Chuka Umunna and Peter Bone have had a right pow-wow on the BBC News Channel about the Trump state visit.

The Labour MP says it would be "outrageous" for the US President to be asked to address the Houses of Parliament, saying he had "peddled hate, misogyny, racism and Islamaphobia" during the presidential campaign and appeared now to be governing in the same way.

But the Tory MP says the president is the duly elected leader of the UK's oldest and strongest ally and must be allowed to come.

He asks his counterpart what he was doing when the Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the UK in 2014 - calling into question China's human rights record.

"Are you really defending Chinese human rights on this programme," he asks his Labour counterpart.

Mr Umunna insists "he wasn't happy with the Chinese state visit" but, on balance, he would rather welcome the Chinese leader  than Mr Trump. 

More than 70 MPs are calling for Donald Trump to be banned from addressing parliament if his state visit to Britain goes ahead.

The MPs - mostly Labour - say that any invitation should be withdrawn in protest at the President's decision to introduce travel bans in the United States on a number of mainly Muslim countries, his call for the reintroduction of torture, and his comments on women.

Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan have addressed MPs and peers in Westminster Hall during visits to the UK.

In their early day motion,, external the MPs say such an invitation is an "honour" that carries considerable historical significance, and Parliament's authorities should "withhold permission".

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP MP Richard Arkless asks what is being done "to safeguard investment in research and development in Scotland as a result of the UK's decision to leave the EU".

Jo Johnson, the Science and Universities Minister, says the government is "supporting research and development throughout the UK" - but Mr Arkless says "a hard Brexit will threaten Scotland's world class university sector".

Mr Johnson describes Scotland as "a powerhouse for academic research" and adds that the UK government aims to continue to collaborate with "our European partners".

Another SNP MP, Carol Monaghan, asks whether "EU researchers are assured their place" in the UK post-Brexit.

Mr Johnson repeats the government's line on this: that it wants to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK and the only way it could not would be "if the rights of British citizens in other member states were not in return being protected".

Image source, AFP

You wait for a petition about Donald Trump to come along and then....

There was a lot of coverage yesterday about the number of people calling for the US President's proposed state visit to the UK to be abandoned. At the present count, this petition has attracted 1.6 million signatures.

Now a rival petition, external has been launched calling for the visit to go ahead. The petition, put forward by Alan Augustus Brown, makes the case that the UK believes in free speech and is a country that "does not believe that people that oppose our point of view should be gagged".

Right now, it has garnered about 93,000 signatures.

If a petition gets more than 100,000 signatures then it must be considered for debate in Parliament. At this rate of knots, the petitions committee could be considering both petitions when they meet this afternoon. 

There is a risk of “civil disturbances” and people taking to the streets if Parliament votes against leaving the EU, a shadow minister has said.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has ordered his shadow team not to block the start of official EU exit talks although several of them have said they cannot support him and have stepped down.

As the Commons prepares to start debating the bill needed to authorise the process, Matthew Pennycook, the MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, told the BBC that if MPs stood in the way of Brexit, it would almost certainly lead to a general election and could also stir up social unrest in the country.

Cities around the UK hosted protests in response to President Trump's travel ban - in their own, unique, local style.

Around 30 or 40 demonstrators turned out in Wellington last night, to take part in protests against the immigration ban introduced by President Trump.

Thousands of people joined in similar demonstrations around the country and there have been calls for the President's state visit to the UK to be cancelled.

Image source, Shropshire Trades Council

Image source, AFP

There have been 69 Parliamentary debates of different kinds on the outcome of the EU referendum since the historic vote on 23 June 2016.

There has only been one month - last August when MPs and peers were on recess - that the referendum and its consequences have not been discussed in Parliament. 

This afternoon's debate on the Brexit bill will be the 70th. Thanks to our colleagues at the Political Research Unit for digging up these stats.

Labour MP Chris Leslie says his aim during the Article 50 bill debate is to try and "prod" the prime minister away from a hard Brexit.

While respecting the public's referendum choice to leave the EU, he believes last year's ballot paper was "silent" on a whole range of issues about the UK's ongoing relationship with the EU that are now up for grabs.

