House of Commons
Parliament

The chancellor takes an intervention from Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley, who asks about Labour MP Stella Creasy's amendment to the Queen's Speech.

The amendment calls for the government to provide adequate funding, to ensure women from Northern Ireland can access medical services in England and Wales such as abortions without charge.

The chancellor says: "I know this is a matter of great importance to members on both sides of the House...my understanding is the minister for women and equalities either has made or just about to make a statement explaining that she intends to intervene to fund abortions in England for women arriving here from Northern Ireland."

"I hope the House will find that a sensible way of dealing with this challenge."

House of Lords
Parliament

Responding for the government, Lord Keen stresses that Rupert Murdoch's undertakings have not been accepted - as the culture secretary is still "giving consideration to whether undertakings should be accepted".

On the fit and proper person test, he observes that "it's a matter for Ofcom and not for the secretary of state".

He confirms the government is not planning to take forward Leveson II.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Chancellor Philip Hammond begins his response to the debate; and he says that listening to the shadow chancellor, he believes Labour has given up any claim to "fiscal credibility".

On corporation tax, Mr Hammond says the Conservatives cut it and consequently the private sector created 3.4 million new jobs; and in the process the government raised an additional £18bn in taxes.

Labour's John Mann intervenes to ask whether the tax forecast is predicated on one million immigrants coming to the UK.

The Chancellor says that this is the OBR's forecast, which it makes clear.

And in response to a query about the public sector pay cap, Mr Hammond says the government policy has not changed.

He said that the government is "continually assessing that balance".

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour spokesman Lord Collins of Highbury claims "the problem with Murdoch's undertaking [on the merger] will become as meaningless as others in the past".

He adds that without the second part of the Leveson inquiry's recommendations, "we do not know the facts" about Rupert Murdoch's past conduct and it needs to be brought forward.

For the Lib Dems, Lord McNally also calls for Leveson II to be implemented, and suggests the "narrow legal determination [of the fit and proper person test] is far, far too low".

House of Commons
Parliament

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There's an intervention from DUP MP Sammy Wilson, after John McDonnell calls the money promised to Northern Ireland in the wake of the Conservative-DUP deal a "grubby bribe".

It's £100m a vote, he says, and says if he were a Tory backbencher he'd want to "negotiate a slice of that action".

Mr Wilson says when it comes to grubby bribes "his party [Labour] has done a lot to tell us about grubby bribes in the form of letters to terrorists to get them off their murder charges".

He goes on to ask "what is grubby about money being put into the infrastructure in Northern Ireland to promote jobs", the health service and education service.

Mr McDonnell says that if we abided by the rules of the Barnett formula, additional funds would flow to England, Scotland and Wales.

House of Lords
Parliament

Government spokesman Lord Keen of Elie is now repeating a statement made earlier by the culture secretary in which she said she is "minded to" refer Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox takeover of Sky to the competition watchdog.

Karen Bradley's decision is a blow to the media mogul's hopes of having the £11.7bn deal waved through without further scrutiny.

Mr Murdoch already owns 39% of the satellite broadcaster.

An earlier attempt to take over Sky was abandoned in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.

House of Commons
Parliament

John McDonnell turns to wages and says the cap on public sector pay has contributed to wages falling by 10% since 2008.

He says people were shocked by the news that some nurses were forced to rely on food banks.

"We talk about people being left behind, there are whole communities left behind across the country," he says.

Mr McDonnell refers to yesterday's changing story about the public sector cap being scrapped; and refers to the vote on the Labour amendment.

MPs rejected the Labour motion urging immediate change by a majority of 14.

The government won the vote on the issue, the first of the new Parliament, by 323 votes to 309.

"It was a disgrace that last night the coalition of Tories and DUP voted down our motion to support public sector workers simply securing a fair pay rise," Mr McDonnell says.

He challenges the chancellor to say whether the cap is lifted or not, but there's no response from the chancellor.

Speaker John Bercow says he does not think it's essential for male MPs to wear ties in the Commons.

