Boris Johnson spent three quarters of an hour answering questions in the Commons on the North Korean crisis.

A string of MPs rose to voice their criticism of the American president - much to the irritation of the Foreign Secretary.

Mandy Baker reports.

You can hear more on all of the day's events at Westminster in Today in Parliament, weeknights on BBC Radio 4 at 23.30, or catch up via the BBC iPlayer.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, Reuters

The International Relations Committee is hearing evidence on the UK’s relations with Balkans post-Brexit.

The inquiry is considering how the geopolitical situation in the region is evolving and how the UK government should respond.

The witnesses are:

• General Sir Michael Rose, former commander, UN Protection Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2002-2006

The Balkans includes the countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia.

Welcome back to our coverage of Westminster today.

From 10.30am, we'll be covering the Lords International Relations select committee session on the UK's relations with the Balkans after Brexit.

Peers will be taking evidence from the former Commander of the UN Protection Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, General Sir Michael Rose.

Also appearing before the committee will be Lord Ashdown - former leader of the Lib Dems - and former High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Join us then...

House of Commons
Parliament

That's where we have to leave our Commons coverage for today, after a busy return to Westminster following the summer recess.

David Davis gave MPs an update on the summer's Brexit talks, warning that the differences between the UK and EU over the Brexit "divorce bill" remain significant.

He also told MPs "nobody pretended Brexit would be easy or simple" - which drew objections from Labour.

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford is seeking an emergency debate on Brexit and the devolved administrations.

He says the joint ministerial council has not met for six weeks and the UK government is "ignoring" requests for a meeting.

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs now move on to the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Relief from Non-Domestic Rates) Bill, external, which scraps business rates on new ultrafast broadband lines.

This is not a bill that would normally be considered by a committee of the whole House, but because of the delay in setting up the Committee of Selection, this is the only way it can be dealt with.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative former minister Christopher Chope and his party colleague Peter Bone are now introducing more than 70 bills they have tabled between them on a range of topics.

Mr Chope's 47 private member's bills include the Public Service Broadcasters (Privatisation) Bill, which aims to privatise the BBC and Channel 4. He has also put forward the Fruit and Vegetables (Classification) Bill, which states: "To make provision for fruit and vegetables to be classified by flavour, condition and size for the purposes of sale in the UK; and for connected purposes."

Mr Bone's June Bank Holiday (Creation) Bill wants to ensure a national public holiday on "June 23 or the subsequent weekday when June 23 falls at a weekend", a nod to the date that voters backed Britain leaving the EU at the 2016 referendum.

Mr Bone has also developed 25 other private member's bills, including the Government Departments (Abolition) Bill which seeks to abolish the Department for International Development and the Government Equalities Office.

They are unlikely to become law without government support.

House of Commons
Parliament

Deputy Speaker Dame Rosie Winterton rules out an emergency debate on Brexit and devolved administrations, suggesting it may come before the House soon for debate.

House of Commons
Parliament

Lib Dem deputy leader Jo Swinson asks the government to challenge President Trump to use his phone for diplomacy rather than "inflammatory tweets".

Boris Johnson says he must "disagree powerfully" that the North Korea situation has somehow been "whipped up" by US, and the responsibility lies with Pyongyang.

Image source, Reuters

The North Korean stand-off is a crisis that, at worst, threatens nuclear war, but it's complicated. Let's take a step back.

Why does North Korea want nuclear weapons?

The Korean peninsula was divided after World War Two and the communist North developed into a Stalinesque dictatorship.

Almost entirely isolated on the global stage, its leaders say nuclear capabilities are its only deterrent against an outside world seeking to destroy it.

Read more.

House of Commons
Parliament

The foreign secretary agrees with his Labour counterpart on the need for redoubled diplomatic efforts, saying the situation is too grave to be reduced to an argument about the actions of President Trump.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry asks how the UK will ensure sanctions enforced effectively and given time to work, and if the Foreign Office is planning a strategy of containment once North Korea acquires nuclear capability.

She accuses the US and North Korea of "utterly reckless rhetoric", calling for a renewed focus on diplomatic efforts.

She says President Trump's words - such as "fire and fury" - "belong in the bin".

House of Commons
Parliament

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is making a statement on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, where tensions have been escalating over the summer as North Korea carried out a series of missile tests.

The US said on Monday it would table a new UN resolution on tougher sanctions in the wake of the latest test of a nuclear bomb by the North on Sunday.

Mr Johnson says it's of "grave concern" and the North Korea has "caused this crisis" through "reckless defiance".

He notes there's been condemnation from all sides and new sanctions would show "the unity and determination" of the international community.

The Brexit Secretary says the two sides have "very different legal stances" over what the UK owes.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Karen Buck expresses concern over "a lack of clarity" regarding the fire safety tests which have been carried out.

Another Labour MP, Andrew Slaughter, claims "we've only scratched the surface" of the problems with building safety.

Sajid Javid tells MPs he is publishing a detailed note on all aspects of the tests and highlights the independent inquiry to be carried out by Dame Judith Hackett.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP for Kensington Emma Dent Coad says rehousing has "fallen disgracefully behind schedule" and raises the case of one boy who she says has lost his place at school.

Sajid Javid says "that should not be happening" and asks for details of the case.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow housing secretary John Healey claims the government is still "failing to recognise" recommendations made by coroners after fires at Lakanal House and Shirley Towers.

He adds Labour is "dismayed they've closed off wider questions on social housing policy" in the official inquiry.

Mr Javid responds that it's "absolutely right" to raise wider issues, and he will set out in due course how he plans to take that forward.

House of Commons
Parliament

Sajid Javid goes on to specify that of 173 social housing blocks with suspect cladding, only eight have been found to pass building regulations in tests, and 165 failed.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

The statement on Brexit concludes and the Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid now begins an update to MPs on the response to the Grenfell Tower fire and building safety.

Before recess the government set up an inquiry into the causes of the fire and ordered a number of tests on the cladding of high-rise flats.

On the rehousing of residents, Sajid Javid acknowledges that the numbers of people taking up temporary residence is low.

"We need to work at the pace that suits residents," he says adding that he doesn't want to rush anyone "simply so I have better numbers to report at the dispatch box."