House of Lords
Parliament

The Lords has now adjourned for the night. Peers return tomorrow from 2:30pm for questions.

House of Lords
Parliament

Business Minister Lord Prior of Brampton says Britain's strength is its universities and research institutes.

He says it's "no coincidence" that "our two oldest universities" are the two best in the world, in an era when universities "stand centre-stage".

But he says that the government appreciates the challenges Britain faces, and admits that the country is "way off the pace" in terms of metrics like research spending and can do better.

He goes on to urge peers to wait for a White Paper on the subject of science and innovation which the government is working on.

House of Lords
Parliament

Crossbench peer Lord Hennessey tells the House that the UK is currently on its 8th industrial strategy and 20th science and technology strategy since World War II.

Lib Dem Lord Fox says the UK's problem is that "high level skills" are not equally distributed across the country, and that a national skills strategy is needed to remedy this.

Labour's Lord Mendelsohn says the UK has a "real challenge on our hands".

He says that productivity in the UK economy has risen just 0.9% since a decade a go, "the worst performance for 200 years". He says solving the problem of productivity will be key to Britain's future.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow transport minister Karl Turner opens for Labour by giving a broad welcome to the bill on automated vehicles.

"Supporting this industry will be vital for the future of our economy," he says.

He adds that it will play "an important role" in tackling air pollution and meeting the UK's emission reduction targets, for which "the government does not currently have a plan".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Transport Minister John Hayes is continuing his opening speech on the bill, stressing the difference electric cars can make to air pollution.

He suggests electronic charging points should be as "instantly recognisable" as the Belisha Beacon that stands either side of a zebra crossing, floating the idea that the charging points could be named after him.

"But that is for others to decide," he says.

Westminster Hall

Winding up the Westminster Hall debate, Economic Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay says the number of respondents to the petitions shows that it's an issue that resonates with a wide number of people.

Mr Barclay says that there are "options available" to ensure that rent payments are captured in a credit history.

Part of the problem at the moment is that awareness is "pretty low" at the moment, he tells MPs.

Mr Barclay also tells Labour's Jim Fitzpatrick, who raised the issue of ground rent reform, that he'll "alert his concerns" to the housing minister.

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House of Lords
Parliament

Peers are now taking part in the final piece of business of a short day, a debate on the government's science and innovation strategy.

Introducing the debate, crossbench peer Lord Patel says that the UK is already a world leader in science and innovation. He cites recent world university rankings, which put Oxford first and Cambridge second, and included 12 UK institutions in the top 100 in total.

BBC News UK

New diesel and petrol cars and vans will be banned in the UK from 2040 in a bid to tackle air pollution, the government has announced.

Ministers have also unveiled a £255m fund to help councils tackle emissions, including the potential for charging zones for the dirtiest vehicles.

But the £3bn clean air strategy, external does not include a scrappage scheme, calling previous ones "poor value" for money.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs move on to their debate on the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill, with the Transport Minister John Hayes lamenting the fact that the crowds who had turned up for the emergency debate application were not for him.

The bill forms part of a government push to increase the number of electric vehicles on UK roads.

It includes an extension of car insurance to cover the use of automated vehicles.

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House of Lords
Parliament

Peers are responding to the Prime Minister's statement on the European Council meeting.

Conservative Lord Cormack condemns the "carping" about the Chancellor Philip Hammond. He says Mr Hammond is "doing his very best to bring reality" to the situation and needs the "united support of the Cabinet".

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, Leader of the House of Lords and a member of the Cabinet says "we all want [a good deal], we're all behind the Prime Minister".

There's also some talk of the Irish border and potential problems with trade across the border post-Brexit. Baroness Evans emphasises that the government doesn't want a physical border and customs checks. She says there's "plenty of technology and other things that mean, with the EU, we'll come up with a solution for the island of Ireland, and for Northern Ireland as a part of the UK".

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative Amanda Milling attempts to raise a point of order relating to "misogyny and degrading language towards women", alluding to comments made by Labour's Clive Lewis, which became public on Friday.

The Speaker says that he'll hear her out, but warns her not to "abuse the point of order procedure".

She asks advice on how she should bring it to the attention of the House; Mr Bercow suggests she can use her "adroit parliamentary skills" to highlight the issue.

There were reports that a Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani was going to seek an emergency debate on Mr Lewis's comments. A move dismissed by the Speaker as "wholly absurd".

House of Commons
Parliament

The Speaker grants Labour an emergency debate on universal credit, which will be held tomorrow as the first item of public business, and will last for three hours.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow work and pensions secretary Debbie Abrahams is making an application for an emergency debate on the government's response to the recent opposition day vote on universal credit.

The opposition motion calling for the new benefits system to be halted and overhauled was carried by 299 to 0 in a complex bit of parliamentary manoeuvring which saw Conservative MPs abstain.

The Speaker and several Conservative MPs - as well as Labour - have expressed concern about the tactic, but Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom insisted it should not be seen as a precedent and the government is in listening.

Labour's Rupa Huq notes that Theresa May seems to be in "fine fettle" in contrast to reports in the German media "suggesting the opposite".

She wonders if she's concerned, though, at hints from the chief executive of Goldman Sachs Lloyd Blankfein that he's going to be spending more time in Frankfurt.

Dr Huq asks what the Prime Minister is doing to ensure Brexit doesn't lead to a "brain drain" and "corporate exodus".

Theresa May replies that the City of London will retain its place as a "leading financial centre", The "very reason" why the City of London is so important internationally, she says, is the "very reason" why the EU will benefit from the City retaining its place.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Kevin Brennan notes that the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson referenced the Bard in a speech he gave this morning.

Mr Brennan says Brutus, from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, "went on to stab his leader subsequently and came to a sticky end himself"

"Isn't that a perfect metaphor for her predicament?" he asks.

Mrs May replies by saying that she always welcomes the literary and classical references in the Foreign Secretary's speeches, and the two of them are working to get the right Brexit deal for the UK.

His remarks certainly get a reaction from Theresa May and Boris Johnson...

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House of Commons
Parliament

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Lib Dem Tom Brake asks when the Prime Minister is going to "face down" those in her party who clamour for a 'no deal' scenario "from the safety of their stately homes and chateaux".

He calls on her to stand up for Remainers and Leavers to avert the "catastrophic" consequences of not reaching a deal.

She replies that she's "standing up for the British people who voted to leave, unlike the Lib Dems".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative Suella Fernandes says "there are real grounds for optimism" when it comes to "a mutually beneficial trade agreement".

The Prime Minister replies that it's "precisely because it matters to others in the EU, not just us" that there's scope for optimism about striking a trade deal.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative Nicky Morgan, who chairs the Treasury Committee, stresses that "no partnership is possible without dialogue" and asks Theresa May to resist those voices calling for talks to stop and the UK to go on to WTO rules.

Mrs May assures her negotiations are continuing and she is working towards a "deep and special relationship" with the EU after Brexit.

Westminster Hall

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Labour's Jim Fitzpatrick raises the issue of the doubling of ground rents for leaseholders, and the issue it creates when trying to sell the property.

"Ground rents used to be of a peppercorn nature", he tells MPs.

Mr Fitzpatrick notes that they've been increasing over a number of years, saying that leasehold reform is "very much a part" of mortgage eligibility.

Westminster Hall

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The debate in Westminster Hall is now underway, with Conservative Paul Scully opening.

"There's still far too many hard-working young people from all walks of life struggling to get on the housing ladder," he says.

Mr Scully suggests that including rent payments as part of mortgage assessments is not "without issues" but is "well worth looking at".

"Let's do what we can as another piece of the jigsaw to support a new generation of home owners," he concludes.