European Parliament
Strasbourg

British Conservative Syed Kammall, who leads the ECR group says last week's summit was characterised by "gridlock" and "weakness and indecision". 

He says that without being able to conclude a deal with Canada, the EU will struggle to convince the rest of the world that it is open for business. 

European Parliament
Strasbourg

German Christian democrat MEP Manfred Weber, who leads the centre-right EPP group, says the EU adopted a "weak" response to the situation in Aleppo.   

He says the bloc should consider using gas as leverage in its policy towards Russia. 

He says the incident between Steven Woolfe and Mike Hookem presents the "true face" of what he calls "populism".

His comments draw ire from the UKIP MEPs, and prompt calls for a retraction. 

Nigel Farage intervenes to say he would like to put it on the record that there is "absolutely no evidence that anyone was punched at all". 

The number of British-grown Christmas trees sold this year could be boosted by Brexit, growers claim.

European Parliament
Strasbourg

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says that he hopes for an agreement between the Belgian government and Wallonia "in the course of today" on CETA. 

He says this would allow the country to sign the EU-Canada trade deal "at the appropriate moment" - although it is not possible to say whether the signing will be able to take place tomorrow. 

On a related matter, he says he hopes to bridge ongoing divisions between national governments on changes to the EU's trade defence instruments originally proposed in 2013. 

He says he hopes there can be agreement on the deal, so the EU can "do the same" as the United States in imposing higher tariffs on products such as dumped Chinese steel. 

European Parliament
Strasbourg

European Council President Donald Tusk begins the debate by telling MEPs that a planned EU-Canada summit - at which the CETA deal was due to be signed - is "still possible". 

However he adds that as things stand, the EU is "still not ready" to sign the deal, but that talks with the Belgian authorities continue. 

He says that in order to conclude deals in the future, the EU will need to draw a line "between protection and protectionism" - but respond to the concerns of European consumers. 

He says, however, that ultimately "only the Belgians" can decide whether they wish to sign the deal.

Image source, Getty Images

There needs to be a major change in dealing with young adult offenders, MPs have said, based on evidence that shows their brains are still developing.

A Commons Justice Committee report says offenders aged between 18 and 25 are 10 times more likely to have a learning disability or autistic disorder.

It said a "lack of action" on these offenders had led many to re-offend.

The government said "significant efforts" had been made to prevent young people ending up in prison.

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Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

The Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed that the third runway for Heathrow may include a "ramp" over the M25. 

Mr Grayling told the Today programme that the proposed ramp, which is thought could be more than 8 metres high, would be "a very gentle hill up which the planes would take off".   

Image source, Getty Images

The government has announced its support for a third runway at London's Heathrow airport.

The issue has long been a hot potato for politicians, with Prime Minister Theresa May having previously opposed a third runway and some senior Tories remaining against the move.

Here is a selection of quotes - past and present - from key figures.

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Image source, AP

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said his rival Hillary Clinton's foreign policy plan in Syria would trigger World War Three.

He also said the US should focus on defeating so-called Islamic State (IS) rather than removing Syria's president.

Mrs Clinton has proposed a no-fly zone over Syria. The top US military chief has said that could spell conflict with Russian jets in the region.

The Clinton campaign accused Mr Trump of "playing to Americans' fears".

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Richmond Council leader Lord True has said he is "taking legal advice" on mounting a legal challenge against the government's decision to back expansion at Heathrow.

The Conservative peer told the Today Programme Heathrow was "operating illegally at the moment", saying it was "busting air quality legal limits" and was responsible for "40% of all noise pollution in Europe associated with airports".

He added: "The fact that the government has already delayed action for a year results from our reminding them that they hadn't yet fulfilled things which they're required to do under the existing law."

Lord True said he found it "striking that there is a Chinese presence here" and said he wanted to see "competition with the Chinese and Arab-owned Heathrow". He described the government's decision as a "victory for big business against competition"

Lord True said the decision was "closing Britain for business" because the government had "chosen the airport that is most expensive and will take longest to deliver".

