Politics Live: Question Time

Summary

Rolling coverage of all the day's political developments and key clips from BBC output
Downing Street confirms flights to return from Sharm el-Sheikh to the UK tomorrow
Further details emerge of government's plans to monitor online activity
Some of Jeremy Corbyn's critics in the Parliamentary Labour Party seize key positions
Justine Greening and Chuka Umunna among the BBC Question Time panel

Live Reporting

Tom Moseley and Trevor Timpson

Watch: Joanna Gosling previews today's programmepublished at 09:05 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2015
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Michael Gove wants to reduce prison numberspublished at 08:50
Image source, Getty Images
Justice Secretary Michael Gove has said he wants to reduce the prison population in England and Wales.
Addressing the Howard League for Penal Reform's conference, Mr Gove said he hoped numbers would "fall over time".
He also indicated there could be major reforms to sentencing - but added that he did not want to "leap to any conclusions".
The use of body-worn cameras, currently being trialled, would improve the prison staff behaviour, he also said.
Full story here.
Did PM warn Egyptian president about flight suspension?published at 08:45
In his Today programme interview, Philip Hammond was asked when David Cameron told Egyptian President Sisi that UK flights to and from Sharm would be halted.
He said the government was in "constant contact" with Egyptian officials, "so they would have been aware as soon as we made that decision".
Quote Message
I think the president was probably in mid-air at the time that we were having that meeting but (the prime minister) had spoken to the president the previous evening and I spoke to the Egyptian foreign minister shortly after that COBRA meeting yesterday afternoon. We're meeting with the Egyptians this morning so we'll have further discussions about this."
Tory MP accuses Hunt of 'spin' over junior doctors' contractpublished at 08:38
The Health Select Committee chairman tweets...
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Government to update MPs on UK-Sharm flights haltpublished at 08:37 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2015
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'A possibility' flights may not resume, says Hammondpublished at 08:32
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
Asked if the UK could ultimately conclude that it is not safe to fly from Sharm, Philip Hamond says it's "a possibility". But he stresses that in that case the government would look at what more could be done to boost safety.
Hammond: We will do whatever it takespublished at 08:30
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
Quote Message
We have an immediate problem to deal with... and we will do whatever is necessary. If we have to send in additional personnel, additional equipment, if we have to have unusual handling arrangements for returning those flights we will do so. Regardless of the cost, regardless of the delay, regardless of the inconvenience."
Philip Hammond, Foreign secretary
But in the longer-term, Mr Hammond says, arrangements have to be sustainable. We will not resume normal flying activity until those are in place,he adds.
'Emergency measures in place' to bring backstranded Britonspublished at 08:24
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
Philip Hammond says the UK is putting "emergency short-term measures" in place today to reinforce security at Egypt's airports to allow the UK to bring back Britons stranded in Sharm. In parallel, he says, the UK will work work the Egyptian authorities and airlines on long-term measures "to allow the resumption of normal air activity".
Hammond: We can't share all our intelligencepublished at 08:22
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
Image source, AFP
Asked about intelligence sharing, Philip Hammond says: "We don't talk about the intelligence that we have. Some intelligence we can share, some we can't."
He says the decision has been reached on the basis has been reached on a review of all of the information, of which intelligence is "one part".
What the UK is sharing, he says, is its conclusion. He predicts others will also take "precautionary" approaches.
Hammond: I hope this won't affect UK-Egypt relationspublished at 08:18
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
Image source, AP
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says the decision to halt UK-bound flights from Sharm was taken yesterday afternoon. The government was in continuous contact with Egyptian officials, he adds.
He says he understands Egyptian's concerns about the impact on the tourism industry but he's confident they will understand why the decision was taken. "I hope it won't mean that we are not able to discuss the many areas where Britain and Egypt are collaborating together to strengthen the Egyptian economy and security system" and the two countries' work to defeat so-called Islamic State, he adds.
UK 'prejudging' result of plane crash investigationpublished at 08:12
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
The government believes there is a significant possibility it was a bomb that brought down the Russian plane flying out of Egypt on Saturday and many thousands of British people - perhaps 20,000 - are stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson for the Egyptian foreign ministry, told Today the British decision was "prejudging" the result of the ongoing investigation into the plane crash.
Asked how much damage it was going to do to UK-Egypt relations, he says he see no correlation between the incident and the two countries' relations. He also doesn't agree that airport security in Egypt is not strict enough.
MI5 'secretly collected phone data' for decadepublished at 08:09
Image source, PA
MI5 has secretly been collecting vast amounts of data about UK phone calls to search for terrorist connections, the BBC has learned.
The programme has been running for 10 years under a law described as "vague" by the government's terror watchdog.
It emerged as Home Secretary Theresa May unveiled a draft bill governing online spying by the authorities.
It would mean the internet activity of everyone in Britain had to be stored for a year by service providers.
Read more.
Holyrood 'will have tax credit powers'published at 08:08
Image source, AFP
Changes to the Scotland Bill will give Holyrood the power to restore any tax credit cuts made by the UK government, the Scottish government has said.
But Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil said it would not reveal its plan until they had been "properly costed".
His comments came after new amendments to the Scotland Bill were lodged by the UK government.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the amendments made it "crystal clear" that Scotland could act on tax credits.
More here.
Bomb fears prompt Sharm flight cancellationspublished at 08:05
Image source, EPA
News broke last night that the UK had halted all flights between Britain and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, because there was a "significant possibility" an explosive device caused the Russian plane crash at the weekend.
The decision was taken after experts reviewed the airport's security, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.
Officials are working with airlines on special flights to bring UK tourists at the resort home as soon as possible.
Russian Airbus 321 crashed on Saturday, killing all 224 people on board.
Mr Hammond will be speaking on the Today programme at 08:10.
More here.
Good morningpublished at 08:00
Hello and welcome to our rolling coverage of political developments on Thursday - including the reaction to the decision to temporarily halt flights between the UK and an Egyptian resort - on the day Egypt's president visits Downing Street - and further details of the government's plans to monitor online activity.