House of Commons
Parliament

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MPs turn to today's debate on the Queen's Speech and John Bercow reminds the House which amendments he has selected: that's Labour amendment l; and amendments d and g (Stella Creasy's and Chuka Umunna's amendments).

Labour's John McDonnell stands to move amendment l.

He begins by calling the Queen's Speech a "threadbare scrap". He says it is "devoid of content" and does not address the problems facing the country.

House of Commons
Parliament

Yes, it seems as though John Bercow, answering a point of order about Lib Dem Tom Brake's attire yesterday, says that no tie is fine.

"As long as a member arrives in business-like attire," he says, wearing a tie is not "front and centre stage".

Do I think it's essential that a member wear a tie? No, says the Speaker.

This is revolutionary stuff...

House of Commons
Parliament

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John Bercow makes a short statement before the Queen's Speech debate begins by warning that many MPs who have put their names down to speak in the debate are not currently present in the chamber.

The Speaker reminds MPs that it is expected for those wishing to speak in a debate to be present for the opening and closing speeches of that debate, "people should not just wander in when it is convenient to them - frankly, that is disrespectful to colleagues and to the House as an institution".

There follow a number of points of order, which one suspects may be being asked to allow errant members to quickly find their seats so as not to earn the Speaker's ire.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Karen Bradley says she is disappointed that Mr Watson has chosen to make party-political points on the issue - saying it is very cynical of him.

"Judge me on my record," she says, telling Mr Watson that she has been "scrupulously fair" and looked at the evidence and analysis available to her.

"Do not prejudge my decisions before they are made," she warns.

Former culture, media and sport secretary John Whittingdale chimes into the debate supporting Ms Bradley, saying he commends her on the "scrupulous" way in which she is managing the process and allowing all interested parties to comment.

When it comes to plurality, Mr Whittingdale argues that the printed media is "a waning influence" and the real media giants today are companies like Google and the social media companies.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow culture, media and sport secretary and long-time campaigner on this issue, Tom Watson, says that nothing about this decision is a surprise; "It's the old playbook," he says.

He says that the secretary of state has known what she wants to do from the beginning but knows that she has to "follow the established dance steps".

Any undertakings in lieu from the Murdochs "are not worth the newsprint they are written on" he says, and argues that the decision says more about the rules than it does about Mr Murdoch and that it is "clear" they need to change.

Mr Watson says he wants to put the media barons on notice - "the days when citizens from other countries can dominate our media markers whilst paying their taxes overseas have got to end".

"The world is changing and it is time the Conservative party realised it."

House of Lords
Parliament

Lib Dem education spokesman Lord Storey warns of "creeping privatisation and lack of staff" in schools, on which the Queen's Speech had "little to say".

The promise of a good education for all appears to him a "figleaf" which shows "neither imagination nor confidence".

He says what schools are currently getting is "unfairer funding" and "we can't let the govt stretch our schools to breaking point".

He's also damning about staffing levels, saying some pupils are now being expected to pass GCSEs without being taught by maths graduates.

House of Commons
Parliament

Ms Bradley says that these "minded to" decisions are not her final decisions, but says that as the independent regulator it is their decision ultimately.

She says that rightly it is not for government to decide who does and does not hold TV broadcasting licences in the UK, and that she cannot comment on Ofcom's decision due to her quasi-juicial role.

Peers who were making noise during the reading of private members' bills are given short shrift by the Lord Speaker.

House of Commons
Parliament

Karen Bradley says that Ofcom's report is "unambiguous" on whether the proposed takeover would give rise to public interest concerns on media plurality.

The report says it raises public interest concerns over increased influence of members of the Murdoch family on radio, TV, in print and online.

On the basis of this she says she is minded to refer the takeover to a more detailed phase two consideration of the proposed takeover on the grounds of media plurality.

On broadcasting standards, she says she not minded to refer the proposed merger to a second phase investigation with the Competition and Markets Authority on the grounds of broadcasting standards.

When it comes to the fit and proper test, she tells MPs she is not minded to refer the proposed merger to a second phase investigation with the Competition and Markets Authority on the grounds of the fit and proper test.