He defends the number of amendments put down by his party, saying the debate over the terms of exit is more important than the arguments which preceded the Maastricht, Amsterdam and Lisbon treaties "rolled into one".  

House of Commons
Parliament

The day begins shortly with questions to Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark.

There is a ten minute rule bill from Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani on so-called honour killings.

The main event is, of course, the second reading of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill which, if passed, will give the government the authority to begin the Brexit process.

This is the first of two days of debate and MPs have until midnight tonight to debate, before resuming tomorrow.

The bill itself is short but a number of "reasoned amendments" have been tabled, which oppose the bill and set out reasons why. 

These include an SNP amendment criticising a lack of "effective consultation with the devolved administrations" and a rebel Labour amendment which says the government "has failed to give assurances which safeguard British interests in the single market". Votes are expected tomorrow.

Finally, Labour MP Karen Buck has an adjournment debate on school funding in Greater London - after a very long wait.

There are no urgent questions or statements scheduled in the Commons today. This means the second reading of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill will begin at approximately 12:40 GMT.

It will be preceded by Business Questions at 1130, followed by a 10-minute rule motion.

The Speaker has made special provision for today's second reading debate on Brexit to continue until midnight. So I suspect the Commons bars and restaurants will be doing brisk business this evening. 

Theresa May's invitation to the US leader was premature, a former head of the Foreign Office says.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Westminster Hour
Radio 4's Westminster Hour

The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness is launched today in Westminster by Labour MP Rachel Reeves and Conservative MP Seema Kennedy. 

Jo Cox - who was murdered in June 2016 - decided to set up a national commission on loneliness after meeting people in her Batley and Spen constituency whose lives had been blighted by loneliness and social isolation.

One of those people was Sandra Yates. She told the BBC Westminster Hour's Sam Macrory how she struggled with loneliness, and why she wanted to speak to Jo Cox about tackling the problem.

Scottish cities hosted protests against US President Donald Trump's travel ban on Monday night and some of the protesters brought a distinctly Scottish touch to their banners.

Image source, PA

The bookmakers' trade body has reacted angrily to a report by MPs on fixed-odd betting terminals (FOBTs). 

The Association of British Bookmakers said it was "deeply flawed" and called for an inquiry by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

The MPs are recommending that the maximum stake for gambling on the electronic terminals in a bookmakers shop is cut to just £2. Currently the maximum stake on the electronic terminals is £100.

The renewed call for a lower limit comes from the all-party parliamentary group on FOBTs, which published its initial report last December.

Bookmaking firms refused to take part in the MPs' inquiry. Read more

BBC Newsnight

The European Parliament's negotiator on Brexit, Guy Verhofstadt, says a "pick and choose" approach to Brexit "will not be allowed".

Image source, PA

Former Chancellor George Osborne has warned of the consequences if "the Statue of Liberty turns its back on the world" as he criticised the temporary US ban on refugees and visitors from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Syria and Libya.

Speaking as he accepted the post of visiting fellow at Arizona's McCain Institute, the Tory MP said Western governments should resist the "alluring" temptation to turn inwards in response to economic and security threats.

MPs won't be voting on the Brexit Bill in the Commons today as they begin debating the general principles of the proposed law to trigger Article 50.

Second reading, as it is known, will continue on Wednesday before the bill begins more detailed scrutiny during its committee stage. 

Opposition parties have tabled a variety amendments to the bill, both at second reading and committee stage. It will be up to the Speaker and his officials to decide which to choose for debate and to be voted upon.

Here's a summary of second reading amendments, all of which are basically designed to stop the bill in its tracks.

Labour backbench amendment (not supported by the leadership): Calls for bill to be blocked because of a lack of assurances over the UK's future access to the single market.

SNP amendments: First amendment says bill fails to provide "legal protection" with regard to the single market, the customs union, and freedom of movement. Second amendment says there is no provision for consultation with the Scottish government and other devolved administrations.

Lib Dem amendment: Says the bill should be blocked because it fails to grant the public a vote on the final deal in the form of a referendum.

Green/Plaid Cymru amendment: Says the bill should be blocked because it fails to guarantee "full and unfettered" access to the single market.