Select Committee
Parliament

Continuing his questioning Angus MacNeil asks how the prime minister feels about the UK "heading for a situation where it has increased trade barriers with 94 countries".

Theresa May challenges the premise of his question as it is based on the expectation that the UK will not reach a free trade deal with the EU.

"We don't want to see new trade barriers, we want to see improved trade relations," she adds.

Select Committee
Parliament

When you triggered Article 50 did you know you would later "beg the EU for two more years" asks International Trade Committee Chair Angus MacNeil.

"I haven't begged the EU for two more years," replies Mrs May.

Mr MacNeil asks if it was "wise" to hold an election once Article 50 was triggered.

Theresa May says there was no link between calling an election and subsequently proposing a two year transition period.

House of Lords
Parliament

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With the end of questions, peers turn to the main business for today, the debating of committee reports. The first is from the European Union Committee and is entitled 'Brexit: justice for families, individuals and businesses?, external'.

The report focuses on the effects of Brexit on divorce, a medical negligence claim and even car accidents abroad, among other subjects.

You can read more of the EU Committee's reports from the House of Lords by visiting their webpage, external.

Westminster Hall

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Providing the government response, Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins says that the government's action plan puts victims "at the heart" of the response to acid attacks.

She says new emergency services responses to acid attacks is going to be trialled in London and will be rolled-out nationally.

She says the police and association of plastic surgeons have worked on a public awareness campaign entitled "Report, Remove, Rinse".

It requires people to report an attack as soon as possible, remove all garments of clothing which may have absorbed acid and rinse as much as possible until emergency services arrive.

NHS England is working with victims to make sure that help is offered in the longer-term.

Turning to sentencing, she says there is work being carried out to make sure that courts are fully aware of the implications of an acid attack.

House of Lords
Parliament

The final question today goes to Labour's Lord West of Spithead, who asks about the UK's anti-submarine capability for protecting crucial undersea cables.

Defence Minister Earl Howe says he can't go into details of the UK's anti-submarine cables, but says the government takes infrastructure security extremely seriously.

Lord West replies that "that for the first time in centuries, we have not got a single frigate or destroyer deployed overseas".

Earl Howe says "we should not underplay" the "cutting edge capability of the Type 23 frigates", of which the government has thirteeen.

He says the UK uses a wide variety of means to defend itself, not just the Royal Navy.

Select Committee
Parliament

It is now the turn of Rachel Reeves - chair of the Business Committee.

She asks what "precisely" regulatory alignment means. Could it mean having different rules and regulations to the continent? she adds.

Alignment means we have the same objectives but may chose to achieve those by different means, replies Theresa May.

Rachel Reeves argues that business are worried that diverging from specific rules will make it harder to trade.

Theresa May says businesses want to continue to trade on as "frictionless basis as possible".

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs address the Labour amendment requiring impact assessments of the policy options for withdrawal, with Labour's Madeleine Moon revisiting the saga of Brexit sectoral analyses.

She says they revealed nothing that couldn't be found on Wikipedia.

Conservative Richard Graham argues against the idea, saying these assessments "invariably prove inaccurate" and to give our negotiating partners sight of them would be a "huge own goal".

Select Committee
Parliament

Treasury Committee chair Nicky Morgan notes that EU negotiator Michel Barnier has said financial services will not be included in any free trade deal.

"How will you persuade him this is not a wise course of action?" she asks

Theresa May says the City of London is of "significant importance to the rest of the EU". She quotes Bank of England Governor Mark Carney by describing the City of London has "the Bank for Europe".

Select Committee
Parliament

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Hilary Benn now asks if the prime minister was aware that no impact assessments were being carried out into the effect of leaving the EU on the UK economy.

Earlier this month Brexit Secretary David Davis said the government had produced a "sectoral analysis" of different industries but not a "forecast" of what would happen after Brexit.

In response, Theresa May says government departments are in touch with different sectors and are taking their views.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Liberal Democrat Lord Thomas of Gresford wants to know if the government will publish advice from the Attorney General on whether Article 50 can be reversed.

Exiting the EU Minister Lord Callanan says there is a constitutional convention in the ministerial code which means the government does not comment on advice received from law officers.

He says notification to leave the EU will not be withdrawn.

Lord Thomas says that Lords have been advised many times by Lord Kerr that the notification is revocable. Michael Barnier has also said the same, as long as the EU27 agree, he adds.

