House of Commons
Parliament

Today's backbench debate concerns the contaminated blood scandal, in which people were infected with HIV and hepatitis C by contaminated blood transfusions and blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.

The motion, tabled by a cross-party group of MPs, calls the scandal "one of the biggest treatment disasters in the history of the NHS, which devastated thousands of lives".

It recognises government support for victims but argues that its proposals "will leave some people worse off and continue the situation where some of those affected receive no ongoing support".

MPs are calling for improved support for sufferers "to ensure that no-one is worse off".

Select Committee
Parliament

Labour's Yasmin Qureshi accuses Liam Fox of using "offensive" rhetoric similar to Donald Trump over migration.  

"A lot of people in the leave campaign say that the EU's Schengen agreement means if migrants came in they would be security risks; they would be causing chaos in Europe."

The implication is that "just because migration is going on, migrants will become terrorists" she argues. This is the "sort of rhetoric Trump is using on Muslims", she says. 

Liam Fox says that was not his intention, but argues there are "genuine concerns over safety risks in the Schengen area". 

He points out that the former head of Interpol "has said the Schengen area is a passport free zone for terrorists to execute attacks and leave".

"There are a million plus migrants in Germany and the German authorities don't know who these people are," he says.

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers have voted to accept amendment 6 to the Immigration Bill at third reading by 274 votes to 215, a majority of 59.

One vote and one government defeat in the Lords so far today.

House of Lords
Parliament

Baroness Lister responds to the debate on her amendment 6, and says that the promise of a statement in a few days is not adequate given the fact that the report by Stephen Shaw was given to the Home Office in September 2015.

The Labour peer says that given that third reading offers the last chance to deal with this issue in the bill she feels she has to divide the House for a vote on the amendment.

If agreed to, amendment 6 would impose an outright ban of the detention of pregnant women in immigration cases.

The result of the division is expected at 4.25pm.

Select Committee
Parliament

Conservative MP Adam Holloway suggests that the United States is urging the UK to stay in the EU, but wouldn't join such an organisation.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind points out the US is "the world's only super power", and "doesn't need to join" a supra national organisation.

"We're an important country but we're not in that league," he argues.

Dr Liam Fox replies that it is "not a question of our size, but a question of wanting to rule ourselves".

The US would "not be concerned about diluting its influence but wanting to maintain its self-governance".

Sir Malcolm retorts that today's evidence session is about "power and influence in the world".  

House of Lords
Parliament

Home Office spokesman Lord Keen of Elie rises to respond to the debate and says that although he understands the concern that lies behind the amendment, the government does not think that an absolute exclusion of pregnant women from detention is "workable".

Lord Keen says that the guidelines are already "extremely clear" in stating that pregnant women can only be detained in "particular and exceptional circumstances".

The minister says that the government will make a statement in a few days regarding a new framework for the detention of pregnant women that will outline "clear and limited timescales for detention only in exceptional circumstances".  

Image source, bbc

House of Lords
Parliament

Crossbench peers Lord Alton of Liverpool and the Earl of Listowel are speaking in support of the amendment.

Lord Alton raises the issue of the effect of detention on the children of the pregnant women, and the Earl of Listowel raises similar points on the effect on family relationships of those concerned about the wellbeing of  pregnant family members in detention.

Lord Rosser indicates from the Labour frontbench that the Opposition are willing to support the amendment if she puts it to a vote.

Confused about the European Union? Don't know Schengen from Strasbourg?

This BBC explainer outlines all you need to know here.

Image source, Getty Images

Select Committee
Parliament

Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski points out the UK is a member of Nato, United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the G20. 

"Why do we need another tier in the EU?" he asks.

Alex Salmond replies that each of these organisations has had a role in protecting the UK.

He then refers to a point made earlier by Malcolm Rifkind that there is a "far greater accession of sovereignty to Nato than to the EU" but no one seems to mind.  

"We are treaty obliged to go to war for another Nato member," he points out.

House of Commons
Parliament

The House now moves on to the debate about contaminated blood. Labour MP Diana Johnson is opening the debate.

House of Lords
Parliament

A number of government amendments were passed on the nod, and now Labour peer Baroness Lister of Burtersett is moving her amendment 6 which relates to the detention of pregnant women by UK immigration authorities.

The amendment would mean that the recommendations of the Shaw Review, external, relating to the detention of pregnant women should be introduced to the bill.

The review called for the absolute exclusion from detention of pregnant women.

Baroness Lister tells the House that in 2014 99 pregnant women were detained in the UK, and in 2015 there were 69.

House of Commons
Parliament

Summing up for the government, Anna Soubry pays tribute to Business Secretary Sajid Javid, for his "outstanding leadership" throughout the crisis.

And she compares the situation in Redcar and SSI steel makers, to Tata, calling the latter a responsible employer and says the government is looking forward to working with the company.

Select Committee
Parliament

Labour committee member Ann Clwyd tells MPs that in the 1970s she was elected to the European Parliament on an anti-EU vote, but changed her mind after an "enlightening experience" during her term as an MEP.

She argues there is only "one way to be secure and that is working globally" and co-operating on economics and policing in the EU.

Dr Liam Fox says in his view the "European Union is failing and we should not be shoring up the institutions that are contributing to that failure".

"Generations are being made unemployed" while the "barbed wire fences are going up because of the failures of Schengen".

He adds that "our ability to co-operate outside of the EU is huge".

House of Commons
Parliament

Summing up, Labour's Kevin Brennan says Labour believes there is a future for the steel industry in the UK. 

He says there is doubt at the heart of the government's policy, which he likens to an impurity in molten steel. "We need an industrial strategy, not an industrial approach," he concludes.

House of Lords
Parliament

Earl Howe says that amendment 1 would provide an "unnecessary delay" in the process of giving a migrant notice of their right to rent in the UK - which he says "already works well".

For these reasons he asks Baroness Hamwee to withdraw her amendment.

"I wish I were persuaded," Baroness Hamwee says as she rises to respond to the debate on her amendment.

"By denying there is a problem there is a denial of the need to solve the problem," she says, but given the minister's assurances she agrees to withdraw the amendment and raise this issue elsewhere.

Select Committee
Parliament

Dr Liam Fox says the problem with the EU comes down to sovereignty.

The Conservative MP tells the committee he "fundamentally does not believe in the concept of supranationalism".

"I do not believe we should voluntarily subjugate our identities to anyone else," he says.

He makes a clear distinction between Europe and the EU, which he calls "a short term political construct run for those at its centre and with precious little regard for its citizens or the consequences of its actions".

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP MP Margaret Ferrier calls for action on the "lesser duty rule" - a term that has been heard regularly this afternoon.

The UK government has argued that the EU-wide rule is designed to prevent disproportionate and excessive import tariffs.

However, Ms Ferrier claims that, unless the rule is scrapped, "little can be done to stop the flow of Chinese imports".

She says the government has worked against reform of the rule and accuses it of "negligence".

Select Committee
Parliament

SNP MP Alex Salmond argues that if the EU didn't exist we "would have to invent it".

He says the UK "is bound up inextricably with Europe and we should embrace it".

In the EU "we could achieve a great deal more", he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Scunthorpe's Labour MP, Nick Dakin, says the "mood music" has changed over Chinese dumping of cheap steel, but slowly.

He calls for "warm words that are supported by actions - and actions that are prompt and not laggardly".