Summary

  • Commons started with questions to the culture secretary followed by the attorney general

  • Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom set out future business

  • Two statements on a parliamentary complaints policy and supported housing

  • Debate on Russian interference in UK politics

  • Peers take part in debates on climate change and ivory trade

  1. So what did the investigation into Damian Green's conduct focus on?published at 20:58 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Damian GreenImage source, hoc

    The Cabinet Office investigation focused on two main issues:first, allegations by Kate Maltby, who said in an article published in The Times on 1 November that Damian Green had made an unwanted advance towards her during a social meeting in 2015, had suggested that this might further her career, and later had sent her an inappropriate text message.

    Thesecondrelates to public statements made by Mr Green following a report in The Sunday Times on 5 November that during a 2008 police investigation into leaks of official information, which resulted in Mr Green's arrest, pornographic material was found on Mr Green's parliamentary computer.

    Mr Green publicly refuted in strong terms both Ms Maltby's claims and the Sunday Times report. The investigation also sought to establish whether, during Mr Green's time as a minister, there had been any suggestion of inappropriate behaviour on Mr Green's part.

    The investigation concluded:

    • that Mr Green's conduct as a minister has generally been both professional and proper
    • that with competing and contradictory accounts of what were private meetings, it is not possible to reach a definitive conclusion on the appropriateness of Mr Green's behaviour with Kate Maltby in early 2015, though the investigation found Ms Maltby's account to be plausible
    • that Mr Green's statements of 4 and 11 November, which suggested that he was not aware that indecent material was found on parliamentary computers in his office, were inaccurate and misleading, as the Metropolitan Police Service had previously informed him of the existence of this material. These statements therefore fall short of the honesty requirement of the Seven Principles of Public Life and constitute breaches of the Ministerial Code. Mr Green accepts this.
  2. Report findings on Damian Greenpublished at 20:56 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    An official report in the conduct of Damian Green found that statements he had made about being unaware pornographic material had been found on his computer were "inaccurate and misleading" and as such, fell short of the ministerial code.

    The report also found that although there were "competing and contradictory accounts of what were private meetings" between himself and Kate Maltby, "the investigation found Ms Maltby's account to be plausible".

  3. PM loses a trusted friendpublished at 20:50 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  4. Cabinet ministers departingpublished at 20:47 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  5. Damian Green resigns from governmentpublished at 20:43 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017
    Breaking

    First Secretary of State Damian Green has resigned from the government.

    He resigned following a Cabinet Office investigation, amid allegations that pornographic material was found on a Commons computer in 2008.

  6. 'Don't believe the hype'published at 20:34 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative Sir Edward Leigh says there's a lot of "hype" around this bill, which simply ensures "Brexit means Brexit".

    He argues amendment 7 is somewhat irrelevant as it won't delay the process of leaving the EU.

    During the transition period, he warns, "we will be law-takers not law-givers and that's why it has to be a short period".

  7. Anna Soubry extracts assurance on meaningful votepublished at 20:09 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    SoubryImage source, HoC

    Conservative Anna Soubry argues that if there'd been this level of debate during the referendum, it might have turned out differently.

    She revisits last week's defeat for the government on a statutory vote on the final Brexit agreement, which she says led to "national newspapers hurling abuse".

    She raises fears that Theresa May "appears to be rowing back on honouring amendment 7" in which case "the rebellion will be even greater".

    Brexit Minister Steven Baker responds that the government has accepted amendment 7 and there will be meaningful votes on withdrawal treaty, on terms of a future agreement and on the withdrawal agreement bill.

    Ms Soubry welcomes that assurance.

  8. Lib Dems call for referendum on Brexit dealpublished at 19:56 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    BrakeImage source, HoC

    Lib Dem Tom Brake introduces his party's amendment which would institute a referendum on the Brexit deal.

    He argues "the will of the people as expressed last June is not necessarily the will of the people today".

    "People should be given the final say" on the agreement reached, he says.

  9. Peers debate driverless carspublished at 19:41 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Autonomous vehicles report

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Driverless car being testedImage source, AFP/Getty Images

    The final business of the Lords today is a debate on a report entitled: 'Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: The future?, external' from the Science and Technology Committee.

    In the Autumn Budget, the UK government announced funding for Research and Development in science and technology. The Chancellor said the objective was to get "fully driverless cars" by 2021.

