The Huffington Post

Image source, PA

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell is attempting to increase the pressure on the Conservatives over tax credits. Writing for HuffPost, external, he says David Cameron had promised before the general election not to cut the payments and draws a comparison with the Tories' former coalition partners:

As mentioned ealier, in the House of Commons Speaker John Bercow accused Business Secretary Sajid Javid of being "discourteous and incompetent". The Speaker was unhappy at the length of time Mr Javid spoke for about the closure of Tata steel. Here's the video:

James Landale
Deputy political editor

The prime minister's official spokeswoman has said the government will try to ensure that British steel manufacturers get more state contracts to help the ailing industry.

She said ministers would "look at the ways in which we can drive up the number of public procurement contracts that are being won by UK steel manufacturers and their partners, while ensuring that this is through fair and open competition".

The spokeswoman also confirmed Mr Cameron was expecting to raise the issue of steel in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Downing Street on Wednesday, and she accepted that competitive pricing from China was not helping the industry.

The Daily Politics

The ex-Labour peer also says he's "still astonished" by some of the people who joined the Labour shadow cabinet, and suggests they need to "examine their own consciences" and start to "seriously" think about why Labour lost in May.

Asked whether he's been on the receiving end of abuse for his decision to leave the party, he tells Daily Politics: "I've had a few tart emails and I expect to have a few more. It doesn't bother me very much."

The Daily Politics

On Daily Politics earlier Lord Warner said he wouldn't be surprised if others followed his lead and quit the party. He hopes those dissatisfied with Labour's direction will "forcefully" express their views in public. He says it has to come from Labour MPs as well as peers as "it’s easy" for the latter to "distance" themselves from the leadership.

"If they don’t watch out they will be on the receiving end, I believe, of processes to deselect them," he warns.

John Bercow said Said Javid was "a civil fellow" but cautioned that it was "a considerable discourtesy or incompetent, or both" for him to take twice the allotted time.

House of Commons
Parliament

In the Commons, Business Secretary Sajid Javid has been responding to an urgent question from Labour on the steel industry, following the announcement by Tata Steel of nearly 1,200 job losses at its plants in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire.

Mr Javid was branded "discourteous and incompetent" by Commons Speaker John Bercow for taking too long to reply to the urgent question.

Mr Bercow said the cabinet minister should have offered to make a government statement instead.

"It must not happen again," he told him.

The Daily Politics

Lord Warner, who has quit Labour in protest at the party's direction under the new leadership, criticises shadow chancellor John McDonnell's U-turn over support for the government's budget responsibility charter.

Initially Mr McDonnell said Labour would support the spending rules, which force governments to maintain a budget surplus "in normal times" - but he later instructed the party to vote against it.

The Daily Politics

Labour has pledged to reverse the tax credits changes if it wins power. Asked how it would pay for that change, shadow work and pension secretary Owen Smith claims it's odd to ask the question with five years to go until the next general election.

Pressed further, he says Labour would raise the money by reversing the inheritance tax cut and reinstating the 50p top rate of tax.

The Daily Politics

Shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith commends Stephen McPartland for his stance, saying the MP is "completely right and has done my job brilliantly for me".

The government says people's incomes will be protected by other measures, including the new National Living Wage, increased free childcare and a larger personal income tax allowance.

But Mr Smith tells the Daily Politics 25% of working tax credits recipients are on the National Living Wage and will see no benefit, and he argues those without children also won't see any uplift.

The Daily Politics

Stephen McPartland, Conservative MP for Stevenge, says he supports reform of the tax credits system "but I don't agree with what these reforms are actually doing" - claiming it will punish people going out to work. He said a teaching assistant stands to lose 10% of their income under the changes. "It's about mitigating the impact of these cuts" to protect low earners, he adds.

Asked how he'll vote later, he says he wants to "keep the Treasury guessing", saying he will hope to hear some good news from George Osborne.

The Daily Politics

Conservative MP Alan Mak says the government wants to be "strong partners" with China and stresses that it is "not afraid" to raise human rights with the regime. He tells the Daily Politics you can only have "frank discussions" if there are "strong, strategic economic" relations "and that is what we have got".

Asked what leverage the UK has to persuade China to change its behaviour, broadcaster Linda Yueh says the US government doesn't have much influence and Britain "is in a much weaker position".

The Daily Politics

Conservative Alan Mak, the UK's first ethnic Chinese MP, is asked if its wise to encourage so much Chinese investment in the UK?

He says the state visit by the Chinese president is "an important and positive visit for UK plc". It is "absolutely the right time" to be engaging "with the world's second largest economy", he adds.

Mr Mak says Chinese economic growth is still strong, despite the recent slow down in its economy.

Evening Standard

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

The quality of British curries could improve if the UK left the European Union, a Conservative MP has claimed. The Evening Standard reports that, during a Commons immigration debate yesterday, Paul Scully said the curry industry was “struggling” because it couldn’t bring over skilled chefs, in part, because of immigration restrictions. He said:

His argument was endorsed by fellow Conservative MP Anne Main, but Labour's Steve McCabe took a different view: “If we cannot train people as Balti chefs and curry chefs in this day and age, there is something badly wrong with our skills training in this country."

Cuts to tax credits  have not been thought through and will hit the lowest paid, according to Conservative MP Stephen McPartland.

He told the BBC the system needed reform but that Chancellor George Osborne's plans go "too far".

"I don't think it's been fully thought through. I don't think they fully understand the huge impact it's going to have on people on low incomes," the Stevenage MP said.

The Daily Politics

Jo Coburn is joined by Oxford University’s China expert, Linda Yueh (below) for analysis of the Chinese president’s state visit on Tuesday’s Daily Politics from 12:00 to 13:00. 

Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think-tank, and Conservative MP Alan Mak, the UK's first ethnically Chinese MP, will offer their views. 

Image source, Linda Yueh

There will be a debate on the tax credits row with shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith, and the Conservative MP Stephen McPartland. 

Lord Warner, a former Labour health minister has resigned from the party in protest at its shift to the left under Jeremy Corbyn, and he will explain his departure.

And they will look at job losses in the steel industry with Matt Ball from the Steel Workers’ union, Community.

The programme can be watched in the Live Coverage tab above.

John Pienaar

Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords will be formally instructed to vote down the government's plans to cut tax credits, despite fears among senior peers that a veto could provoke a government backlash, and even constitutional retaliation against the unelected chamber.

Chancellor George Osborne has made clear to Conservative MPs he has no intention of watering down his proposals, amid concern that the cuts will leave less well-off working people out of pocket, despite increases in the "living wage". 

Some senior Lib Dem and Labour peers are reluctant to use their power to block such a sensitive financial measure. The Lords is prohibited from interfering in the government's Finance Bill, which enacts the Budget. The tax credit cuts, however, are vulnerable since they are contained in a separate piece of legislation.

The Huffington Post website carried a report, external that a veto in the Lords could lead to the chamber being "flooded" with new Conservative peers. There was also, according to  the report, a possibility of the power of the Lords to interfere being "suspended."

But urged on by Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, the Lib Dems will "whip" their peers to vote against the chancellor's order next week.

Labour peers will formally discuss their position at a private meeting tomorrow, but will be expected to line up against the order, though some in their ranks harbour private reservations.