House of Commons
Parliament

Theresa May told MPs she wanted EU citizens living in the UK to stay after Brexit as she announced plans designed to put their "anxiety to rest".

All EU nationals living in the UK lawfully for at least five years will be granted "settled status" and be able to bring over spouses and children, she told MPs today.

Those who come after an as-yet-agreed cut-off point will be given two years to "regularise their status".

Labour said the UK should have made a unilateral guarantee of security to EU citizens in the aftermath of last year's Brexit vote.

A 15-page document , externaloutlining the detail of the UK's offer to EU citizens has been published on the outcome of Friday's EU summit.

House of Lords
Parliament

Business Minister Lord Prior of Brampton starts his speech by sharing his thoughts on the Common Agricultural Policy, confessing he's "never been a great fan" of it as he thinks it was "designed for French farmers" and its reform will be a "good thing in the long run".

He continues on the economy more widely, saying there's been only a "small number of winners" from the EU and that's a "huge issue".

In particular he stresses the need for digital and technical skills which he thinks have sometimes taken a back seat to academic qualifications.

After that, the House adjourns to return on Tuesday at 2.30pm.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Responding to the debate for Labour, Lord Davies of Oldham says many of the measures set out in the Queen's Speech are "desirable but hardly crucial".

He adds it "pays very little attention to the state of our economy" and the "appalling cuts in a period of austerity" has been repeatedly extended.

"It's not surprising people are rising up austerity when the government isn't hitting the targets" which cuts were meant to achieve, he says.

House of Lords
Parliament

Lib Dem spokesperson Baroness Kramer objects that the transport minister, Lord Callanan, earlier depicted "an economy nobody in this House recognises".

She points out he used forecasts which have since been "binned" and "growth has been downgraded" due to the impact of Brexit and uncertainty resulting from it.

She urges a more "realistic" approach and not to pretend "nothing has changed".

House of Lords
Parliament

Conservative Baroness McIntosh of Pickering tells peers the Queen's Speech said "very little about those in the countryside".

She raises concerns that rural communities continue to be "held back by poor services", including slow broadband, a lack of affordable homes and insufficient school funding.

House of Commons
Parliament

The adjournment debate comes to an end and MPs finish their business for the day.

They return on Tuesday at 11.30am with Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions.

House of Commons
Parliament

Housing Minister Alok Sharma responds to the debate and says there must be co-operation across the House on the fire and that he wants to meet with MPs on this to show there is a "clear willingness on the part of the government" to work together.

On the public inquiry he says that as a government "we will do what it takes to get to the bottom of this disaster" and says he wishes to make it absolutely clear that the inquiry should leave no stone unturned and will question everyone who has evidence to provide.

He also says that ministers want victims to be consulted and represented in the inquiry, adding that the government will cover the cost of their legal representation.

The minister agrees with Mr Fitzpatrick on the need for an interim report as early as possible.

House of Commons
Parliament

Mr Fitzpatrick asks about government policy on retrofitting sprinkler systems in buildings and on ensuring they are put in new public buildings.

He says that fitting Grenfell Tower with a sprinkler system would have cost £200,000.

"Divide that by 79, Mr Speaker - you do the maths. It's just over £2,531 per death and that is likely to come down as more deaths are confirmed."

Mr Fitzpatrick asks when Parliament can expect the report on improved safety features and building regulations. He says health and safety regulations are derided in the media "but they save lives and cost money".

House of Commons
Parliament

The debate on the Queen's Speech comes to an end for the day, and we move on to the adjournment debate.

Former firefighter and Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick is leading this debate, which is on the Grenfell Tower fire.

Mr Fitzpatrick says the disaster raises questions about how we provide social housing in the UK, and how we approach the build, maintenance and safety of the people who live in these homes.

House of Commons
Parliament

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson speaks about Jeremy Corbyn's appearance at Glastonbury festival on the weekend, but insists on saying it with a long "a".

