House of Commons
Parliament

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SNP Commons business spokesperson Pete Wishart says he "can't believe how busy it is" in the Commons, jokingly.

He says that around the Cabinet table, there is a "titanic struggle" between those who are against the customs union and those who are "really, really" against the customs union.

He asks how long the Commons will be considering Lords' amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill, considering there have now been many defeats and amendments made to the bill.

He asks for more time for private members' bills.

Ms Leadsom states that it is "fantastic to see so many of our Scottish colleagues" in the Commons. Ms Leadsom says that she "may not agree with" the Lords amendments but she defends "their right" for scrutiny of the bill.

She adds that there has been significant progress on private members bills in recent weeks.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow Leader of the House, Valerie Vaz, says that Macmillan will produce a report on Monday which will show that cancer nursing specialists and other oncologists are in short supply within the NHS. She asks for a statement on the NHS cancer workforce.

There is a £2.5bn social care funding gap, and she asks for a statement on Allied Healthcare, which is a social care provider no longer paying their staff pensions.

She asks for members of the Cabinet to visit the Northern Ireland border.

Mrs Leadsom says that she is "delighted" that there are 12,900 more nurses on wards since 2010. The government has introduced new nursing associates which pay as people learn how to be a nurse.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, is outlining future business in the Commons. Highlights include:

• Tuesday, Remaining stages Secure Tenancies Bill, external, amendments Nuclear Safeguards Bill, external
• Wednesday, remaining stages, Data Protection Bill, external
• Thursday, debate on redress for banking victims and the FCA
• Friday, private members' bills

Following week:

• Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Bill, external

House of Commons
Parliament

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer says that Mr Davis' "resignation is not imminent" but wonders what message is being sent out by him saying that this morning.

He asks if a customs partnership has now been taken off the table.

Mr Davis says "not to believe everything he reads in the papers, even about himself". He says the government is taking time to ensure that there is the best deal for all outcomes.

Sir Keir says the PM has made a "solemn promise" that there would be no hard border in Northern Ireland. He asks if on "serious and sober analysis" that the only way to avoid a hard border is to be in the customs union, then if any responsible government would take this position.

Mr Davis says "the customs union doesn't really solve your problem with Northern Ireland" which is something that has been said by David Trimble, who was First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002.

Lord Trimble played a key part in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreemenet in 1998 and, along with John Hume, won the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

House of Commons
Parliament

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DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly asks what steps the department is taking to maintain the integrity of the UK during the UK’s exit from the EU.

Minister Robin Walker says internal trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain "is of critical importance to the Northern Ireland economy", and goods sold from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK stood at £10.8bn, he adds.

Ms Little-Pengelly says that it is essential to the integrity of the UK that there are no barriers to internal trade. She asks him to confirm that this is an "absolute red line in all of these negotiations".

Mr Walker says that the UK government will not accept any borders within the UK.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative Sir Henry Bellingham asks what assessment has been made of remaining in the customs union on the UK’s ability to trade with the rest of the world.

Minister Suella Braverman says that the UK is leaving the customs union and single market, because only then can the UK set its own tariffs on imports and trade.

Sir Henry says if the UK remains in the customs union then Brussels will remain in charge of trade policy. He says the UK speaks the language of international trade.

Ms Braverman says that the UK has "so many strengths," adding that 90% of global growth in the future coming from outside the EU, she adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour’s Karin Smyth asks what agreement has been reached on border arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after the UK leaves.

Minister Robin Walker says that the UK is committed to avoid any hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, "including any related checks and controls".

Ms Smyth asks what people thought of Mr Davis' "proposed solution" to the Northern Ireland border issue during his visit two weeks ago.

Mr Walker says the secretary of state visited last week, and he himself has visited "on a number of occasions" to speak to a number of "cross-border businesses".

Free movement for businesses is something the government continues to talk about, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb says that the procurement programme for the Galileo space programme, run by the EU, runs the risk of the UK being locked out of it. He adds that 400 jobs are dependent on the sector.

