House of Commons
Parliament

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster responds to calls for a new government department for veterans.

"The needs of veterans straddle Whitehall boundaries and national borders," he says.

"I fear a Veterans' Ministry would duplicate work that already exists."

He says that it is "a positive step" that responsbility for veterans is spread across government departments.

A UKIP MEP face substantial libel damahes over remarks she made about the Rotherham abuse scandal after her attempt to get immunity from prosecution failed.

Image source, Reuters

The Governor of the Bank of England has been giving evidence to the Lords Economic Affairs Committee.

Mark Carney was asked about his previous appearance before the committee in April, prior to the EU referendum vote.

In that appearance, he said that a Brexit vote would lead to higher mortgages and that bank rates might have to rise. But since the UK voted to leave the EU, the Bank of England has cut interest rates. 

Dr Carney said: "I recall the exchange about how supply, demand and the exchange rate affect the path of policy. The balance of those three forces over monetary policy affected policy.

"There were scenarios where movements in the exchange rate could have been large enough and the balance of where demand in the economy and where supply was going could have been tight enough that the appropriate response could have been to tighten monetary policy to retain consistent return of inflation target. 

"A preferable dynamic is the one that has transpired."

Image source, PA

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron responds to Zac Goldsmith's resignation, saying: "We are looking forward to building on our result in Witney and taking the fight to Richmond Park.

"A victory for the Liberal Democrats would put huge pressure on Theresa May to abandon her plans for Heathrow expansion and an economically disastrous hard Brexit.”

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A spokesman announces the party won't be putting up anyone against Zac Goldsmith, who is standing in the Richmond Park by-election as an independent.

He says: “The government is taking decisive action in the national interest to secure the UK’s place in the global aviation market – securing jobs and business opportunities for the next decade and beyond.

“That’s why we have delivered on our manifesto commitment to respond to the Airports Commission’s final report and have announced our support for the first full-length runway in the South East since the Second World War.

"We disagree with Zac about the need for a by-election in light of this decision, but understand his position. He has been a hard-working champion for the people of Richmond Park – as we know, he will continue to be if they re-elect him as their Member of Parliament – so we will not be putting up a candidate against him at this by-election."

Business chiefs have largely welcomed the government's approval of a new runway at Heathrow.

• The government recommended the construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport.
• Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith resigned in protest at the expansion of Heathrow. 
• The "Ed Stone" briefly came back from the dead as Labour was fined £20,000 for failing to declare its electoral campaign spending correctly.

The Treasury has released a statement saying Zac Goldsmith has been appointed "Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern." 

It continues: "The Chancellor has also granted Mr Goldsmith’s request to be released from this appointment today."

The parliament website , externalexplains the significance of the office:

"An MP who wishes to resign has to go through the process of accepting a paid office of the Crown, which automatically disqualifies the MP from holding a seat in the House of Commons.

"If an MP indicates that they wish to resign, the Chancellor of the Exchequer grants either the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chilterns Hundreds or Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead by means of a written warrant, in the presence of a witness."

House of Lords
Parliament

Conservative peer Lord True rattles off a list of concerns with the decision to expand Heathrow airport instead of Gatwick.

He says that the expansion of Gatwick would have been cheaper, would have taken less time and would have affected fewer people than the expansion of Heathrow.

Lord True also says that the people living near Heathrow "accept 500,000 flights a year over their heads and do their bit for the national interest".

Minister Lord Ahmad agrees that Heathrow expansion is more expensive, but says that it also offers greater benefits than the alternative options. 

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Lord Jay asks about the move to have Northern Ireland's "unique status" in Brexit negotiations legally recognised. He cites a motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly to have such recognition, which was defeated. 

Bertie Ahern calls for there to be some recognition of the "substantial turmoil [Brexit] could cause to the island of Ireland."

John Bruton says that EU treaties are "full" of recognition of territories with different statuses, giving the example of the Swedish-speaking Åland islands in Finland. 

He says it's important to understand that the effects of Brexit are an "all-island matter", and that a recognition of the special status of the island of Ireland could "very easily be appended to any treaty" that results from negotiations between the UK and the EU. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour's Lord Soley says that he has lived near Heathrow's runways for forty years and represented the local area for twenty. 

