Business leaders have called for a period of calm following the release of today's migration figures - stressing whether Britain stays in the EU is not the only issue.

Seamus Nevin, head of employment and skills at the Institute of Directors (IoD), argues that the public are "being very poorly served by the current level of the debate on immigration in this country".

House of Commons
Parliament

Rotherham MP Sarah Champion says that for all the talk of urgency from the government, "if he'd acted with urgency years ago" there wouldn't be a problem with the pension scheme.

Sajid Javid says she's "right to talk about urgency, and that's why this government is acting as quickly as it can" but she "should also speak to some of the leadership of her party in the last parliament, where the leader of the opposition, the shadow chancellor and the shadow business secretary didn't mention the word steel once in the House of Commons".

Conservative MP Nick Herbert gets on the Daily Politics soapbox to make the case for a vote to Remain in the EU.

The Daily Politics

Spanish lawyer and wife of former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg Miriam Gonzalez Durantez has been talking about people's hopes the UK could negotiate the same trading terms it currently has with EU nations post Brexit:

But Conservative former work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith says if a country wants to trade with us and Britain wants to trade with it, "then we continue".

The Daily Politics

Former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has taken a swipe at his own party for promising to deliver immigration levels in the tens of thousands but not delivering on it.

"I believe if you've got a promise, you stick to it," he tells BBC2's Daily Politics.

"Our policy at the last election is to have tens of thousands. The British people voted on that - that's what you get elected for."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HOC

The SNP's spokesman Neil Gray echoes Angela Eagle's concerns that the proposed changes could "undermine" other work place pensions and incentives to save.

He says more questions have been raised than answered and urges the government not to "inappropriately" push through alterations without further consideration. 

Sajid Javid agrees that "we need to tread carefully" and be careful not to set any precedents "we come to regret".

House of Commons
Parliament

Sajid Javid says the consultation will be open to responses for four weeks but that "time is of the essence".

He emphasises that the suggestion to adapt the scheme came from the scheme's trustees and not the government.  

He suggests it is "very unlikely" that the scheme can be preventing from entering the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) unless changes to the scheme are made.

He quickly adds that there are no issues with the PPF which he says has "a strong backbone" and is an "excellent safety net".

The PPF was set up to help people receive their pensions in the event of company insolvency.

The Daily Politics

There is no way workers in the UK are going to be better off if Britain leaves the EU, former Labour home secretary Jacqui Smith says.

She tells BBC2's Daily Politics that she doesn't believe that "leaving the EU will somehow enable us to control migration".

But former Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith says "the reality is" the UK has an "open" border with 500m people who can't be stopped "even if they have a criminal record".

He argues that one of the biggest problems for British workers is EU migrants are competing with them for low skilled jobs.

He says if borders are controlled, people can be brought in who have skills that the UK needs, such as in software and engineering.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle worries about the lack of detail concerning the potential changes to pensions.

She seeks assurance that any changes would not set up a "potentially dangerous precedent" for other pensioners.

She also raises concern that the time frame for responding to the consultation is too short.

Image source, HOC

Select Committee
Parliament

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Chair Julian Lewis asks "should we be pleased or sorry that Syria and Russia have regained Palmyra?"

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon allows Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith to answer, who says that "if it means that the historical site of Palmyra is preserved, that is a net benefit".

Mr Lewis suggests it's a "lesser of two evils" situation, where sometimes the Syrian regime gaining can be a "net benefit".

Lieutenant General Carleton-Smith replies that he's "pretty certain it's a net benefit to those people who continue to survive in Palmyra today".

House of Commons
Parliament

Sajid Javid commends Tata Steel for continuing to ensure a responsible sale of their UK operations.

He says there have been a number of credible bids but that, due to commercial sensitivity, he cannot provide a running commentary.

He confirms that the government will be consulting on options to change the British Steel pension scheme.

He insists that the government has been standing up for British Steel in Europe - calling for tariffs where unfair trade practices exist.

Image source, HOC

The Daily Politics

Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani gets on the Daily Politics soapbox to make the case to Leave the EU.

The Daily Politics

Ahead of the EU referendum on 23 June, Conservative MP Nick Herbert gets on the Daily Politics soapbox to make the case for a vote to Remain.

BBC News Channel

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire says today's migration figures from the Office for National Statistics are "disappointing".

But he challenges "those saying that getting out of Europe is the solution because actually that would wreck the economy; it would harm jobs, it would have a direct impact on family households and it would almost be like throwing the baby out with the bath water in a sense."

The Guardian

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The Guardian reports on new Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's claim that leaving the EU would be a betrayal of British values and send a message to the world that the country wants to stand alone.

The paper says the Labour politician argued that the choice facing Britain was not just about the financial consequences of leaving but the kind of country the UK wanted to be.

He said it was “quintessentially British” and part of our “values, our character, and our open and outward-facing nature that we can’t help but embrace our European neighbours”.

Khan said the leave campaign believed it had a “monopoly on patriotism”, with a nostalgic vision of Britain being able to rule itself again, but the “true patriotic case” was to remain.

Read more, external

Select Committee
Parliament

Committee Chair Julian Lewis asks "have any of our air strikes in Syria been in close support of non-Kurdish fighters fighting on the ground in Syria?"

The UK's operations in Syria have been much more limited than those in Iraq, with 43 airstrikes carried out since the House of Commons gave its approval to strikes in Syria in December last year.

Michael Fallon says that even "in the last few days", the RAF has been engaged north of Aleppo in support of non-Kurdish fighters and promises to provide the committee with more detail at a later date.

Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith intervenes to add that "in terms of coalition targeting, much less distinction is made of the difference between Syria and Iraq" and that currently the international coalition is targeting the so-called Islamic State in areas where it's most "under pressure", which currently happens to be in Iraq.

House of Commons
Parliament

Home Affairs Committee Chair Keith Vaz notes that the minister has exercised his direction.

He says he is glad the minister has discovered discretion - "something not used in a large number of cases".

He urges the minister to exercise discretion once more - "and allow the family to stay".

Image source, HOc

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Sarah Champion expresses her "heartfelt sympathy" to the family and suggests the situation demonstrates the "chaos" of the immigration system.

She says the family entered legally and integrated into the community and calls for a flexible immigration system rather than one "focused on an arbitrary number". 

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Select Committee
Parliament

Conservative Johnny Mercer has the first question of the committee hearing and asks Defence Secretary Michael Fallon what the UK's "national interest" is in North Africa and the Middle East.

Michael Fallon says the region is "fundamental" to our "stability and prosperity" because stability in the region helps our ability to fight crime and terrorism, as well as secure our energy supply.

Johnny Mercer says the committee has spoken to officials from allied countries and says they don't understand what the UK's strategy is.

Michael Fallon says the long term strategy is to "help stabilise" the Middle East, "and more recently to counter the global threat that Daesh presents" which is why they've been able to bring together an "extraordinary coalition" of more than 60 countries.

Mr Mercer, who served as an officer in the British Army in Afghanistan, replies that there "doesn't seem to be an all encompassing strategy", asks what the "vision" is for the "end state".

Michael Fallon says the government wants "a situation where these countries are stable again" and have "elected and legitimate governments that are able to provide a future for their people that does not involve them emigrating".