Summary

  • Brexit ministers face questions from MPs

  • It comes after government loses key Brexit vote last night

  • MPs hear statement on forthcoming business

  • Backbench business debates on hormone pregnancy tests and WASPI pensions

  • Peers question government ministers on probation service

  • Debates later on vulnerable children; and poverty

  1. Earlier in the Commons...published at 21:29 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    Labour MP tweets

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  2. MPs reject bid for post-Brexit environmental guaranteepublished at 21:28 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs vote 315 to 293 to reject Labour's new clause 63, which would require the government to establish domestic arrangements for environmental standards and protections after Brexit.

    That means it doesn't become part of the bill and MPs vote on amendment 49, in the name of Labour's Yvette Cooper, which would place a general provision on the face of the bill to say that delegated powers should be used only so far as necessary.

  3. MPs vote on environmental standardspublished at 21:22 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Chris Leslie says "it is fundamental that we recognise the land grab attempted by ministers to take sweeping powers" but withdraws his amendment requiring independent reporting on the implications of delegated powers in the bill.

    MPs then divide to vote on Labour's new clause 63, which would require the government to establish domestic arrangements for environmental standards and protections after Brexit.

  4. Caroline Lucas voices doubts on Michael Gove's planpublished at 21:04 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Green co-leader Caroline Lucas introduces a new clause aimed at preserving EU environmental protections, saying it's "very difficult" to see how the Conservatives can improve environmental standards without this.

    She says the government's promise of a new environmental protection body indicates the risk of a "governance gap" and we don't know if it's a "concrete plan" or something Michael Gove "ruminates on while in the bath".

    She signals her intention to force a vote on this new clause.

  5. Lib Dem lauds EU environmental measurespublished at 20:51 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Lib Dem Wera Hobhouse draws attention to EU directives on issues such as landfill and beach pollution, pointing out the environment is "owned by everybody - it's not a person or legal entity which can complain".

    She says "we should not be bamboozled by fine words" when ministers assure MPs they won't do anything to adversely affect the environment.

    She points out the new draft bill on animal welfare was "produced in a panic" and the government has been reduced to "firefighting".

  6. Plaid MP outlines concernpublished at 20:44 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

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  7. Delegated powers are 'a temptation' for ministerspublished at 20:39 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Stella Creasy criticises the delegated powers in the bill, observing it would be a very restrained minister who was not tempted to use them for "major policy changes".

    She says the evidence suggests "when ministers can use powers in this way they do", and raises particular concerns that regulations could be used to curtail freedom of movement and refugees' rights.

  8. Checks sought on abolition of EU bodiespublished at 20:26 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Plaid Cymru's Hywel Williams introduces an amendment which would require the government to carry out impact assessments before modifying or abandoning EU entities.

    "This place should know exactly how doing so would affect their constituents," he urges.

    He highlights the need to continue to take part in European research projects such as Horizon 2020, giving the example of Norway which participates as part of the EEA.

  9. Article 50 regrets?published at 20:18 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

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  10. MPs voice fears for the funding of women's refugespublished at 19:51 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    Women's lives could be at risk if the Government goes ahead with plans to change the way refuges for victims of domestic violence are paid for. That was one of the concerns, voiced by Labour's Jess Phillips, when MPs debated the funding plans. Keith Macdougall reports. You can hear more from Today in Parliament on BBC Radio 4 weeknights at 23.30 - or find previous episodes of the programme via the BBC iPlayer.

  11. MP links trade deal to welfare standardspublished at 19:50 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Angela Smith, who sits on the Environment Committee, tells the House: "You can't want environmental standards and be a hard Brexiteer."

    She says the evidence from the farming industry suggests that falling back on WTO rules would mean welfare standards are lowered in order to remain competitive.

    Conservative former MEP Vicky Ford points out that the UK played a pivotal role in pushing for several key EU directives on environmental protection.

    Ms Smith replies that those directives only make sense in the context of the single market.

  12. 'Certainty' on human rights after Brexitpublished at 19:25 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    Human Rights and Brexit short debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord Keen of ElieImage source, HoL

    Justice spokesperon Lord Keen of Elie says that the government has human rights as a central principle.

    He says the UK's human rights framework is multi-layered and has "developed over many, many years".