    The BBC's technology correspondent has written his analysis on this ambition.

  10. Prominent Leaver supporting amendment on datepublished at 19:40 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Iain Duncan SmithImage source, hoc

    Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith says he's supporting the amendments put together by Sir Oliver Letwin, which amends the government's stance on the date of exiting the EU.

    This way of doing it is neater and more flexible, rather than by primary legislation, he says, but stands firm by the principle of having a date on the bill.

    And he says he looks forward to Parliament having power once again.

    "I think some of the poor behaviour governments over the years...a lot of that will start to fall away and parliament will be able to assert itself again," he says.

    He and Ken Clarke disagree, after an intervention, about whether the Leave side told voters that the UK would be leaving the single market and the customs union after the referendum vote to leave the EU.

    Iain Duncan Smith says he made it clear to voters that leaving the EU meant leaving the European Court of Justice and the single market.

  11. Call to remain in single market and customs unionpublished at 19:25 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour MP Ian Murray says the best outcome is to stay in the single market and customs union.

    "The government can pull back now, sort out this bill, agree to some of these amendments in principle," he says.

  12. Ken Clarke seeks commitment to Florence speechpublished at 19:03 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    ClarkeImage source, HoC

    Conservative Ken Clarke introduces his new clause which seeks to transfer the positions outlined by Theresa May in her Florence speech into the bill.

    He says he never met anyone during the referendum who argued the UK should leave the single market and customs union.

    It's a "fantasy", he goes on, to think you can "reach an agreement which puts up new barriers to trade... without damaging yourself".

    He finishes his speech with a comment about Brexit:

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  13. Kate Hoey laughed at by Labour colleaguespublished at 18:56 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

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  14. Government 'not expecting' to return to amendment 7published at 18:16 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  15. EU says Brexit transition to end by 2021published at 18:13 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    The EU sets out its stall for the next phase of Brexit talks - with a New Year's Eve end date.

    Read More
  16. Clash over PM's comments on meaningful votepublished at 18:13 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative Anna Soubry asks for reassurance that MPs will be given a meaningful vote on the final Brexit agreement following last week's government defeat on this question.

    Brexit Minister Steven Baker says the question of the meaningful vote is for report stage, not today.

    Then Labour's Ian Murray rises to accuse the PM of "refusing to fully commit to abiding by amendment 7" at her Liaison Committee appearance this afternoon.

    Mr Baker says MPs need to recognise "we're trying to make the bill work" and refuses further questions on this point.

  17. Minister: We've listened to concerns on exit datepublished at 17:48 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    BakerImage source, HoC

    Brexit Minister Steven Baker first speaks in general terms about the bill, saying that the Commons is sometimes accused of handing legislation to the Lords is a mess but that the scrutiny of this bill has been of a high standard.

    He then addresses the amendment adopted by the government concerning exit day.

    He tells MPs that the prime minister has "made it clear the UK will cease to be a member of the EU on 29 March 2019" but the government "recognised the uncertainty many felt".

    "We've listened to concerns" and accepted "the technical ability to amend this date", he says.

    He rejects Chris Leslie's amendment on allowing the UK to stay in the customs union, as "it would not be right for us to commit to this now pending the outcome of negotiations".

  18. Brexit date amendmentpublished at 17:39 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  19. Peers debate post-legislative scrutiny of the 2003 Licensing Actpublished at 17:25 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Licensing Act 2003 report

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Off-licence shopImage source, Getty Images

    Peers turn to debating a report from the committee on the Licensing Act 2003, entitled: 'Licensing Act 2003: post-legislative scrutiny, external'.

    Post-legislative scrutiny from committees is standard practice for many significant laws in the UK. Between 2004 and the beginning of 2013, 58 memorandums on post-legislative assessments had been published.

    You can read more about post-legislative scrutiny on the House of Commons library, external.

  20. Liaison Committee concludespublished at 17:22 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Liaison Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    committeeImage source, HoC

    Sarah Wollaston brings the committee to an end by raising a concern that national security adviser Mark Sedwill has refused to appear before the Defence Committee.

    Theresa May says that ministers, rather than civil servants, are accountable to Parliament. She says the defence secretary will appear before the committee.

    We are unhappy about that, says Sarah Wollaston.

    And there the committee ends.