House of Commons
Parliament

Jeremy Corbyn says many people in the Commons would be touched by the case of his colleague, Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris, who had to take out a bank loan to bury her son when he was killed in 1989.

He said it would cost £10 million for the government to ensure every council could fund the funeral of those going through "the horror" of laying a child to rest.

Mrs May says she recognises the issue raised, but added that there are payments that can be made available to those who meet those conditions.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

After the gaffe, Mr Corbyn questions Theresa May over benefit cuts, claiming that one in five claimants having been sanctioned became homeless because of it.

He told the House about one ex-serviceman who he claimed had died as a result of benefits cuts, adding it was time to stop this "institutionalised barbarity".

Mrs May says it's important that those who are paying feel that the benefits system is fair to them as well and is the reason why sanctions are important.

"The Labour Party is drifting away from the views of Labour voters - it's this party that understands the views of working people," she added.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Theresa May has mistakenly congratulated Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on the birth of his granddaughter.

It followed Mr Corbyn welcoming the delivery of Neasa McGinn, the daughter of colleague Conor McGinn, who was delivered by the MP on his living room floor.

To much laughter, Mrs May, realising her mistake, said: "No?" And turning to her former chief whip Patrick McLoughlin, said: "In that case, can I just say one should never trust a former chief whip."

Mr Corbyn quipped that she was "very ungallant" in blaming Mr McLoughlin, adding: "Can't we just admire the MP for St Helens North on his work?"

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Prime Minister Theresa May is on her feet, with Labour's Stephen Doughty asking the first question. He notes the PM's desire to emulate the Iron Lady, about when she will show "some mettle" and stand up for British steel. 

Mrs May insists she has and is doing her best to stand up for the UK in her Brexit negotiations

Select Committee
Parliament

Labour's Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan asks what would the UK lose by not participating in EuroJust.

Eurojust, based at The Hague, is an EU agency which works to enhance co-ordination between investigations and prosecutions on matters of organised crime. 

She explains that EuroJust allows the CPS to deal with cases in "real time" and with all members rather than working bilaterally. 

She adds that the CPS has also been able to deal with more general problems through EuroJust. 

As an example, she tells the committee that extradition processes had been hindered by poor prison conditions in other countries but EuroJust were able to convene a meeting with the relevant people and the situation was dealt with.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

The Daily Politics

The autumn statement is likely to be a topic coming up during today's PMQs, suggests BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

The autumn statement and the Budget used to be proxies for suggesting the chancellor had huge influence over Downing Street, Laura says.

She says things are different under new chancellor Philip Hammond.

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

Theresa May had come to the view that a full public inquiry into the events at Orgreave was unlikely, when she moved into Downing Street in July, the BBC understands.

Sources have indicated that it was appropriate for Amber Rudd to take another look at the request from campaigners, when she took over as the new Home Secretary, and that she considered all the evidence carefully. 

But it's understood that a public inquiry into the clash between miners and police in South Yorkshire was not something that No 10 had planned for. They insist however that the actual decision was taken by the Home Secretary, not the PM.

Campaigners this week have claimed that ministers misled them about the likelihood of an inquiry taking place. One MP, Louise Haigh, claimed that the Home Secretary told the group a month ago the only question was the format of the inquiry. The Home Office denies that.

House of Commons
Parliament

The SNP's Chris Law says he wants "radical reform" of the House of Lords and quotes the current Lord Speaker expressing doubt that the Lords can have 800 peers while the govenrment plans to reduce the size of the House of Commons.

Minister Chris Skidmore tells the House that Lords reform is "not a priority" and says that a YouGov survey found that "just 18% of the public think House of Lords reform is a priority".

The SNP's Douglas Chapman asks if rumours that Nigel Farage will be given a peerage are true.

The minister says that any appointment would be "scrutinised by an independent committee".

Image source, Julia Quenzler

A European Arrest Warrant (EAW) can be issued to get a suspect extradited from EU member states.

For a warrant to be valid, the suspect must be accused of an offence incurring a maximum penalty of at least a year in prison, or must have been already sentenced to at least four months in prison. 

Supporters of the EAW say it has reduced delays and costs to the extradition process however opponents have said warrants are issued to often for minor offences. 

Select Committee
Parliament

Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders begins by telling the committee that the majority of cases the CPS prosecute have international connections.

Chair Baroness Prashar asks what she would most like to retain post-Brexit.

Ms Saunders lists a number of measures including the European Arrest Warrant which she describes as vital.

She also mentions the Schengen Information System II (SIS II) and joint investigation teams.

SIS II enables police forces to share information on law enforcement such as data on stolen cars, court proceedings and missing persons.

The Daily Politics

Ireland correspondent Chris Page said that Northern Irish parties the DUP and UUP had not attended an all-island summit on Brexit, organised by Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

First Minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster called the summit "an exercise in grandstanding".

Ministers in the Republic of Ireland's government were instead emphasising a meeting later in November of the North-South Council, where Brexit would be at the top of the agenda. 

Reality Check

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) has raised its forecast, external for CPI inflation to peak at 3.8% in the second half of next year, which would be a considerable increase from the current rate of 1%.

It blames this largely on the falling value of the pound, which it expects to raise the price of imported products both for consumers and businesses, with the rising price of oil, which is prices in dollars, being a particularly strong effect.

That is relatively high compared with other forecasts. 

We'll get the latest forecast from the Bank of England's quarterly inflation report tomorrow. In its last review in August it predicted 1.9% CPI growth for the year to the third quarter of 2017. 

If you look at HM Treasury's summary of independent forecasts on the economy, published in October, external, the forecasts for the whole of 2017 ranged from 0.9% to 3.7%, with an average of 2.4%.

Image source, Getty Images

UK construction companies enjoyed a rise in business activity in October, largely thanks to another big increase in residential work, says a survey.

The Markit/CIPS purchasing managers' index, external (PMI) for the sector moved up to 52.6 from 52.3 in September.

The figures show the fastest upturn in activity since March, although the rate of growth was relatively modest.

Markets analyst Neil Wilson said: "The market is holding up very well since the [Brexit] vote."

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Select Committee
Parliament

The House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee will be starting shortly.

The committee is looking into the future of UK-EU security and policing co-operation, specifically what form of co-operation should be maintained post-Brexit. 

They will be hearing evidence from Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecution at the Crown Prosecution Service.

House of Commons
Parliament

Business in the Commons starts at 11:30am with Cabinet Office questions, followed by Prime Minister's Questions at midday.

The rest of the day is taken up with opposition debates on community pharmacies and police officer safety, both subjects chosen by the Labour Party.

The Daily Politics

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told the Daily Politics that his Conservative colleagues who backed Labour's Keith Vaz's appointment to the Justice Committee "may live to regret that".

Mr Bridgen also said it was "not in [his] name" that Mr Vaz had been appointed.