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. Paul Flynn v Michael Gove on £350mpublished at 14:50 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    A Labour MP challenges Michael Gove over the Vote Leave campaign's use of the £350m figure.

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  2. Government 'is playing catch up'published at 14:50 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Acid attacks debate

    Westminster Hall

    Lyn BrownImage source, HoC

    Lyn Brown says that a consultation has just been completed on the sentencing for acid attacks, which she encourages, saying it's something she has been calling for. She asks when new offences will be brought onto the statute book.

    She says the CPS announced in July that it would seek tougher sentencing than is currently allowed under Sentencing Council guidelines. She says campaigners have said for "many years" that sentences are too low.

    The government "is playing catch up," she adds.

    Ms Brown says that changes in the law in 2012, for deregulation, against advice from advisers and scientists has meant that acid is now easier to purchase without identification, she adds.

    She says the guidance from the Home Office does not feature any advice for online retailers who might sell corrosive substances.

  3. Rees-Mogg hails 'golden opportunity' to improve legislationpublished at 14:45 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Jacob Rees MoggImage source, HoC

    Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg says Chris Leslie's New Clause 21 addresses what EU sceptics have been saying - that EU law is written in gobbledegook and EU law should be made intelligible as it is brought into UK law.

    He says there is a "golden opportunity" to improve the quality of legislation passed and people's understanding of it.

    He goes on to address Amendment 348 which requires the government to publish economic impact statements. He says he felt initially that the government was not fulfilling the terms of the Humble Address, which required that impact assessments should be published.

    But as the information was produced to the Brexit Committee he says the government fulfilled the terms of the Humble Address - and it is a lesson to ensure that in future such motions are "pedantically" phrased to ensure the aim is achieved.

    The government always referred to sectoral analyses, even when the questioner referred to impact assessments, he points out.

    He moves on to the speech from Dominic Grieve. He says he agrees with him in that Henry VIII powers should be treated with suspicion. Those on the government backbenches must remember "we won't be in government forever", and the job of a backbencher is to hold the government to account.

    But he believes it is inconsistent to say that Henry VIII powers subject to normal parliamentary procedures used today are worrying but maintain that the way they were used under the 1972 European Communities Act was acceptable.

    Dominic Grieve intervenes to say are these powers required to meet a domestic necessity but they seem too excessive.

    Jacob Rees-Mogg says a political decision was made to get previous treaties through the House, and it was a power grab - and worse, to his mind, because of the way EU laws were introduced.

    He extols the power of MPs to introduce legislation and says that is a central right of an MP, which was diluted by the way regulations were introduced via the EU.

  4. Westminster Hall debates acid attackspublished at 14:37 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Acid attacks debate

    Westminster Hall

    Acid attack victim Jabed HussainImage source, AFP/Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Acid attack victim Jabed Hussain

    Westminter Hall gets under way now with a debate on acid attacks. Labour's Lyn Brown has tabled this debate.

    Ms Brown represents West Ham, in east London, which has recently seen a spate of acid attacks.

    Attacks happened in September, October and November.

    Yesterday, Arthur Collins was jailed for an acid attack at a nightclub in east London.

    Ms Brown says that "sadly," Newham has been labelled as the "acid attack capital". She says it is something which neither she or Stephen Timms (Labour, East Ham) likes.

    In Newham in the last year, there have been 82 acid attacks, in the whole of London there were 449, she adds.

    There has been an increase of acid attacks by 550% since 2012, she says.

    Ms Brown says that the data on acid attacks is incomplete.

  5. Labour asks for assessment of withdrawal optionspublished at 14:21 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Prime minister's questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    BlomfieldImage source, HoC

    Shadow Brexit minister Paul Blomfield opens for Labour on the bill, saying there is "an overwhelming majority who want to respect the result of referendum" but there's also a majority which "rejects the deep rupture advocated by some extreme Brexiteers" with other EU countries.

    We should therefore proceed in a way which brings people together rather than driving them further apart, he tells the House.

    He's speaking to a Labour amendment which would require the government to publish economic impact assessments of the policy options for withdrawal from the EU.

