Shadow Scottish secretary Lesley Laird has called on SNP MPs to support Labour's Queen's Speech amendment calling for an end to the 1% public sector pay cap.

“Unfortunately, Nicola Sturgeon and her MSPs voted against removing the 1 per cent pay cap on NHS workers in Scotland in May," Ms Laird said.

“The challenge now is for her MPs in Westminster: they must defy her and back Labour’s amendment to give staff a pay rise."

House of Lords
Parliament

Conservative Baroness McIntosh of Pickering wants to know what discussions the government has had with farmers and growers on access to foreign workers, and whether it intends to reintroduce the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme.

She says there's a "critical shortage" at the moment and calls for a review of "utmost urgency".

Environment Minister Lord Gardiner of Kimble says the government is "fully seized of this issue" and the scheme is kept under "careful review".

During a recent select committee inquiry into seasonal labour shortfalls, the government said net migration figures showed that sufficient labour was available in the UK and that there was currently no need for a seasonal agricultural workers scheme for migrants.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Crossbencher Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho points out victims of terrorism and their families also find "relief by using social media" to find information and support.

She sees it as "just as important to protect an open and free internet as it is to take down extremist material".

Home Office Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford acknowledges social media can be "a useful tool to challenge" extremist ideologies but "there's a very fine balance between freedom of speech and speech which is hateful".

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, Thinkstock

The first question is from Conservative Lord Naseby, who asks what measures are being taken to combat terrorist and extremist propaganda released through multimedia channels, particularly social media, videos, the internet, and other online sources.

The home secretary recently announced a review of Britain's counter-terror strategy and a separate review of the handling of recent terror attacks.

Home Office Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford says 270,000 extremist items have been taken down - 8,000 a month in 2016.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Paul Williams, the new Labour MP for Stockton South, makes his maiden speech.

Mr Williams is a doctor and he tells MPs that he has already received medical complaints from his new colleagues about their bad backs "and other problems that confidentiality and common decency" prevent him from divulging.

He says that MPs can join him in keeping fit at his 6am boot camp if they want - several groans can be heard.

Mr Williams finishes by saying of the people of the country "what a great opportunity we have to listen to their voices," before adding that in the election "from many ordinary mouths came one extraordinary message - we must listen and we must act".

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, Labour Party

Speaker John Bercow announces the results of the election for deputy speakers.

Labour's Lindsay Hoyle has been re-elected as first deputy speaker and chairman of ways and means.

Conservative Eleanor Laing has also been re-elected.

They will be joined by former Labour chief whip Dame Rosie Winterton who has been elected as a deputy speaker for the first time.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, Getty Images

It could be a long day in the House of Lords - 65 peers have put their names down to speak in the debate on the Queen's Speech, which focuses on Brexit today.

There are also three amendments down - with Lord Adonis intending to force his to a vote.

The Labour amendment adds that "no deal is the worst possible deal" and calls on the government "to seek to negotiate a Brexit that prioritises jobs and the economy, delivers the exact same benefits as the United Kingdom currently has as a member of the single market and customs union, ensures that there is no weakening of co-operation in security and policing, and maintains the existing rights of EU nationals living in the UK".

The amendment from Labour backbencher Lord Adonis regrets that that the Queen's Speech contains no proposal for the government to seek to negotiate continued membership of the European single market and customs union.

The amendment from crossbencher Lord Armstrong of Ilminster calls on the government to suspend Brexit negotiations and withdraw, for the time being, the notification of intention to leave the EU.

Before all that, peers will put questions to ministers on extremism, government-commissioned research, industrial strategy, and seasonal agricultural workers from 3pm.

Susan Hulme
Parliamentary correspondent

There will be one vote on the Queen's Speech at 19:00 BST, on the official Labour amendment from Jeremy Corbyn calling for an end to cuts for police and fire services and an end to the public sector pay cap.

On Thursday, there will be up to three votes at the end of the final day of debate on the Queen's Speech: another official opposition one from Corbyn, and the Speaker can choose two more from other parties or backbench MPs. He'll say which ones he's picked at the start of tomorrow's debate. It could be one of the ones already on the order paper, or new ones tabled tomorrow.

Theresa May is asked by the SNP's Ian Blackford if she was lobbied about the DUP deal by Scottish Secretary David Mundell.

Image source, PA

"The government are now in full retreat on public sector pay," Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has said.

"Backbench Tory MPs have clearly had enough of having to defend the indefensible when nurses come to their surgeries saying they need to go to food banks to survive."

He added: "Nurses, teachers, and our emergency services are on the front line every single day but have had thousands of pounds pinched from their pay packets already. They did not create the financial crash but have had to pay the highest price for it.

"Theresa May should end the cap on public sector pay now."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, hoC

Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Soames addresses the recent tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire and the terrorist attacks in Manchester and London. He expresses his condolences and that of his constituents for those affected.

He expresses support for the prime minister, but says there are grave uncertainties arising from Brexit negotiations, as well as huge concerns about problems facing the country such as social care.

"In my 34 years here, I do not think I have ever seen a way ahead that is more complex or more difficult for our country than it is now," he says, citing particularly low educational achievements, lack of skills, low wages and inter-generational inequality.

Sean Curran
Parliamentary correspondent

Downing Street has signalled that the public sector pay cap is being reviewed. Pay rises for public sector workers have been limited to 1% since 2013.

This afternoon, the prime minister's spokesman indicated that the policy could change later this year. He said the policy would be "spelled out" in the Autumn - presumably in the Budget.

A No 10 source said that public sector pay restraint was "one of the tough decisions" the government had had to make but said ministers, including the prime minister were going to "listen to the messages that were sent at the election" and said, "we understand that people are weary after years of hard work to re-build the economy".

A number of pay review bodies will make their recommendations later this year.

John Bercow has been re-elected as Commons Speaker but MPs have been voting for his deputies today.

MPs will select three deputy speakers from four candidates:

• Roberta Blackman-Woods - Labour
• Lindsay Hoyle - Labour (served as deputy speaker in the 2015 Parliament)
• Eleanor Laing - Conservative (also a deputy speaker in the 2015 Parliament)
• Dame Rosie Winterton - Labour

Former Labour MP Natascha Engel served as the third deputy speaker in the 2015 Parliament but lost her seat in the 2017 election.

You can read more about the election on the UK Parliament website., external

Reality Check

Conservative MP Sir Oliver Letwin has been on Radio 4 talking about when the freeze on public sector pay rises may be relaxed.

"Sooner or later there will need to be some movement on the rate of increase of public sector pay because we're getting close... to the point at which the huge increase in public sector pay compared to private sector pay which we inherited in 2010 is leveling out," he said.

You can see what he's talking about in the chart above - around 2010, average earnings in the public sector were growing at about 4% while in the private sector it was barely moving. That situation has clearly reversed since mid-2013.

But there are caveats when comparing public and private sector pay. For example, many public sector bodies have outsourced lower-paid functions such as cleaning and catering to contractors, which moves them from the public to the private sector. Doing so on a large scale would increase average earnings in the public sector.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned , externalthat the quality of public services will suffer if public sector pay continues to fall compared with the private sector.