Moves on the amendment being voted on later - more soon as we know it...

House of Commons
Parliament

Jeremy Corbyn says the prime minister said there would be £600m more a week for the NHS, funded by money saved from contributions to the EU.

He says the figures don't add up, and "belong on the side of a bus".

The prime minister says he has misunderstood her. She says the money for the NHS will be partly funded this way, but not fully.

She asks why, if Labour is so concerned about people being subjected to more taxation, it opposed tax bracket rises that helped people earn more before paying tax.

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

“As a country we will be contributing a bit more” [to the NHS] is as close as the PM will get to admitting a tax increase will be required to fund her latest spending pledge.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Jeremy Corbyn says he's pleased the PM reads his speeches so closely and says he said money sent to the EU should be ringfenced.

He repeats his question of which taxes are going up and for who.

The prime minister responds, saying the funding will be announced by the chancellor properly before the spending review.

She adds that she's interested Mr Corbyn has confirmed there'll be money back from the EU, and says that Labour's policy of getting a deal at whatever price would mean there would be no money back.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn says he joins the PM in welcoming Imam Mohammed Mahmoud and thanks him for the work he did in binding people together after the Finsbury Park Mosque terror attack. He pays tribute to the Windrush generation.

Today marks World Refugee Day, he says, adding that there is a responsibility on all political leaders to help wherever possible. He says extra funding for the NHS is welcome, but asks which taxes are going up.

Mrs May says the government has set out a "long term plan" for the NHS, the five year funding settlement is being partially funded through not sending as much money to the EU, she adds.

She finishes by saying that Jeremy Corbyn has previously said that money sent to the EU should now be spent on the NHS.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Simon Hoare starts with a joke: saying Dorset has the Jurassic Coast, but it is not full of dinosaurs.

(Insider point - Sir Christopher Chope is a Dorset MP.)

Will she make the practice of upskirting illegal quickly and in government time? he asks.

Theresa May says the offence is a "hideous invasion of privacy" and it will be introduced as a government bill on Thursday.

In addition, she says persistent offenders will be added to the sex offenders register.

As Mark D'Arcy points out:

The mention of dinosaurs is a little Chris Chope joke – Simon Hoare is a near neighbour – and give the PM a chance to cauterise Conservative embarrassment on Sir Christopher’s decision to “object” the Upskirting Bill on Friday; she promises a new government bill, which will be introduced on Thursday.

House of Commons
Parliament

Theresa May rises to begin Prime Minister's Questions, and the prime minister remembers the attack at Finsbury Park mosque, a year ago; as well as the anniversary of the arrival of HMS Windrush.

The first question comes from Labour MP Alan Whitehead. He asks for the PM to commit to a new UK climate change target of zero net emissions by 2020.

The prime minister says the government has a good record in dealing with the issues, and says it remains committed to the Paris accord.

House of Commons
Parliament

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The chamber is filling up ahead of the weekly question session.

Not long before it starts...

House of Commons
Parliament

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The SNP's Stephen Gethins asks what assessment has been made of the requirements for physical and electronic infrastructure at the Northern Irish border when the UK leaves the EU.

Northern Ireland Minister Shailesh Vara says there will be "no physical infrastructure nor related checks and controls on the border". He adds that the details of a solution "have yet to be worked out".

Mr Gethins says the government's own assessment shows the Northern Irish economy being harmed under Brexit.

Mr Vara says that he does "not accept" this analysis, adding that the Northern Irish economy "is going very well".

Select Committee
Parliament

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Asked whether the EU would put up a physical border if the UK did not after Brexit, Mr Verhofstadt says he wants to avoid it and isn't working from that approach with negotiations.

To avoid a physical border he says the back stop option exists, but that would create other issues in terms of regulatory alignment.

After pushback from Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, Mr Verhofstadt says the EU would have to introduce a physical border if the other issues were not resolved, as the rules do not permit any other arrangement.

Referring to the Maastrict Treaty and the conditions under which Italy joined the EU, Mr Rees-Mogg suggests there is sometimes flexibility with rules, so the lack of flexibility here suggests the EU just does not want to be flexible.

