Boris Johnson has welcomed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Foreign Office. 

Mr Netanyahu asked the foreign secretary about his office and Mr Johnson said it was where one of his predecessors, former prime minister and foreign secretary Arthur Balfour, signed the Balfour Declaration.

Signed in 1917, the document was the first significant declaration by a world power in favour of a Jewish "national home" in what was known as Palestine.

Select Committee
Parliament

The Work and Pensions Committee is holding an inquiry into self-employment and the gig economy.

MPs will hear from former couriers and drivers for Uber, Hermes and Deliveroo, as well as from three disabled people who run their own companies.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, PA

Prime Minister Theresa May now makes a statement on the weekend meeting between EU leaders in Malta.

The leaders agreed a plan to reduce the flow of migrants from Malta.

As part of the plan, Libya will receive £171m to reinforce its coastguard.

Leaders also discussed Russian aggression and “worrying declarations” by the new US administration.

Image source, PA

Three Labour MPs have each won £54,000 High Court libel damages from UKIP MEP Jane Collins over remarks she made about Rotherham's child abuse scandal.

She claimed Rotherham MPs Sir Kevin Barron, John Healey and Sarah Champion knew about child exploitation in the town but did nothing to intervene.

The case was sparked by a speech the Yorkshire and Humber MEP gave at UKIP's conference in September 2014.

Her attempt to obtain immunity from prosecution failed in October. 

Ms Collins had alleged that each of the MPs knew many of the details of the exploitation yet deliberately chose not to intervene.

She made the speech a month after a report found that about 1,400 children in the area had been abused between 1997 and 2013.

The court heard that the MEP had also expressed the opinion that the MPs acted out of political correctness, political cowardice or political selfishness and were guilty of misconduct so grave that it was or should be criminal, as it aided the perpetrators.

Gavin Millar QC told Mr Justice Warby that the allegations had been the "talk of the tearoom" in Parliament in the run-up to the 2015 general election, and caused "extreme distress".

Ms Collins had refused to withdraw her comments throughout the whole of the campaign, had not apologised and had repeatedly tried to delay the litigation.

She argued she had made a political speech that did not contain any allegation of fact, but expressed an opinion to the effect that the MPs were likely to have known that sexual exploitation was a serious problem in the area.

Ms Collins made an offer of amends which was accepted, but the amount of compensation could not be agreed.

The High Court hearing is continuing to decide costs and other matters.

Speaker John Bercow's announcement that clerks in the House of Commons Chamber will no longer wear wigs has attracted a bit of reaction on Twitter. 

Here's a taster - although by no means a representative one - of what is being said about the move.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner notes that last week the Department for Education handed back £384m which was "earmarked for school improvement".

She further notes that it would take £335m to ensure that no school loses out under new formula.

Education Minister Nick Gibb replies that the £384m had originally been intended to help with the process of schools turning into academies. 

He says that although the proposal of "academisation" continues the government is no longer "targeting the same timetable".

The leaders of Israel and the UK meet for the first time, with West Bank settlements also on the agenda.

House of Commons
Parliament

Education questions begins with MPs asking how the new national formula will affect schools in their constituencies.

Conservative Sir Nicholas Soames says that West Sussex is one of the lowest funded of all the shire counties and asks the government to look at the budget for rural schools which are "unfairly treated". 

Labour's Ben Bradshaw notes that Exeter is one of the lowest funded counties in England despite having to subsidise school transport and spend money to keep open small rural schools.

Education Minister Nick Gibb says the old formula was anachronistic and that under the new formula 54% schools will gain. 

House of Commons
Parliament

Before Education questions begins, Speaker John Bercow announces a sartorial change to the House of Commons.

Clerks will no long wear wigs or court dress, he announces. They will, however, continue to wear gowns so as to indicate their expertise in political procedure. 

This, he argues, will promote "a less stuffy image" of the House of Commons.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, EPA

It’s another busy week for MPs as they begin debate of amendments to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, including a proposal for the UK to revert back to EU membership if negotiations fail.  

Today, however, the focus is on parliamentary scrutiny during the negotiations and the role of the devolved nations.

Prime Minister Theresa May will also make a statement on the weekend’s meeting of EU leaders.

But first we kick off with questions to the Education Secretary, Justine Greening.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, PA

It's a complicated day today, but here's a rough outline of how today will pan out.

Amendments to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill will be debated in groups based on their subject matter.

For the first four hours (approx 4:30pm – 8:30pm) MPs will debate amendments dealing with parliamentary scrutiny. This group includes clauses:

• Ensuring that reports on the negotiations are published at least every two months (proposed by Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn)
• Protecting the rights of EU nationals living in the UK in the event that Brexit negotiations fail (proposed by the Labour Party)
• Requiring a report on the UK’s participation in the European Research Area (proposed by Labour backbenchers)
• Requiring parliament's approval before the UK leaves the European Economic Area (proposed by Labour's Wes Streeting, Chuka Umunna and other Labour backbenchers) 

MPs will then vote on some of these amendments, others will be voted on in two days' time.

In the next three hours (approx 9pm – 11:30pm) the focus will be on those amendments relevant to the role of the devolved administrations. These include clauses that:

• Prevent the government from triggering Article 50 unless consent is given by the devolved administrations as well as the UK Parliament (proposed by the SNP)
• Legally require the government to involve the devolved nations in Article 50 negotiations. (proposed by the Labour Party)

MPs will then vote on these amendments after which the debate will be adjourned until the next day. 

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns says there are "positives" from the Brexit referendum, with millions more people than during elections voting. Parliament needs to "get on" with passing the EU Bill, being discussed in the Commons on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, she recommends.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Labour MP Ian Murray says the findings of the BBC's study of Brexit voting patterns around the country - that there's a strong link between the tendency to back Remain or Remain and education - is a "blunt conclusion". The key issue is that manual workers tend to feel left behind by globalisation, he adds.

Motorists are turning to more eco-friendly models as diesel sales decline, industry figures suggest.

Co-operation between the UK and Israel is the focus of the PM's talks with Bejamin Netanyahu, Theresa May's official spokeswoman has said.

However, she added that developments in the Middle East, including Iran's recent ballistic missile test, would be discussed. 

The PM, she added, was expected to restate the UK's support for a "twin-track" approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, recognising the right of Israelis to live free of the threat of terrorism, but also to make clear that the UK sees the "continued increase in settlement activity undermining trust".