House of Commons
Parliament

Theresa May is on her feet and answering the first question at Prime Minister's Questions.

There is laughter as she says she may have many meetings with colleagues in the Commons....

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, hoc

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

One intriguing possibility is that some of the legion of possible contenders for her job might break cover. This would be a perilous strategy – it could look preening and self-satisfied, the PM might destroy them with a well-targeted retort, but it might, just might, hit home.

Maybe this is too high-risk for the bigger names, the ex-Cabinet grandees, but some of the lesser known names need exposure and will have to take risks to get it.

Meanwhile, what does Jeremy Corbyn do? Does he accuse the Conservatives of fighting over the wheel, at a moment of national crisis – or does he stand back, let the story be one of Blue on Blue conflict, and ask one of his trademark questions about the impact of austerity?

There is a perfectly respectable argument that the latter rises above Westminster’s in-house squabbles, but the counter argument is that an aspiring national leader needs to address a national crisis. Mr Corbyn is under pressure from some of his parliamentary troops and from the other opposition parties, to put down a motion of no confidence in the government. And he could face friendly fire from his own side if he doesn’t address the entangled issues of Brexit and the PM’s future.

This is going to be a PMQs for the Kremlinologists – it’s going to be a matter of nuance, body language and code-breaking.

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Quite suddenly PMQs has become a battlefield in the Conservatives’ leadership wars...

And given the way question time works, there will be plenty of opportunity for Conservatives of all factions and none to “bob” in their seats and catch Mr Speaker’s eye.

This week’s list of questioners is heavy with Labour MPs, so the Speaker has to balance them up with MPs from the government side – but he gets to choose them.

So will his Tory choices declare their fealty to the PM or call for her to step down?

Whatever they do, the tone will be crucial; if support shades into sycophancy it may become counterproductive.

Similarly, an over-brutal frontal assault may frighten off teetering Tories.

And watch out for the senior backbenchers, the heavyweight ex-ministers and whips; will they offer support or sorrowful criticism?

BBC Radio 5 live

SNP MP Stewart Hosie tells BBC Radio 5 live there should be a "proper leadership debate" within the Conservative Party.

BBC Radio 5 live's Afternoon Edition Generation Gap brings together different generations of the same family to see what they think about issues that are happening in the world.

Brexit, unsurprisingly, has been a common topic of discussion, so we spoke to two families to get their views on the referendum result and how they feel now.

Read more here.

House of Commons
Parliament

It's Northern Ireland questions in the Commons at the moment, with MPs putting questions to NI Secretary Karen Bradley.

PMQs is due to start at noon.

Heidi Allen MP, who campaigned to Remain in the EU, tells BBC Politics Live she would resign the Tory party whip if Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg become leader.

"I really don’t think she’s going to lose tonight. But certainly any of the characters who’ve been in the media a lot, Boris or Jacob Rees-Mogg for example, I absolutely couldn’t back them," she says.

Asked if she would resign the whip, she says yes.

"I know I wouldn’t be alone in that. There would be a significant number of colleagues who agree with me entirely. Neither of those characters for me are the right person to pick this mess up should it come to pass."

BBC Radio 5 live

Rachel Maclean, Conservative MP for Redditch, tells BBC Radio 5 live she will be supporting Theresa May "because we need that stability".

Reuters

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker is "intensifying talks" with EU leaders after meeting Theresa May on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

"Prime Minister May came to explain the situation in the United Kingdom and laid out the concerns as raised by the House of Commons, which she told us [she] would like to address in co-ordination with her fellow EU leaders and institutions," a spokeswoman tells the news agency.

"President Juncker listened to those concerns attentively."

She says he has also spoken to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

BBC News Channel

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable tells the BBC it's "extraordinary" that the Conservatives are putting internal disputes ahead of "the interests of the country".

"I suspect in the end she's going to win. If she does, we are back where we were yesterday, with an unpalatable, unacceptable Brexit deal."

He says the "options are narrowing" but he believes the leader of the opposition has "a duty to come forward with a no confidence motion" in the government.

"There is growing momentum for going back to the country to resolve this issue."

Image source, PA

Tory MP Jo Johnson says the future of the country is at stake and he reiterates his calls for a People's Vote.

The Remainer, who quit the government over Brexit, says: “There is something much bigger at stake here than the leadership of the Conservative Party and that is the future of our country.

“The Brexit deal that Prime Minister Theresa May has negotiated is clearly against our national interest.

"It's worse than our present deal within the EU, as leading Brexiters have admitted. It will leave us poorer than we otherwise would be and with less control over our laws.

“That is not what was promised in the referendum and it is clear that Parliament will never support this deal, which is why the meaningful vote on Tuesday was cancelled.

“We need to break the gridlock, get on with it and give the public the final say with a People's Vote.”