Minister Suella Braverman says there is "mutual benefit" in the UK's involvement with Galileo, but the government has said that involvement must be fair and open to the UK.

House of Commons
Parliament

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The SNP’s Gavin Newlands asks what progress has been made on negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU.

Exiting the EU Secretary David Davis says that "we have made significant progress in negotiating our exit" by setting the terms of time limited implementation period and a financial arrangements as well as rights of citizens.

Mr Newlands says "there is a clear consensus in this Parliament" for a form of a customs union. He adds that a minister has left the government every 42 days, "and the Secretary of State is [at] 61, third favourite to be the next to go, good odds".

He asks if he will resign if a customs arrangement is sought with the EU.

Mr Davis says, laughing, "I'm not quite sure whether it's constitutional to discuss my resignation, Mr Speaker," adding that it is not "imminent".

He says the government is committed to protect the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement "at all costs".

House of Commons
Parliament

We're back to cover the day at Westminster.

The day kicks off with Brexit questions at 9:30am, followed by the Business statement.

Later on today, the Commons will debate “matters to be considered before the forthcoming adjournment" - in other words, a general debate.

This is because the Commons is not sitting on Monday due to the bank holiday. With local elections taking place today, attendance is likely to be low.

We'll be back with coverage of Westminster tomorrow, with Brexit questions in the Commons at 9.30am.

See you then...

House of Lords
Parliament

The government's key amendment on devolution is accepted and becomes part of the bill without a vote.

That's where we leave our live coverage of the Lords for tonight.

The main action today was a sizeable government defeat - by a majority of 67 - on an amendment from Conservative Lord Patten, requiring ministers to act in a way that is compatible with the 1998 Northern Ireland Act and the Belfast principles.

House of Lords
Parliament

Lord Keen wraps up for the government, explaining that ministers believe "we must respect the devolution settlement".

He says the intention is not to intrude on existing legislative competences.

But, he adds, "as powers come back, it must be decided which have to be maintained in order that we can have a functioning internal market".

He repeats that he's grateful to have reached agreement with the Welsh government, and that "the door is still open" to the Scottish government.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Responding to this evening's debate for Labour, Lord Griffiths of Burry Port says that if politics is the art of the possible this amendment "is as good an illustration of that as we could hope to find".

The amendment proposed by the government means the consent of the devolved legislatures would normally be required for changes to UK-wide powers, and that those powers will be held in Westminster for no more than seven years.

He outlines that the requirement for UK ministers and devolved ministers to publish statements if consent is withheld means that when Parliament decides whether to proceed it will be "genuinely deciding on the facts".

House of Lords
Parliament

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Lib Dem former leader Lord Steel of Aikwood says the amendment is not ideal but he thinks the discussions of devolution leading to this point have gone well.

He hopes that when this comes back at third reading the UK government and Scottish government will both show flexibility.

His party colleague Baroness Randerson agrees, arguing the amendment shows the weaknesses of the current devolution settlement that has been smoothed over in the past by overarching EU frameworks.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Plaid Cymru's Lord Wigley, the only peer representing a nationalist party, says the proposals before the House still suffer from an absence of "mutuality".

He predicts that Brexit will "strain to breaking point" current devolution arrangements and what he terms Westminster's veto will "put a constraint on devolved ambitions".

He says this isn't about mistrusting individuals but "a lack of trust in respective institutions" and asks that the sunset clause be used to make a plan for a comprehensive devolution settlement.

House of Lords
Parliament

Crossbencher Lord Hope of Craighead, former deputy president of the Supreme Court, introduces an alternative amendment for UK-wide powers to explicitly require consent of devolved administrations, through a mechanism called Orders in Council.

He says this is a "fundamental principle" of the devolution settlement and he has some sympathy with the Scottish government on this score.

He notes that he regrets the absence of the SNP in the Lords, saying it will matter a “great deal” as this goes forward and Scotland is not being well-served.