Former prime minister Tony Blair has been giving evidence to the foreign affairs select committee on his relationship with Libya. 

Key points he made:

• Phone calls made in 2011 by Mr Blair to Colonel Gaddafi at the height of the conflict were not to "save" him but "get him to go" peacefully and to initiate a transition
• He defended his decision to bring Col Gaddafi "in from the cold," when he was PM, and said it may have prevented so-called Islamic State getting chemical weapons

• He thought Mr Cameron's decision to intervene in Libya in 2011 was "well-intentioned" and done in "good faith"
• Ultimately, the Gaddafi regime was “not sustainable” due to internal opposition 

• He thought a "process of transition" with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad would have been better rather than "leave him in place, tell him he's got to go, and not go and get him out" 

There has been anger over the latest delay to a decision on airport expansion. Conservative MP Crispin Blunt said it was an act of "political cowardice". The decision will now be taken after the outcome of London mayoral election. He also said Conservative mayoral candidate - Zac Goldsmith - should not have a "veto" on the issue.

Jeremy Corbyn is expected to attend a Christmas fundraiser for Stop the War Coalition tonight. Labour MPs have been urging Mr Corbyn to "step back" from the group which has faced controversy over its comments recently.

A deal on climate change is to be finalised tomorrow. Concluding a day later than expected, the Climate Change Conference in Paris has been described as "nearly there" by the French foreign minister.

And finally, the most important piece of news - Jeremy Corbyn has won Parliamentary Beard of the Year for the sixth time.

The chair of the transport select committee, Labour MP Louise Ellman, said the government has "failed to take a decision on expanding aviation".

She said the recommendation by the Airports Commission for an additional runway at Heathrow was "clear and unambiguous".

Noise and environmental issues around the airport "are not new concerns" and should have been looked at previously, she added in a statement.

"We don't need to wait for further studies," said the MP.

She warned the delay could cost the UK £5bn and because companies were making "investment decisions now" and the lack of certainty meant "the UK continues to lost out".

Read her full statement, external

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has praised Syrian opposition leaders, who have gathered at a conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Mr Hammond said the leaders had met to affirm their vision for Syria, develop a clear approach to negotiations with the regime and appoint a negotiating committee.

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 Tory MP Crispin Blunt has called on the government to make a "clear decision" on whether or not to build a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport. 

The Reigate MP said he did not believe the government needed more time to consider the options on airport expansion. 

"By putting the party before country it will become crystal clear that actually people will take a view that it will damage the Conservative Party, so I wish they hadn't done it", he told World at One presenter Shaun Ley. 

The Daily Politics

The Daily Politics

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Lord Stern said he is optimistic a "good" deal will come out of the Paris climate change summit.

The president of the Royal Academy and chair of Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Environment, who used to advise the British government on climate change, said he hoped the current draft agreement would stand.

"But in the famous words of Yogi Berra: 'it ain't over till it's over'", he told World at One presenter Shaun Ley. 

The Daily Politics

Sadiq Khan, Labour's London mayoral candidate, has urged the government to "crack down" on new-build housing being sold to overseas investors. 

He says home ownership for young Londoners is becoming "impossible" and says locals should get "first dibs" on new homes.

He adds: "Building new homes for Londoners must come ahead of offering investment opportunities for overseas millionaires.”

The UK's recent growth, employment progress and deficit reduction have been "strong", the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

Underlying economic vulnerabilities have been addressed, and steady growth looks set to continue, it said.

But high household debt, a "strikingly large" trade deficit and high government debt are still risks to the economy.

It also warned about uncertainty over whether the UK would stay in the EU.

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Following his appearance before MPs earlier on Friday, the SNP says it wants more information about how many phone calls Tony Blair made to Colonel Gaddafi in 2011, what was discussed and what the UK government knew about them. Stephen Gethins, an SNP member of the committee, says the UK's failure to learn the lessons of the Libyan intervention are "alarming". 

Conservative MP Crispin Blunt is not holding back in his criticism of the government over airport capacity, accusing it of "disgraceful vacillation". The MP, who represents Reigate - the Surrey town about six miles from Gatwick - says ministers deserve "opprobrium" for a "shocking non-decision" and that Heathrow should have been given the green light after being endorsed by the Davies Commission. He says he and other opponents of a new runway at Gatwick airport will "fight tooth and nail" to stop it. 

Jeremy Corbyn has won Parliamentary Beard of the Year.

He has won the award for the sixth time, and has now set a record. 

Take a look at the evolution of the award-winning beard.

Image source, PA

Image source, PA

Image source, PA

Image source, PA