When an MP attempts to correct him, Mr Johnson replies that seeing as the festival takes place in the south west, his pronunciation is correct.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson responds to the debate, and says that there is far more that unites us than divides us on Brexit.

He says that the UK is at the forefront of tackling the "scourges" facing the world at the moment - listing airstrikes against so-called Islamic State, sanctions against Russia, uniting opposition against "bloodcurdling" threats of North Korea, and sending peacekeepers to South Sudan.

Mr Johnson says it is because the world looks to Britain and because our work is "so vital to global security" - that it is "vital" we should not run down our defences or abrogate our responsibilities to our friends and partners around the world.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry responds to the debate and wastes no time goading the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on his low profile during the election campaign.

She said that she felt a pang of jealousy when she saw him wrestling with other politicians and asked herself: "When is Boris going to come and try to wrestle me?"

Ms Thornberry praises the many maiden speeches made in the debate, but quickly returns to her opposite number, claiming he was the only cabinet member who had the foresight of not putting any policies from his policy area into the manifesto so he wasn't in the embarrassing position of later having to abandon them in the Queen's speech.

She says the Queen's Speech is a "blank space" when it comes to foreign policy because the government's sole policy is to stay "in lockstep with Donald Trump".

Ms Thornberry goes on to call the government "spineless" for not challenging America on leaving the Paris climate agreement.

House of Commons
Parliament

The DUP's Ian Paisley Jr urges the government not to give devolved assemblies a veto on the will of the British people.

He says that the Republic of Ireland stands to lose most out of Brexit, rather than Northern Ireland, arguing that Ireland will be required to pay more into the EU to make up for the loss of UK money.

On the issue of the Irish border, he tells the minister: "I agree we must have a frictionless border but it must not become the weak link in security terms."

House of Commons
Parliament

Several MPs have spoken about amendments that they have tabled to the motion on the Queen's Speech.

That motion reads:

"That an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, as follows:

"Most gracious sovereign, we, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the gracious speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament."

The full order paper with all tabled amendments to the motion can be found here., external

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Conservative Lord Cavendish of Furness acknowledges that Lord Morris' speech was "interesting", but questions "how one can reconcile giving up austerity with keeping the economy in good heart without endowing debt to future generations".

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

A little earlier, Labour's Lord Morris of Handsworth focused his remarks on the fatal fire at Grenfell Tower, describing it as a "testing time for us all".

He claimed it demonstrated that "managing the economy based on the principle of austerity comes at a price".

He says its worst effects "fall on the poorest" and urges: "We must, we can do better."

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's new MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Luke Pollard, praises his Tory predecessor Oliver Colville and his championing of hedgehogs in parliament, saying: "I do hope someone will pick up the protection of the prickly creatures but that won't be me."

Mr Pollard cites famous former MPs for his seat including Nancy Astor and Michael Foot.

Unsurprisingly, the MP for the UK's largest naval base, speaks with pride and passion about the Royal Navy and says he hopes to see its enlargement post-Brexit, calling for more frigates.

House of Commons
Parliament

The Green Party's Caroline Lucas warns that some on the right see Brexit as a "wonderful opportunity" for mass deregulation, and warns that "a fight is going to be coming" on the environment post-Brexit.

She says she has very little confidence in the new environment secretary, Michael Gove, and she hopes MPs will forgive her for not thinking the environment post-Brexit will be safe in his hands.

House of Commons
Parliament

The next maiden speech is from Ben Bradley - the first ever Conservative MP for Mansfield. The seat had been held by Labour since 1923 - with the last three MPs representing the seat for a combined 76 years.

He speaks about the coal mining heritage of the area "of which people are rightly proud" and says he will work to protect that heritage.

Mr Bradley says that his constituency voted 72% in favour of Brexit and this is why he is making his maiden speech during this debate. He says people in Mansfield simply will not accept a deal that does not mean taking back control of our borders.

"That is a red line that must not be crossed."