Lord Callanan reiterates that advice received from law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Brexit committee chair Hilary Benn opens the questioning by asking if the proposal of full alignment between the UK and the EU will apply to the agricultural sector.

That will be a matter for negotiation, replies Theresa May. She says she is "clear that there will be no hard border".

"So you can't confirm what full alignment would cover," Hilary Benn suggests.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Crossbencher Baroness Cox asks for an assessment of the current situation in Syria.

Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon says the government welcomes the progress in the fight against so-called Islamic State, or Da'esh, in the liberation of Raqqa. He says the government supports the Geneva process, and all parties must work together to work on a political solution.

Baroness Cox asks when the UK will "stop funding Islamists," referencing a recent Panorama investigation.

Lord Ahmad says the UK will aid the reconstruction of Syria once the peace process is resolved. Lord Ahmad says the component part of the funding that was featured in the Panorama programme has been suspended and is "pending full investigation".

He says £45m of the funding goes to help other organisations such as the White Helmets.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Solicitor General Robert Buckland addresses the points which have been raised about powers under the bill to direct judges to take note of a relevant matter.

He defends it as "a mechanism to an end rather than a means of interpretation in itself".

"A checklist of dos and don'ts for judges is not the appropriate way forward," he adds.

On a separate question about powers to not print certain parts of retained EU law, he says it's right that this determination should be left to ministers rather than the printers.

House of Lords
Parliament

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First question today comes from Crossbencher Lord Oxburgh. He wants to know when the government will respond to the September 2016 report from the Parliamentary Advisory Group on Carbon Capture and Storage.

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Minister Lord Henley says the government is grateful for the report. He says the response was published in the Green Growth strategy, but the government did not write to him to let him know of this.

Lord Oxburgh says "it was a little surprising" to have not received a reply from the old Department for Energy and Climate Change. He asks the minister if he can write to him with an answer to each of the six recommendations in the report, which are not addressed in the Clean Energy Strategy.

Lord Henley says he will write a full response to all six points, and the reply will be available in the library. He gives an assurance that the government will continue to work on zero growth and low growth options.

He says in the government's industrial strategy, clean growth "is very much a priority for the department".

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The DUP's Jim Shannon says he does not understand the hatred someone must have gone through in order to cause such permanent damage to another person.

He says he "can't fathom it," but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

He says government should be responsive to the points being raised today, as the attacks are happening worldwide and the UK needs to address them in "our own way".

Select Committee
Parliament

The members of the committee are (take a deep breath):

• Dr Sarah Wollaston (Chair), Conservative
• Sir Kevin Barron, Labour
• Hilary Benn, Labour
• Sir Paul Beresford, Conservative
• Mr Clive Betts, Labour
• Chris Bryant, Labour
• Sir William Cash, Conservative
• Damian Collins, Conservative
• Yvette Cooper, Labour
• Mary Creagh, Labour
• David T. C. Davies, Conservative
• Frank Field, Labour
• Lilian Greenwood, Labour
• Robert Halfon, Conservative
• Ms Harriet Harman, Labour
• Meg Hillier, Labour Co-op)
• Mr Bernard Jenkin, Conservative
• Helen Jones, Labour
• Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat
• Dr Julian Lewis, Conservative
• Angus Brendan MacNeil, Scottish National Party
• Stephen McPartland, Conservative
• Ian Mearns, Labour
• Mrs Maria Miller, Conservative
• Nicky Morgan, Conservative
• Dr Andrew Murrison, Conservative
• Robert Neill, Conservative
• Neil Parish, Conservative
• Rachel Reeves, Labour
• Tom Tugendhat, Conservative
• Derek Twigg, Labour
• Stephen Twigg, Labour (Co-op)
• Mr Charles Walker, Conservative
• Bill Wiggin, Conservative
• Pete Wishart, Scottish National Party

Select Committee
Parliament

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At 3:15pm Theresa May will appear before the Liaison Committee.

The Liaison Committee is a kind of super committee made up of MPs who chair other Commons select committees.

Chair Sarah Wollaston has said the committee will open with questions on Brexit negotiations and transnational arrangements.

Other topics expected to be raised include health and social care funding and sexual harassment.

House of Commons
Parliament

The SNP's Joanna Cherry adds her party's backing to Chris Leslie's new clause, saying any amendments "adding transparency and clarity" are welcome.

She says she will also support Labour's amendment calling for impact assessments of different options for EU withdrawal.

She echoes concerns expressed earlier about how the courts are supposed to interpret the law after Brexit.