MPs debate private members' bills
House of Lords sits from 10am
And that's where we'll leave coverage of today's events in the House of Commons. Thank you for joining us.
We'll be covering events in Westminster again next week - find out what's on here on BBC parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy's blog.
Employment and Workers Rights Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
Labour's Stephanie Peacock begins what will be a brief debate on her bill.
At 2.30pm, proceedings will be suspended resumed on another sitting Friday, although in practice, this means the bill is unlikely to progress further.
Ms Peacock's bill contains provisions about removing equal pay exemption, the right to apply for an employment contract and complaints to employment tribunals.
Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
"I want to reiterate my thanks and congratulations," says shadow minister Louise Haigh, to Chris Bryant and Holly Lynch.
"We've seen a fantastic debate today, conducted in a comradely spirit."
Minister Rory Stewart says that his comments are a "tribute" to Mr Bryant and Ms Lynch.
"I hope that all the emergency services feel very strongly the support in the House for their work," he says.
The bill will now head to the House of Lords for consideration.
Officials - and even some ministers - hope to convince Theresa May to stay in some form of customs union.
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Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
Chris Bryant rises to move another amendment to remove three clauses from the bill., which deal with the taking of samples after assaults on emergency workers.
"I've tabled these amendments... simply because I think they would not be efficacious and should not remain in the bill."
After a short debate, it is agreed that the clauses will be taken out of the bill, bringing report consideration to a close.
Coming up next week in Parliament: plenty of fizz with Brexit manoeuvres, a beleaguered home secretary and challenges to the government.
Read MoreAssaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
Image source, hocJustice Minister Rory Stewart says an attack on an emergency service worker is an attack "on us, an attack on the state" and therefore should be more harshly punished than on an individual citizen.
He says the government proposes to accept the offence of a sexual assault as an aggravating offence.
The government believes it would be better to withdraw some amendments and clauses from the bill to leave it in a better state, he says.
One of those is to remove the offence of common assault by spitting, which he says is already covered.
He also asks that new clause 1, new clause 2 and amendment 9 is withdrawn because he believes that a higher tariff for an attack on a uniformed member of staff should be double the tariff for an individual - but not quadruple.
Lords tweets
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Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
Conservative Craig Tracey says he does "sympathise" with many of the issues being raised during the debate, particularly around spitting.
"To attack someone who is trying to help someone in an emergency is callous, heinous and totally unacceptable."
Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
"There is a danger in this House that we legislate for the sake of something being done," warns Conservative Robert Courts.
He says that MPs need to be careful "not to complicated the statute book" but says that the Commons needs to make clear that emergency workers are protected.
Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
Conservative Alex Chalk says that there is an "issue about perception" but it would be wrong for the message of the debate to be that the UK is soft on imprisonment.
He says it is "appalling" to think that an ambulance worker might be sexually assaulted in the line of duty, but there is currently an offence on the statute books that carries a ten-year sentence.
It would be a "very curious case" if that happened and the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute under the current offence, he tells MPs.
Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
Labour's Holly Lynch says she's supporting amendment 3, which adds sexual assault to the list of charges which would aggravate sentences if they inflicted on an emergency worker.
"The reason that we have to go that bit further," Ms Lynch says, of emergency workers, "is because they cannot walk away".
She urges colleagues to support the amendment.
Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
Philip Davies concludes his remarks, and is followed by the bill's sponsor, Labour MP Chris Bryant, who says he thought he'd be speaking "a little earlier" than now.
"We've loved every minute," he claims.
Mr Bryant pays tribute to members across the House, particularly his party colleague Holly Lynch.
"I hope that by the end of today, we'll have a bill that's eminently suitable to go on to the House of Lords."
Chris Bryant introduces an amendment that includes spitting in the definition of types of assault.
Assaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
Thirty minutes into his speech, Conservative Philip Davies seems no closer to winding up his remarks.
Minister Rory Stewart intervenes to suggest that increasing sentencing to 24 months would lead to those convicted of offences against emergency workers receiving four times the jail term than someone convicted of assaulting a normal person, which Mr Stewart suggests could be disproportionate.
Mr Davies implies that sentencing overall is too low and tells MPs he'd be doing "cartwheels" if the government increased terms.
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From 16 October 2017
BBC News
Attacks on emergency workers will face tougher sentences under a new law which has been given government backing.
Rhondda Labour MP Chris Bryant's private member's bill would double the maximum sentence for common assault against an emergency worker to a year.
Mr Bryant called assaults on police and paramedics "a national disgrace".
Image source, PAAssaults on Emergency Workers Bill
House of Commons
Parliament
The division on whether to sit in private is lost, by 2 votes to 69.
MPs move onto the report stage of Chris Bryant's bill.
Conservative Philip Davis moves New Clause 1, which would make assaults specifically on police constables carry the same penalty as the new offence in Mr Bryant's bill and not just the six months currently available to courts.
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Private members' bills
House of Commons
Parliament
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage from the House of Commons.
Up first are the remaining stages of Labour MP Chris Bryant's Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill.
They'll then move on to debate the general principles of the Employment and Workers' Rights Bill, from Labour MP Stephanie Peacock.
But first MPs are dividing on a motion on whether to sit in private. It is a procedural tactic, to check how many members are on the parliamentary estate.