told Mr Campbell:

Green MP Caroline Lucas confirms she will vote against George Osborne's fiscal charter later.

She says she is "glad" Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is now backing her stance.

The Brighton Pavilion MP is also calling for a "British version of Greece’s Debt Truth Committee, as part of the process of advancing an evidence based approach to public spending and levels of debt," in a blog for The Huffington Post, external.

The Daily Politics

Lib Dem activist Stephen Tall thought his party would do better than the polls suggested ahead of the general election, and pledged to run naked along Whitehall if they lost half their MPs.

After the party fell to just eights seats in May, former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie offered a charity donation in a bid to make him come good on the pledge.

Watch the clip above for the blogger's film about his run along the famous street on a cold October afternoon, and below for the handover a a charity cheque for £5,000 on the Daily Politics.

Image source, PA

Tom Blenkinsop, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland raised the redundancy deal in the Commons and added he had been told local colleges had received no extra money to provide re-education for workers affected by the closure of SSI. He called on the government to explain their plans:

Redcar MP Anna Turley says government's £80m package will include statutory redundancy payments

MPs worried about the collapse of the Wilson doctrine could always apply for an emergency debate, suggests Speaker John Bercow, with a subtle hint that he would grant one.

He told them: "If members feel that this matter has now acquired an urgent character or even that might warrant consideration as an emergency, there are parliamentary methods open to them.  

"I don't think I could be accused of being over-subtle or Delphic." 

Earlier, the SNP's Alex Salmond suggested a cross-party group of MPs may bring forward a motion to reassert an "essential democratic protection". 

Shadow Commons leader Chris Bryant said: "The freedom of members to be able to speak without fear or favour, and without fear of being spied upon by the Government or any other agency, is a vital part of our being able to do our job as representatives. "I think it strikes at the heart of our liberties."   

MPs are not happy about discovering they have no special rights when it comes to avoiding the attentions of the security services and their listening devices.

Harold Wilson - who was convinced MI5 were trying to undermine him during his time in Number 10  (not without some justification it later turned out) - introduced the Wilson doctrine in 1966, preventing the spooks from snooping on elected politicians.

A special tribunal earlier ruled that it has no legal force.

Veteran Labour MP David Winnick thinks he might have been in the Commons chamber when the Wilson doctrine was spelled out.

 "I would be very, very disappointed indeed if that absolute integrity set out by the prime minister at the time was now to be changed in any way," he told MPs earlier.   

The general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union has warned Labour MPs criticising Jeremy Corbyn's leadership to "wind your neck in and shut up". 

Speaking at an event in Parliament against fire services cuts Matt Wrack said his message to those MPs who'd "attacked" the leadership following Monday's meeting of Labour MPs and peers and were "trying to put the knife", was to "respect" the result of the leadership election. 

Mr Wrack, whose Union is not affiliated to Labour but supported Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership campaign, said it was "truly remarkable" that Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, who had supported his union over the years, were now in key positions within British politics, and "we will now stand by them". 

 He said their election was an opportunity for the trade union movement to start "shaping and shift the debate in our favour" and to make the case for investment in public services. 

The BBC's Mark D'Arcy on who's running for select committee posts

Brandon Lewis, the Minister  for Housing and Planning told the BBC Labour's economic policy is in chaos:  

He said the chancellor was making it very clear this is a government that will "fix the roof while the sun is shining" and this government believed in economic security.