Politics Live - Thursday 22 October

Summary

MPs back plans for 'English votes for English laws' after bad tempered debate
Home Secretary Theresa May condemns lack of black officers in police forces
Chinese President Xi Jinping continues his state visit to the UK
Chancellor George Osborne says he is 'comfortable' with his 'judgement call' on tax credits

Live Reporting

Alex Hunt, Sally Heptonstall and Pippa Simm

EVEL plans 'a charter for breaking up UK'published at 15.42
Shadow Commons leader tweets...
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Watch: Danczuk on Watson's historic sex abuse claimspublished at 15.38
The Daily Politics
Listening to Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens over his sex abuse claims in the 1980s could have saved some children from sexual abuse, says a Labour MP.
Simon Danczuk was speaking after Tom Watson was quizzed by MPs over his historic sex abuse claims about Lord Brittan, and calls for the new Labour deputy party leader to give an apology.
Mr Danczuk was asked about the missing dossier allegedly drawn up by Mr Dickens - who has since died - which was said to have named high profile figures linked to child sex abuse.
Media caption,
Simon Danczuk on Tom Watson's historic sex abuse claims about Lord Brittan
Lords 'trespassing on Commons privilege'published at 15.38
House of Commons
Parliament
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg criticises the House of Lords' request for a joint committee to discuss the proposed changes to Commons standing orders, to would bring about the Enlish votes for English laws plans. "Once again they are trespassing on our privilege", the North East Somerset MP says, and tells MPs:
Quote Message
They may want a joint committee on how devolution for England works, but it was an impertinence of their lordships' House to ask for a joint committee to discuss our standing orders. We must vote the amendment down with a big majority to reassert the rights of the House of Commons."
And, he adds, "we may have to remind them of something similar on Monday" - a reference to attempts to try to block cuts to tax credits.
Watch: Peer's bill to limit the influence of Sharia lawpublished at 15.34
The Daily Politics
On Friday, a crossbench peer is introducing a bill designed to limit the influence of Sharia law in legal cases in the UK.
Caroline Cox claimed "many Muslim women are suffering horrendously under the present provisions", when she spoke to Jo Coburn about the need for her bill.
Aina Khan, a specialist solicitor in Islamic law, agreed there was a problem, but claimed the bill was a “mish mash", and not well drafted.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage later joined in the Daily Politics debate.
Media caption,
Sharia law in UK: Cox, Khan and Farage debate
EU referendum polls narrowpublished at 15:20 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
Ipsos Mori say their latest poll shows the lead for those campaigning to stay in has narrowed:
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Quick fire questioning on Pienaar's Politicspublished at 15.10
BBC Radio 5 Live's chief political correspondent tweets...
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BNP to field London mayoral candidatepublished at 15.09
Image caption,
David Furness will be the party's 2016 candidate
The BNP has said it will enter the race to be mayor of London, after acknowledging a "scaling down" at the general election.
The candidate will be David Furness, the party's organiser in west London, who stood in the 2011 Feltham and Heston Parliamentary by-election.
A spokesman for the BNP told BBC London the party had been "rebuilding and modernising" since May.
The BNP fielded eight candidates at the general election.
More here.
Frank Field: Benefit sanctions must be fairpublished at 15.08
Frank Field MP, Labour chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, has commented on a report, carried out by the predecessor committee in the last Parliament, which looked into benefit sanctions.
Quote Message
We are pleased that the government has accepted many of the committee’s criticisms of its approach and, more importantly, the recommendations for change. In particular, we welcome the trial of the 'yellow card' warning system and the reassessment of what constitutes hardship. Conditionality is an important part of our benefit system, but sanctions must be fair, clearly understood and not plunge families into unjustifiable hardship.
But he added that the government's response "leaves a number of questions answered" and pledged that the committee would "track the progress" to ensure ministers "follow through on the spirit of this constructive response in practice".
Quote Message
I will be writing to the secretary of state [Iain Duncan Smith] asking for further information on the detail and timing of his plans. We will also ask him about them when he gives evidence to the committee on Wednesday morning.’
