Victoria Derbyshire

Tory rebel Ed Vaizey, who lost the Conservative Party whip and will consider standing as an independent in an election, says the prime minister's decision to suspend Parliament was crucial in his decision to rebel.

"I only changed my mind and became a rebel when I felt the prime minister's pledge that he was actively seeking a deal was undermined by his actions... to effectively shut down Parliament.

"I would have sat on my hands if he hadn't suspended Parliament."

Mr Vaizey says Mr Cameron, who he has known for many years, "reached out as a human being" to recognise his long service as a Conservative.

Image source, PA Media

After Jeremy Corbyn was branded a big girl’s blouse by the prime minister yesterday, a journalist tried to present the Labour leader with his own pink floral blouse outside his home this morning.

An aide to Mr Corbyn prevented the Sun reporter giving it to him as he got into a waiting car.

Declining questions from reporters, Mr Corbyn said: "How nice to see you all here this morning."

Image source, AFP

Boris Johnson's decision to suspend parliament for five weeks is being challenged in court for a second time.

Conservative MP Johnny Mercer has criticised Labour MP Luke Pollard, who also represents a Plymouth constituency, over his vote against an election now.

• "He just can't win"
• "Britain's worst PM (since the last one)"
• "'Hypocrite' Corbyn rejects election to break deadlock"
• "Cornered Johnson suffers triple Commons defeat"
• "PM cornered after day of defeats in the Commons"
• "Johnson backed into corner as Commons delivers double blow"
• "Corbyn chickens out of an election"
• "Is this the most dangerous chicken in Britain?"
• "Johnson blocked as MPs refuse early election call"
• "Boris urges 'people power' to force election"

And finally...

• "My giant boobs nearly killed my baby"

Read the answers here.

EU officials are pointing out that even if the bill forcing Boris Johnson to seek an extension passes, any extension must be agreed by the UK government and European Council.

Patrick Burns
Political editor, Midlands

Dame Caroline Spelman will retire as MP for Meriden at the next general election.

The Tory MP and former secretary of state sided against the government by backing Wednesday's bill aimed at avoiding a no-deal Brexit.

Image source, UK Parliament

Dame Caroline was not among the original 21 Tory MPs to rebel against the government and it said she would not be forced out of the parliamentary party, unlike local colleagues Margot James and Antoinette Sandbach.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

The prime minister will continue to press for a general election despite losing a vote in the Commons to hold a snap poll, a spokesman for No 10 says.

"It is clear the only action is to go back to the people and give them the opportunity to decide what they want," the spokesman says.

In a speech later Mr Johnson will stress that he will not seek a delay to Brexit, the spokesman adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay says the government "is committed to leaving on 31 October".

"We want to leave with a deal, but the EU needs to be willing to reopen the withdrawal agreement," he says.

Independent MP Stephen Hammond asks when the prime minister intends to deliver his proposals for a revised deal.

Mr Barclay says the prime minister was in Brussels yesterday and he is due to meet the Irish prime minister.

"A significant amount of work has gone on," he says.

House of Commons
Parliament

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay is taking questions in the House of Commons.

Labour MP Hilary Benn says about three million wooden pallets are used every month to transport food, but after a no-deal Brexit they will no longer be able to be used - unless they have been heat-treated or fumigated.

He asks whether there are sufficient pallets available for food companies.

Mr Barclay says his focus is on the negotiations, but he will "pick that up with Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster".

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Spanish papers have said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is lost in a "labyrinth" after failing to call an early election.

"It will be difficult for the prime minister to leave the labyrinth in which the British political class has been trapped, affected by a pathological vertigo in the face of a precipice which involves making a decision that will define the lives of several generations of the British people," the centre-right daily El Mundo says.

The centre-left daily El Pais says Labour "did not fall into a trap" of supporting the idea of an early election.

"Boris Johnson has already found out that politics is more than a popularity contest," it adds.

The La Razon conservative daily describes Wednesday as "another frantic day that showed again a major institutional crisis in the new history of the country".

The paper adds Mr Johnson's refusal to ask for another extension of the Brexit deadline and the "weakness" of his government "makes the possibility of manoeuvring more difficult" for him.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell tells BBC Breakfast that not calling for a general election now is about "putting the country before party interest".

BBC News Channel

Ever since Boris Johnson became prime minister, sterling has been trending slightly downwards, says BBC News business presenter Dominic O'Connell.

And over the last few weeks amid the parliamentary votes, the pound has been up and down and "mirrored almost exactly how close you get to a no-deal Brexit", weakening when the UK gets closer to no-deal.

But the pound has moved in a fairly narrow range, he adds.

There have been no decisive moves and "there won't be a decisive move until the political fog has cleared and people know whether actually it's a no-deal Brexit".

Image source, Getty Images

Shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti has arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London to challenge Boris Johnson's suspension of parliament.

Lord Pannick QC - the barrister who is leading the challenge - said outside court he was "looking forward" to the hearing.

The Labour Party is taking legal advice to ensure their bill to prevent a no-deal Brexit is secure.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell confirms the discussions are going ahead.

He adds his party is in talks with other opposition parties on when a general election should take place.

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

Technically, there's some doubt.

Because Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried and failed to use the Fixed Terms Parliaments Act to call an election on Wednesday, it may not be possible to call an election using the same method again, says political analyst Professor Sir John Curtice.

"There is a question mark as to whether or not the government will be allowed to bring the same motion back again on Monday or Tuesday because the convention is you cannot deal with the same issue inside the House of Commons in the same session," he says.

The government might be forced to call an election another way, says Sir John, for example by trying to pass a bill which says notwithstanding the Fixed Terms Parliaments Act we're going to have an election on this date.

"Then the problem is potentially because the government has said we are proroguing Parliament next week will there be time to get such a bill through?" adds Sir John.

A delay to the UK leaving the EU could be a "small chink of light" for businesses, an industry leader says.

Confederation of British Industry director-general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn says firms would rather a delay to the "known harm of a no-deal".

However, she also warns that businesses would suffer from "the ongoing impact of uncertainty" with the prospect of an election on the horizon.

"Whatever happens next, any delay must have purpose and... stop a political crisis from becoming an economic one," she says.