Roger Harrabin
BBC environment analyst

Image source, Reuters

Pressure is growing on the UK government to ratify the Paris climate change deal immediately.

A spokesman for the prime minister told the BBC the UK would ratify "as soon as possible", but did not suggest a date.

But Labour, the Lib Dems, SNP and the Greens say the UK has lost its long-term leadership on climate after the US and China jointly ratified the deal at the weekend.

They say there is no good reason for the UK to delay.  

Read more.

Image source, Press Eye

Justice Secretary Liz Truss has appeared to cast doubt on plans for a sweeping reform of prisons in England and Wales proposed by her predecessor, Michael Gove.

The ideas would give prisons more control over their budgets and regimes.

Ms Truss refused to say whether Mr Gove's prisons bill would go ahead and told MPs she was "not committing" to any specific piece of legislation.

The Ministry of Justice said it was "totally committed" to prison reform.

Mr Gove's ideas were central to the social reform agenda under David Cameron.

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House of Commons
Parliament

Business moves on to an opposition day debate on the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

Here's the motion in full: 

Image source, AP

Press Association

SNP MPs said they hope Star Trek's vision of humanity peacefully exploring the final frontiers of space and science will live long and prosper, as they backed the show in a parliamentary motion.

Trekkies among the opposition benches chose to celebrate the sci-fi franchise, which on Thursday marks 50 years since the first episode of the television series was broadcast.

The MPs believe actors, scientists and writers of the future will continue to be inspired by series creator Gene Roddenberry's ideals.

Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) put forward the parliamentary motion, which was also signed by 20 fellow SNP MPs, including former leader Alex Salmond, who describes himself as an "obsessive Trekkie". 

House of Lords
Parliament

The House of Lords begins at 3pm with the daily oral question session.

Ministers will be questioned on:

• Selection criteria for universities and the pilot study on student visas
• Independent schools' involvement in the development of teacher training 
• Detention and removal from office of judicial personnel in Turkey 
• Refugee children in the Calais camps eligible to come to Britain 

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, Barcroft Media

Business in the House of Lords is due to begin shortly.

Labour's education spokesman in the Lords has been granted a Private Notice Question on the government's plans to expand the grammar schools programme.

Plans to open new grammar schools in England appear to have been accidentally caught by a photographer yesterday.

Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, will repeat Theresa May's statement on the G20 summit for peers.

The main business will be the penultimate day of committee stage scrutiny of the Investigatory Powers Bill., external

Under further questioning from Jacob Rees-Mogg, Mark Carney insists that the Bank has helped create the conditions which have helped the economy appear to adjust, at least so far, to the unexpected outcome of the EU referendum vote.

"This financial system sailed through what was a surprise to the vast majority of financial market participants and the currency, while it adjusted..it adjusted in a way consistent with a broader adjustment in the economy," he says.

Image source, Getty Images

Conservative backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg is pushing Mark Carney on whether what he calls the Bank's "dire warnings" about the impact of Brexit were really necessary.

He also says that the residential property market and the stock market have "held up well".

Mr Carney takes issue with the word "dire".

"What we said was there was the propsect of a material slowing in growth and a notable rise in inflation.

"That is not dire. That is not a deep recession," he says.

The debate over grammar schools is a “distraction” from improving social mobility, the Conservative chairman of the Commons Education Select Committee has said.

Neil Carmichael said grammar schools would not provide the skills necessary for the British economy.

“Mrs May like Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher went to grammar school so there’s no denying it - people can get from grammar schools to great things,” he added. “But the problem is that it is just an elite part of our society. It is the rest that matters.”

Production cuts at the Ford engine plant in Bridgend show the need for the UK to keep free trade with Europe after Brexit, the economy secretary says.

Select Committee
Parliament

The Treasury Committee is currently questioning the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, on the Bank of England August 2016 Inflation Report.

Witnesses are:

• Dr Mark Carney, governor, Bank of England
• Sir Jon Cunliffe, deputy governor, Financial Stability, Bank of England
• Professor Kristin Forbes, Monetary Policy Committee
• Gertjan Vlieghe, Monetary Policy Committee

You can watch the session using the stream at the top of the page.

Treasury Select committee chair Andrew Tyrie begins with two charges aimed at Bank governor Mark Carney, firstly that he over-egged the potential economic dangers of a Brexit vote in the referendum of 23 June, and secondly that he "encouraged an over-reaction" after the UK voted to leave the EU.

The Labour leader challenges the PM on people being able to afford to buy houses.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Theresa May is still taking questions from MPs on the recent G20 summit - her first international summit since becoming UK prime minister.

Labour's Catherine McKinnell wants to know if Mrs May was lobbied by the Chinese and US governments about ratifying the Paris climate change treaty "as soon as possible".

Mrs May says they indicated "their intention and their ratification of the Paris agreement" shortly before the G20 summit started, and adds: "I was clear it with everybody it is our intention to ratify."

Plans for a sell-off of the Land Registry have been dropped from legislation due to be introduced to parliament today – but government sources have insisted that privatisation is still under consideration, according to the Law Society Gazette., external

However the Gazette says that it understands that ministers are holding back from a quick decision in the face of widespread opposition, external, including from the legal profession. 

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, Getty Images

Theresa May returns to a point raised at prime minister's questions, saying her government "remains absolutely committed to the Northern Powerhouse" and promises to look at a broad range of industries when negotiating trade deals.