Is the House of Lords about to go nuclear against the government; will it face massive retaliation if it does?

The corridors of the Lords are humming with rumour about the prospect that next week peers will be invited to strike down the government's tax credit cuts. And today it was reported that the government would hit back by either "suspending" the House of Lords or by creating yet more Conservative peers to give it a better chance of getting its measures through.

I'm not sure any government has the power to simply "suspend" a whole House of Parliament, although generations of infuriated ministers have probably wanted to. 

One Labour source dismissed it as a combination of "jumping the shark while throwing toys out of the pram."

But that threat, reported from an unnamed source, by a reputable journalist, indicates just how alarmed ministers must be at the prospect of a Lords defeat that could throw their entire spending strategy into chaos.

Read more from Mark.

BBC News Channel

BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith says it was a fairly diplomatic speech by Xi Jinping, with plenty of kind words and observations about the close ties between the two countries. The Chinese president's view is that this a new and developing relationship so he won't start "gushing" about relations. His real thoughts will be conducted in private, he adds.

Speaker Bercow's introduction - mentioning Aung San Suu Kyi - did seem to be meant "as a little dig at the Chinese", to stress that democracy in the UK is very important. As was the Chinese president saying no country "stays strong or weak forever".

BBC News Channel

The BBC's China editor Carrie Gracie says John Bercow's speech "almost pointedly" seemed to mention Mynanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and moral standards "which will have been perceived as a bit of a dig" by the Chinese.

After the applause for the Chinese president, Lords Speaker  Baroness D'Souza rises to speak and extend her thanks. She says Mr Xi's visit is the second by a Chinese leader in a decade, but much has changed - highlighting China's economic growth and the "flourishing" of Sino-British relations. 

She thanks Mr Xi for addressing Parliament and quips that she hopes he manages to find time for fish and chips in the parliamentary canteen.

The Chinese president tells the room that parliamentarians "are the cream of a society". He hopes they will "continue to promote" UK-China relations and strengthen friendship, as well as "build a bridge of understanding and cooperation" to help create "a brighter and more promising future".

"It is fair to say that China and the UK are increasingly inter-dependent and becoming a community of shared interests," says President Xi.

"We are in an age of pursuing peace and development... which enables our two countries to join hands and move forward", he adds.

In China the concept of putting people first and following the rule of law emerged in the ancient times - about 4,000 years ago, says Mr Xi. "Our goal is to ensure that all people are equal before the law," he adds.

Although China and the UK are geographically far apart, there is a "long, shared deep mutual affection" between the two countries. The UK was the first Western power to recognise new China, he says and adds that it hosts more Chinese students than any EU country.

Chinese President Xi Jinping says he is glad to visit "the mother of all Parliaments", and conveys his government and country's warm greetings and best wishes.

Mr Xi says he is deeply impressed by the "vitality" of Sino-British relations and the "profound friendship between our peoples". He believes his state visit will lift relations "to a new height".

John Bercow says China is an "emerging super power" that is taking its place in the world. The world will be watching, he says - saying the country's economic and political action is "seen by and relevant" to the whole world. He invites the president to begin his address.

Commons Speaker John Bercow is up first, and welcomes all present to the Royal Gallery. He says its "my pleasure" to introduce the leader of a nation that is both very ancient and truly modern" to a Parliament that is the same.

Mr Xi's visit "reinforces the links between the UK and China" - social and personal as well as economic and political, says Mr Bercow.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn are joined by MPs and peers in the Palace of Westminster to hear a speech by China's President Xi Jinping. He'll be delivering his address at about 16:15 BST. This is the first state visit to the UK by a Chinese leader since 2005.

House of Commons
Parliament

Ken Clarke addresses reports that Lib Dem and Labour peers in the House of Lords - where the Conservatives don't have a majority - will seek to block the tax credit changes. This is a "startling constitutional innovation", he tells MPs.

House of Commons
Parliament

Former Conservative cabinet minister Ken Clarke quips that the Labour Party is having an enjoyable time "as they've found something they can all oppose" - seeking to highlight policy differences within the Opposition.

The Rushcliffe MP says tax credits - introduced by Labour - are "one of the most flawed innovations" as they use taxpayers money to subsidise low pay. There is no more obvious target for welfare reform, he argues, but concedes that "electoral bribes are always quiet difficult to reverse".

There'll never be a better time for the government to reform the system, he adds, with the economy and wages both on the rise.