Lord True said he supported Zac Goldsmith, who resigned yesterday in protest at the decision, and added he will campaign for Mr Goldsmith to be returned as an independent MP for Richmond, saying it would be the "first brick in a very large campaign that we are going to wage to stop big Heathrow."

Alex Forsyth
Political correspondent

The President of the European Parliament has referred an altercation between two UKIP MEPs to the French authorities.

Martin Schulz said the parliament’s advisory committee, which was asked to look in to the incident, concluded the versions of the facts given by Mike Hookem and Steven Woolfe “diverged substantially” and seemed to happen without witnesses.

He said given the “serious and possible criminal implications” further evidence was needed to clarify the matter.

Mr Schulz, addressing the parliament in Strasbourg, said he had referred the matter to the competent French authorities and based on the result of further investigations would decide whether any sanctions should be imposed on either MEP.

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

The Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed that the third runway for Heathrow may include a "ramp" over the M25 motorway for planes to take off from.

Mr Grayling said this would be "cheaper and quicker" than moving the M25.

He said many other airports aroud the world had also built runways over motorways.

Mr Grayling said this was a cheaper and quicker option than tunneling the M25 under the new runway.

He also suggested the proposed ramp would cause less disruption for drivers.

He described the proposed ramp, which its thought could be more than eight metres high, as "a very gentle hill up which the planes can take off."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

The Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has defended the project to build a third runway at Heathrow airport, following local resistance to the plans from councils and MP Zac Goldsmith, who resigned on Tuesday

As he prepared to visit Newcastle Airport, Mr Grayling set out the economic case for expansion, telling the Today Programme: "The better our connectivity the better chance we have of making a real success of our future in the modern world."

He accepted that there would be resistance to the project from local people, saying: "I know for people living around the airport it's a difficult day today, but government has to take the big decisions in the interests of the country."

Asked if the Conservative Party owed people an apology, having broken David Cameron's 2009 commitment not to build a third runway at Heathrow, Mr Grayling said the government had set up an independent commission on the issue of airport capacity, which had made recommendations that the government accepted. 

The transport secretary argued that the proposals backed yesterday by Theresa May's government were fundamentally different to those rejected in 2010. He said they were a "different expansion of Heathrow", adding that the project would be easier to complete than previous proposals as it would be privately funded.

Mr Grayling also played down rifts in the cabinet over the runway, saying "We know Boris feels strongly about this, but it was a decision taken unanimously."

BBC Radio London

The Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has called on the Mayor of London to support a legal challenge against a third runway at Heathrow. Mr McDonnell - whose Hayes and Harlington constituency would be affected by Heathrow's expansion - told BBC Radio London that he hoped Sadiq Khan would join them.

Mr McDonnell said he was confident that the runway plan would be stopped: "My local authority is Hillingdon Council which is a Conservative controlled council, so it's not my political persuasion but they will be joining with the other local authorities in a legal challenge and I'm hoping that Sadiq will as well. I think, like we did last time, I think we'll defeat this project in the courts."

John McDonnell also expressed his support for former Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith's decision to stand down in protest at the government's plans.

Mr McDonnell told BBC Radio London: "Zac is a principled person. He's done it because he's fulfilling the promise he gave to his constituents and that's an honourable thing to do."

Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith has resigned his seat in a protest against the government's backing for a new runway at Heathrow Airport.

His decision forces a by-election in his constituency of Richmond Park, where he will stand as an independent.

The Conservatives said they "disagreed" with Mr Goldsmith's decision but would not field a candidate against him.

The MP and former London mayoral candidate has long campaigned against expanding Heathrow.

The Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has ruled out any rethink of the policy to expand the airport.

The Department for Transport says a new runway will benefit passengers and boost the wider economy by up to £61bn, creating as many as 77,000 local jobs over the next 14 years.

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Heathrow's third runway may have got the go-ahead, but what expansion plans do the UK's other major airports have?