Labour 'has stuggled' with English votes issuepublished at 15:05
House of Commons
Parliament
Labour's Jonathan Reynolds says Labour has struggled on the issue of English votes and the current situation "is not really tenable". He tells MPs it presents many on the Labour benches with a problem:
Quote Message
It is very hard to see once you've shattered a common interest between a place like Scotland or Wales with the northern cities and with London how you get to a non-Conservative government based on the numbers in this House. And frankly, I think it's reasonable to say, there are millions of people in this country who have a legitimate aspiration for a non-Conservative government at some point or other."
But he says ignoring the issue is creating another problem and is the cause of resentment.
No second class MPs, insists Tory MPpublished at 15:00
House of Commons
Parliament
Conservative MP Sir William Cash tells the Commons the EVEL proposals will not make two classes of MPs, but that there are different functions.
Ex-Lib Dem Treasury minister 'tapped for China bank role'published at 14.59
BBC political correspondent tweets...
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Questions raised over whether Bond films pay taxespublished at 14.58
Labour MP for Huddersfield tweets...
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MPs to debate fire safety in schoolspublished at 14:46 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
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Redwood: It's England's turnpublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
House of Commons
Parliament
"I speak for England," begins the Conservative MP for Wokingham, John Redwood - to cheers from the Tory benches. He says for some 18 years, English MPs have proposed and accepted major transfers of power to Scotland, Wales and to Northern Ireland. "And now it is England's turn to have a voice, and to have votes," the former cabinet inister argues.
Intervening, former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond says that Mr Redwood professes to speak for England, but "in a former existence he once tried to sing for Wales".
SNP rules out possibility of another Scottish UK PMpublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
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Chinese president's Xi Jinping bids farewell to Queenpublished at 14:38 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
Image source, Getty Images
China's President Xi Jinping has bid a formal farewell to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on the penultimate day of his UK state visit.
Mr Xi said goodbye to the Queen at Buckingham Palace before joining the Duke of York for a series of visits.
He will also hold talks with David Cameron at the prime minister's country retreat, Chequers.
Global affairs, including China's response to the rise of extremism, are expected to dominate discussions.
More here.
Labour MP: I will vote against EVEL plans 'til my dying day'published at 14:29 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
Ian Lucas, Labour MP for Wrexham, makes clear his objections to the English votes for English laws proposals. They will give an "enormous gift" to Scottish and Welsh nationalists, he argues.
Quote Message
This fosters their grievance, it will build resentment. It is ill-judged, it is wrong, I will oppose it to my dying day."
Tory MP: It's time Parliament listened to the voterspublished at 14:29 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
Heather Wheeler. Conservative MP for South Derbyshire, says she will wholeheartedly vote in favour of the proposals tonight. She tells MPs she has long-campaigned for English votes for English laws and is "delighted" they are being introduced - telling MPs it is a matter of utmost importance to her constituents who object to MPs from devolved nations voting on England-only matters.
Quote Message
It is incredible that we have had the sanctimony, the piousness, the egregious voting. It is not on any more. It is about time Parliament listened to the voters who put us here and who voted for our manifesto."
Cameron's 'sartorial howler'published at 14:25 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
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'Consent stage' for English MPspublished at 14:13 British Summer Time 22 October 2015
House of Commons
Parliament
Addressing the SNP benches, Conservative MP Iain Stewart insists there is "nothing" in these proposals that "exclude members from Scotland from speaking on any bill before this House". "We are inserting a consent stage in matters that apply only to England," he says - adding that this is the principle on which the Scottish Parliament was founded.
The West Lothian Question - whether it's right that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs can vote on laws that only apply in England - is a decades-old issue and one which has public support, the Milton Keynes South MP insists