House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow Europe Minister Pat Glass tells MPs it would be "more appropriate" to have a cost-benefit analysis of this morning's proceedings, rather than of Britain's membership of the European Union.

She tells the House that the Labour Party are "firmly united" on this issue and believe that Britain is "stronger, safer and more prosperous" in the European Union.

As the bill will unlikely be progressing any further, the debate this morning "been a complete waste of taxpayers' money", she remarks.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Image source, Conservative Party

Energy minister Andrea Leadsom says she disagrees with George Osborne that EU exit would lead to a profound economic consequences, telling the BBC that while there could be a "extra bit of volatility", big multinationals are committed to remaining in London while other countries would not reduce trade as it would be "madness to cut off their noses to spite their face". 

Remaining in the EU "is not without its risks", she adds, saying all is not well in the organisation with nations "turning their backs on each other" over the migrant crisis. In her opinion, leaving the EU is "worth the risks" involved because Britain "needs to be in charge of its own destiny". 

The prime minister is embarking on a whistlestop tour of the UK to make his case for the UK to stay in the EU.

He is in Wales this afternoon, where he will host a PM Direct Q&A session and do a series of TV interviews. 

On Saturday, he will travel on to Northern Ireland.

Exact details of the trip will be confirmed in due course but the prime minister is expected to carry out a number of engagements. 

The main political parties in Northern Ireland are split over the issue while Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers is opposing Mr Cameron and backing EU exit. 

House of Lords
Parliament

You can see more about the passage of the bill here, external.

The bill seeks to promote access to innovative medical treatments by providing for the establishment of a database of innovative medical treatments; and by encouraging responsible innovation by doctors in relation to the carrying out of medical treatment.

Read more here, external.

And you can read more about Lord Saatchi's previous attempts to get his bill through Parliament from our correspondent Mark D'Arcy's blog here.

MPs will have an extra £962 in their pockets after the watchdog Ipsa approved an annual pay rise of 1.3%. Last year, MPs' pay rose by 10% from £67,060 to £74,000 - a one-off backdated increase to reflect the fact that, in Ipsa's opinion, their salaries had failed to keep pace with other equivalent professions over the past decade. At the same time, Ipsa said future rises would be pegged to average increases in public sector pay. However, the 1.3% rise taking effect in April is slightly higher than the 1% public sector pay cap introduced by George Osborne, which Ipsa says is due to the fact it uses Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures as its benchmark. A spokesman said.

House of Lords
Parliament

Over in the House of Lords, Lord Saatchi is introducing the Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Bill at second reading.

The bill originally passed all stages the House of Lords, but was interrupted in its progress by the 2015 general election. 

It was taken up again, post election, by Conservative MP Chris Heaton-Harris and is now beginning its passage through the House of Lords.

Colm O'Regan looks at what it takes to enable businesses to flourish.

The Daily Politics

Who will represent the Leave campaign in the EU referendum TV debates? Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage or someone else?

UKIP's deputy leader Paul Nuttall suggests holding an opinion poll to find out who would be the "most popular" among the widest range of voters. 

He says he would be happy for Boris Johnson to go into bat for the Leave side.

Mr Johnson has said he will not take part in TV debates, however. 

Nigel Farage claimed in his Andrew Marr interview at the weekend that he was one of the few figures in the debate who could shift opinion.

House of Commons
Parliament

Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh says the forthcoming EU referendum should bring "closure" to the long-disputed issue.

Sir Edward disputes claims that leaving would be "risky" and gives his full support to the bill, which would require the government to commission an independent analysis of remaining a member of the economic and political partnership.

MPs' salaries will rise by 1.3% from April to £74,962, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has said.

Image source, PA

Downing Street has responded to former Conservative leader Lord Howard's decision to campaign for EU exit.

A No 10 spokesman said David Cameron had "huge respect for Michael Howard but on this issue they disagree", adding that they "do not view the opportunities and risks to the UK in the same way".

On the idea of a second referendum if Britain votes to come out, floated by Mr Howard, the PM's spokesman said Mr Cameron had made his view clear in the House of Commons on Monday.

On that occasion, he described the prospect of another vote on the basis of a fresh re-negotiation as "for the birds". 

We were talking earlier about Lib Dem activists in Scotland gathering for their spring conference. Well it is not the only spring conference taking place around the country. The Green Party of England and Wales are meeting in Harrogate, where its leader Natalie Bennett will speak later. Meanwhile UKIP are getting together in Llandudno. Nigel Farage is due to speak on Saturday. 

Image source, AFP

Voting is under way in the Republic of Ireland to elect 157 new members of parliament.

The Irish parliament (Dáil) has reduced in size, meaning any new government needs the support of nearly 80 elected members (called Teachtaí Dála or TDs).

More than three million people are eligible to vote, including Irish and UK citizens.

Polling stations across 40 different constituencies opened at 07:00 local time (same as GMT) and will close at 22:00 on Friday. Read more

Friday sittings in the House of Commons are always dedicated to private members' bills, external. 

Many members choose to spend Friday in their constituencies instead, which is why the green benches often appear sparsely attended.

At the moment, the EU Membership Bill is being debated. There are very few Labour, Lib Dem, SNP or MPs from other parties in the House this morning - and most of those sitting on the Conservative backbences appear to be in favour of leaving the European Union.

Michael Howard's call for an EU exit - and suggestion of a second referendum - could sway wavering Tories.

House of Commons
Parliament

Making his case for Britain to leave the EU, Mr Chope says the PM has failed to bring net migration down "to the tens of thousands", as he promised in the Conservative Party's 2015 manifesto. 

The MP refers to figures released yesterday showing that net migration to the UK from the EU remains near record levels.

These "shocking" figures show it is in "our absolute best interests" for Britain to leave the European Union, he says.