    He says the EU Withdrawal Bill seeks to allow the UK leave the EU with "certainty" and "control".

    The UK will continue to be champions of democracy and the rule of law, he says.

    He says that the UK has committed to remain in the European Convention on Human Rights, and adds that the UK is now a world leader in LGBT rights.

  13. Conservative MP expresses concern on scope of delegated powerspublished at 19:07 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative John Penrose, who has tabled amendments aiming to place extra checks on delegated powers, says his concerns have been "largely put to bed by the excellent and cross-party work" on the sifting committee.

    But on the scope of ministers' powers, he says there is "further to travel", and the words currently in the bill "are not passing the sniff test for many of us in this room".

  14. 'Creeping xenophobia' in the UKpublished at 19:06 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    Human Rights and Brexit short debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Baroness ChakrabartiImage source, HoL

    Shadow attorney general, Baroness Chakrabarti says that Jeremy Corbyn's speech in Geneva last week "typifies" the Labour position on human rights, co-operation and internationalism after Brexit.

    She says the prevailing view on internationalism speaks to a "creeping xenophobia" in UK society.

    Mrs May and her government have "repeatedly" shown a lack of respect for European human rights law, she claims.

  15. Brexit talks 'a furious race against time'published at 19:05 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    The European Council's president urges EU countries to show "unity" in the next phase of talks.

    Read More
  16. Concerns over human rightspublished at 19:00 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    Human Rights and Brexit short debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Baroness WarsiImage source, HoL

    Conservative Baroness Warsi uses her speech to raise concerns on the government's commitment to human rights.

    She says she welcomes the government's commitment to not repeal or alter the Human Rights Act.

    "I have concerns premised on a number of factors," she says, "political rhetoric feeding the tabloids and the tabloids emboldening the government on a general attitude of dismissing our strong commitment to human rights, a disdain for the judiciary, an attack on the rule of law," she continues.

    She expresses concern about Foreign Office chief Sir Simon McDonald's appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee when she says he admitted "human rights are not a top priority for the government".

    She says that the UK too frequently abstains on votes at the UN Human Rights Council, specifying the global average of acceptance of recommendations is 73% and the UK's is 42%.

  17. Labour MP welcomes sifting committeepublished at 18:48 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Helen GoodmanImage source, HoC

    Labour's Helen Goodman welcomes the proposals set out for a sifting committee, pointing out it's the first concession the government has made in the course of the bill's passage.

    She says the government's behaviour when it comes to respecting the House is "not reassuring", pointing to its decision to abstain on opposition day debates.

    She says while the committee is not perfect, House business is not whipped business and it's up to MPs how strong the new committee is.

  18. Equalities minister under fire on disability rightspublished at 18:45 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    Human Rights and Brexit short debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord ShinkwinImage source, HoL

    Conservative Lord Shinkwin uses his speech to tell the Lords that he will be declining the offer from the equalities minister, Justine Greening, to chair the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

    He says that when he accepted the offer, he did so "in good faith," however, he says that the appointment was made after "she has already colluded with the Commission to help get rid of the role".

    He says she had already decided to appoint him, Lord Shinkwin, as a General Commissioner instead.

    He says this was not made clear to him.

    "Had the minister bothered to ask me, I would have told her straight that disabled people desperately need a dedicated disability commissioner to champion our equality, that need cannot simply be abolished," he says.

    He adds he has asked the prime minister to dissociate herself with this "downgrading" of disability.

  19. Government must not 'emasculate' rightspublished at 18:30 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    Human Rights and Brexit short debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord Alton of LiverpoolImage source, HoL

    Liberal Democrat Lord Alton of Liverpool tells peers that the government must make it clear that it has no plans to "emasculate" rights whether "in or out" of the EU.

    He adds that the UK should continue to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed in 1948 in the aftermath of World War Two.

  20. Sifting committee chair likely to be appointedpublished at 18:24 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Shadow Brexit minister Matthew Pennycook asks how the composition and chair of the new sifting committee will be chosen.

    Brexit Minister Steven Baker says he doesn't want to get into it - but Procedure Committee chair Charles Walker intervenes to say it would probably follow the model of the European Scrutiny Committee, where the chair is appointed.