He tells the minister that "the loudest voices are not necessarily the most representative" in the surrounding region. 

Lord Soley says that many people in the areas near the airport realise the benefit of expansion in terms of jobs and skills.

The Labour peer appeals to opponents of Heathrow expansion to "put the national need above the local issues". 

First Minister Carwyn Jones welcomes a decision to build a third runway at Heathrow - but calls for funding to flow to Wales as a result.

Campaigners against the expansion of Gatwick Airport express relief that a second runway will not be built.

Select Committee
Parliament

Lord Jay of Ewelme asks whether the existing structure of relations between the UK and Ireland, as well as between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could be a model for the period of negotiations over the next two-to-three years.

He also asks about current Taoiseach Enda Kenny's call for an "all-Ireland dialogue" on Brexit. 

Bertie Ahern says he think it is important for people to be able to express their views.

He says that, from the Republic of Ireland side, it will be "a difficult set of negotiations", and doesn't think setting up an entirely new relationship would be necessary. 

John Bruton says the Good Friday Agreement makes explicit provisions for the North-South Ministerial Council to consider the EU in relevant issues, and to represent its views to the EU. He says that the task of representation will fall to the government of the Irish Republic after Brexit.

He says the British-Irish council, comprising representatives from the governments of the UK, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland "may need to up its game a little".

He adds that the "top players" in the council don't always represent themselves at the highest level, which they ought to in future. 

The British-Irish Intergovernmental Council should also meet more regularly, he adds. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour's Lord Rosser tells the House that the "image of politics in this country has not been enhanced" by today's announcement in favour of Heathrow, in the light of previous "emphatic" statements against a new runway by senior Conservative Party figures in the past.

He asks if the promised year-long consultation period could lead to a "change of heart" from the government and asks if any of the other options being considered by the government are still possible. If this is the case, "uncertainty will continue for another year" he says.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Lord Boswell asks whether losing their EU citizenship might have an isolating effect on the Catholic minority in Northern Ireland. 

Bertie Ahern says the EU's positive effect on people's mindset in Northern Ireland "cannot be overstated".

He says European Union membership made the "physical connection" between British and Irish leaders easier, leading to more meetings between them. 

John Bruton says that Northern Ireland will be the only place not in the EU where every person will be entitled to EU citizenship (by being able to obtain an Irish passport). 

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoL

John Bruton says that the food supply chain is incredibly interconnected between Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. He says if there was a free trade agreement between the two countries, there wouldn't be a problem.

But, if there were a situation where tariffs had to be imposed, the amount of bureaucracy would increase. Mr Bruton says that the Irish side would have to impose customs checks to collect the tariffs, while UK producers would have to certify the origins of every ingredient in the finished food product to ensure they weren't undermining other European trade arrangements. 

Bertie Ahern says tariffs could "cripple a huge amount of the industry". 

Kathryn Langley
BBC Live reporter

Janine Robins runs the Ifield Barn Theatre. She's relieved at today's decision and says even the current level of noise from Gatwick often disrupts their performances.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Lord Boswell of Aynho, above, asks the first question, asking what the Irish leaders see as the main difficulties in maintaining British-Irish relations post-Brexit, and whether they think it would be worthwhile to seek a specific bilateral deal as part of the negotiations.

John Bruton says access to the ECHR is a vital part of the Good Friday Agreement. 

He says EU membership means there's also effectively no border in the island of Ireland at present. 

He says he is open to bilateral agreements in other areas, but says that the economic effect of Brexit on the Republic of Ireland is likely to be negative. 

Some studies have suggested Ireland could see a greater economic loss than the UK, he says, which "understandably" has generated some negative feeling. 

Bertie Ahern says about 42-43% of "indigenous" Irish companies' exports go to the UK. He also says the UK market is "absolutely crucial" to agricultural industries. 

He returns to the subject of the Good Friday Agreement, saying that it contains provisions for differences and disputes to be resolved "at an EU level".

Mr Ahern finishes off by saying that there is plenty of coordination to be done on the Irish side. He says it's necessary that the Irish government have its own Brexit minister. 

BBC News Channel

Shadow aviation minister Richard Burden has been setting out Labour's thinking on Heathrow expansion. Here's what he said: