Conservative MP Nadim Zahawi tells the Daily Politics he likes to live in a country which "is intolerant of intolerance" and says the whole community has to work together and says the community will support the plans:
Quote MessageThe Moderate Muslim community is very much behind this and will engage with it."
Plaid Cymru's Treasury spokesperson, Jonathan Edwards MP, has warned that the Conservative Party will pay a heavy price in the forthcoming National Assembly election because of changes to tax credits. Plaid Cymru opposes the changes and claim they will affect 124,300 families in Wales. Mr Edwards said:
Quote MessageGeorge Osborne’s cynical rebranding of the living wage will not fill the financial black hole families will face as a result of his ruthless changes to the tax credit thresholds. With these changes due to come into effect just weeks before the Assembly election, both the Tories and Labour Party who sat on their hands will pay a heavy price at the ballot box.”
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Labour has warned the government against alienating Muslims as it launches its counter-extremism strategy.
Shadow policing minister Jack Dromey speaking on the BBC News Channel said previous attempts to tackle Irish republican terror "drove a whole community into the hands of the IRA".
He said it was "crucial we get the balance right", adding: "The last thing we should do is to alienate the Muslim community."
Mr Dromey said work to tackle Islamist terrorism had been successful because of good relationships and trust between the police and the community.
Quote MessageThe prime minister’s got to be very careful not to use the language he used earlier in the summer that somehow the Muslim community is not standing up to terrorism."
But Mr Dromey claimed cuts to neighbourhood policing could make it harder to tackle extremism:
Quote MessageNeighbourhood policing is the eyes and ears of the counter-terrorism effort. The government has cut 17,000 police officers. They’re proposing to cut another 23,000 police officers – that will be a serious obstacle in the path of a serious counter-terrorist strategy”
As mentioned, that question on grammar schools will start at 3.30pm which will push the Prime Minister's statement on the EU summit back to around 4.15pm.
There will be an urgent question in the Commons this afternoon - at 3.30pm - about plans to allow a new grammar school (or "annexe") in Sevenoaks in Kent.
Douglas Carswell, UKIP's only Member of Parliament, said he supported the original tax credit proposals but will also now support Frank Field's amendment as they improve the reforms. Mr Carswell told the Daily Politics:
Quote MessageIt's absolutely vital we stop the taxpayer from subsidising low wages."
Liam Fox defends the government's proposals on tax credits - he tells the Daily Politics if we're not going to pass on huge debts to the next generation we have to tackle the deficit - and the changes must be looked at "in the round". Other measures will help people, he says.
The Daily Politics
Speaking on the Daily Politics Labour's Dawn Butler says the government promised not to cut tax credits; "David Cameron lied, you lied." Ms Butler said the Prime Minister said during the election he would not touch credits "and yet still you're doing just that."
She challenged the claim that the rise in the minimum wage will alleviate the cuts because the government's Living Wage is not high enough but added "Ed Miliband was not ambitious enough in the minimum wage, he should have started off at £10 per hour"
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Robin Brant
Political Correspondent
Image source, EPAThe Prime Minister's official spokeswoman also said that developing a strong and engaged relationship "means we are able to talk to them... frankly and with mutual respect". Downing Street has been accused of "kowtowing" to China ahead of the visit to try to ensure major investment deals are agreed, including a deal to let the Chinese help build new nuclear power stations in the UK.
President Xi will have "'government to government" talks at Downing Street on Wednesday, when the prime minister and 6 other cabinet ministers will attend.
Downing Street has also announced that the Chinese tech billionaire Jack Ma, who founded 'Alibaba', has been appointed to the prime minister's business advisory council. The two men will meet ahead of an event at Downing Street tonight.
The spokeswoman also said the government's position on Tibet had not changed, saying David Cameron's decision to meet the Dalai Lama in 2012 was because he "wanted to have the opportunity to engage" with him. That meeting led to a significant deterioration in relations between London and Beijing.
Robin Brant
Political Correspondent
"Nothing is off the table" in talks between David Cameron and China's President Xi Jinping as a four day state visit gets under way today.The prime minister's official spokeswoman confirmed there would be two occasions for "substantial" talks between the two over the next few days, first at Downing Street and then later in the week at Chequers.
The spokeswoman stressed the "face to face" talks are part of the government's effort to build a "relationship based on constructive engagement", adding "if we had no relationship we would not be able to advance" British interests.
She said a "full range of issues" would be covered, saying she expected China's dumping of cheap steel on the world market, China's human rights record and the threat faced from cyber attacks from China were likely to come up.
Labour's Frank Field adds he backs Labour's shadow chancellor's pledge to reverse changes to tax credits.
Labour MP Frank Field tells the Daily Politics he's sure there will be more money and it's important that more money is not spent in the "idiot way" Gordon Brown did when he punished lower paid workers by abolishing the 10p rate. It should be used to take help the poorest so any mitigation should be concentrated on them
The Spectator is holding a forum today looking at how the skills gap in 21st century Britain can be tackled head on. You can search the forum on Twitter using the hashtag #specforum
The Daily Politics
Is China a threat to national security? "Yes there are benefits of trade but that should not blind us to the risks we potentially would face," he says.
Asked on the Daily Politics if the government should pursue Chinese investment in the nuclear industry Dr Fox said the government should engage, but "up to a point". He said he'd be happier "if the central elements of that came from the United Kingdom".
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The Daily Politics
Conservative MP and former Defence Secretary Liam Fox tells Daily Politics China's definition of progress on human rights can't just be about economic progress.
Labour MP Dawn Butler tells the Daily Politics Jeremy Corbyn will raise human rights with the Chinese president - but in a private meeting. Ms Butler says "that will suffice".
The International Affairs think tank Chatham House is today hosting an event where Director Dr Robin Niblett presents a paper on his vision for the UK on the international stage. Here's a selection of tweets from the event:
Gavin Kelly, former adviser to Blair and Brown, writing in the New Statesman, external asks whether George Osborne's problems over tax credits are on the same scale as Gordon Brown's were over the 10p tax rate.