  6. Concern over MP's officepublished at 13:35 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  7. 'Why now?'published at 13:32 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MackinlayImage source, HoC

    On the point of making retained EU law easier to understand, Conservative Craig Mackinlay rises to object that EU law we've already adopted is very complicated, asking: "Why has he [Chris Leslie] not been vexed and exercised these last 40 years?"

    Mr Leslie replies that "we're importing a great body of EU law" and "point one is - can we understand what it is?"

  8. PMQs: what was raised?published at 13:29 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  9. Lots of amendments to come...published at 13:20 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  10. Publish 'plain English' summaries of retained EU law - MPpublished at 13:20 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Chris LeslieImage source, HoC

    MPs now move on to the eighth and final day of committee stage debate on the EU Withdrawal Bill, external, which repeals the European Communities Act and writes EU law into UK law ahead of Brexit.

    Committee stage is a chance for MPs to examine the legislation in detail, line by line.

    First up, Labour's Chris Leslie introduces a new clause which would require ministers to publish copies of retained direct EU legislation accompanied by "plain English" and readily understandable explanatory documents.

  11. PMQs verdictpublished at 13:06 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  12. MP seeks protection for torture victimspublished at 13:03 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Ten Minute Rule Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Joan Ryan is introducing her ten minute rule bill which would establish extra safeguards for victims of torture and other vulnerable people when they are in immigration detention.

  13. Thefts from MP's officespublished at 13:03 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  14. Call for better access to radiotherapypublished at 13:03 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Prime minister's questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    FarronImage source, HoC

    Lib Dem Tim Farron asks about the allocation of radiotherapy services, saying one of the criteria should be shortening travel time so people in rural areas "can access it safely and quickly".

    The prime minister highlights the consultation currently under way and says it's something NHS England is "looking at very closely".

  15. Are homes being built 'at the scale necessary' asks Conservative MPpublished at 12:57 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    PMQs

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative Andrew Selous asks what the prime minister is doing to ensure homes are built "at the scale and speed necessary".

    Theresa May replies that last year saw a level of house building "that hasn't been seen in the last 30 years".

    She adds that the government is supporting councils to ensure land is released and that builders "build out their planning applications".

  16. Loneliness at Christmas highlightedpublished at 12:56 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Prime Minister's Questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    reportImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Kim Leadbeatter, the sister of the late Jo Cox, and MPs Rachel Reeves and Seema Kennedy launch the report of the Jo Cox Commission

    Labour MP Rachel Reeves says that Jo Cox's sister Kim Leadbeatter, Seema Kennedy and herself have published the Jo Cox manifesto.

    She asks people to look out for neighbours, families and friends over Christmas, and to ask her to respond in the new year to the group's recommendations.

    Theresa May says the government realises that loneliness is an issue, and that Ms Reeves and Ms Kennedy have worked hard to promote the issue.

    The government will think about what it can do; and she says communities can work to combat loneliness.

    She says that in her own constituency, churches bring together older people for a lunch.

  17. Watch: Will the PM give her Christmas goose a name?published at 12:55 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  18. Watch: Wedding congratulations for MPspublished at 12:55 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

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  19. PM asked about 'national disgrace' of HMP Liverpoolpublished at 12:53 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    Prime minister's questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Rosie Cooper says all involved should be "thoroughly ashamed of their part in the national disgrace which is HMP Liverpool".

    She asks that those responsible for the "deplorable conditions" be held to account and not simply allowed to move to other jobs.

    Theresa May says a number of actions have already been taken including a change in management and that more widely the government is investing in prisons' frontline staff.

  20. PM asked about Brexit date changepublished at 12:50 Greenwich Mean Time 20 December 2017

    PMQs

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative Julian Lewis seeks an assurance that the government will only change the date of Brexit day "under exceptional circumstances".

    The government has accepted an amendment giving more flexibility on the date when the UK will leave the EU.

    Theresa May does give this assurance and adds that the date would only be changed "for the shortest possible time".

    Conservative John Baron wants the prime minister to be more specific. "Would it be weeks or months?" he asks.

    She repeats her assertion that "we are talking about the shortest possible time".

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