Mr Verhofstadt asks "is your point that we are too flexible?"

He explains that "we stick to a rules based system" and that sometimes they are flexible within the rules, "we will not move from that in this negotiation".

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Today’s PMQs is an appetiser for the consideration of the “meaningful vote” on Brexit, due this afternoon – complete with one of the lead Tory rebels, Antoinette Sandbach who’s tenth on the list of questioners.

After some effective performances questioning the PM on Brexit (throwing embarrassing quotes from Boris Johnson at her proved highly effective, last week) Jeremy Corbyn may well wish to try and keep up the pressure.

If he doesn’t, will that signal that his whips are telling him that the government has the votes to win, this afternoon?

The other point here is that the key to success for the government will be abstentions or outright backing from Labour MPs…..if enough of them defy their party whips, they will cancel out the rebellion on the Conservative benches – and that may mean that the PM uses this occasion to make some kind of appeal to them, or, more likely, to highlight the dangers or what she will protray as an anti-Brexit vote, for Labour MPs in strongly Leave seats.

The Labour leader has a number of alternative lines of inquiry – the PM could be invited to condemn President Trump’s policy on detaining the children of immigrants seperately from their parents, or face comparisons to her own “hostile environment” policy as home secretary, unless, of course, the PM gets in a pre-emptive strike.

He might also go on whether the promised funding boost for the NHS is really the produce of a “Brexit dividend".

Conservative MPs will want to make much of the extra cash for the NHS – and I’m told the PM should also have an early opportunity to emphasise the government’s commitment to a new law to ban Upskirting.

After last week’s dramas, it will also be worth watching the reaction from the Tory benches, when the SNP Leader, Ian Blackford gets his two questions. Expect some mockery of his walkout, and some serious heckiling, not least from the group of Tory whips who have taken to standing across the enrance to the Chamber, right by the SNP benches, the better to heckle them.

Heathrow expansion may well come up; the DUP’s Ian Paisley will be worth watching (will he back the government on the meaningful vote, raise the Northern Ireland Border issue, or seek reassurance on keeping existing laws on abortion?); Labour’s Gareth Thomas is the chair of the Co-Operative Party MPs, and will probably continue his policy of asking co-op related questions.

And watch Labour’s Lisa Nandy, who is rumoured to have something pointed to ask the PM – what I don’t know, but when I asked, she smiled an enigmatic smile...

House of Commons
Parliament

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Northern Ireland questions now, and Conservative Chris Green asks what discussions have been had with Northern Ireland parties on leaving the EU.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley says she meets regularly with the political parties in Northern Ireland.

These conversations are no replacement for a fully functioning executive, she adds.

Mr Green asks what steps have been taken to ensure good governance and accountability.

Ms Bradley says she is "actively considering" the situation of public appointments, which currently cannot be made without Northern Irish ministers.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Mr Verhofstadt says proposed support arrangements for EU citizens with settled status in the UK are not yet sufficient, especially for vulnerable people.

In particular, he has concerns accessing the proposed app, as well as issues people may encounter if they don't have biometric passports. Ideally he would like a wide network of contact points across the United Kingdom where can people can easily get help when needed.

He agrees with Plaid's Hywell Williams' concerns over language difficulties and access, and says he will raise it when he joins the Home Affairs Committee this afternoon.

He raises the question of whether it's right for British people to lose their EU citizenship as a result of a collective decision, something Mr Williams has previously led a parliamentary debate on. He repeats previous suggestions that UK citizens could keep their EU citizenship as an individual if they wish after Brexit.

House of Commons
Parliament

The Commons starts at 11:30am with Northern Ireland questions, followed by Prime Minister's Questions at midday.

Shortly after, there's a statement on Gosport War Memorial Hospital, given by Jeremy Hunt; Jonathan Ashworth, shadow health secretary, will be answering for Labour.

Then, there's 90 minutes of debate, to be followed by a vote, on the Lords' amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill. The only amendment the Lords continue to insist on is a meaningful vote for Parliament, something which Conservative Viscount Hailsham spoke strongly on on Monday.

Conservative MP Dominic Grieve has tabled a last minute "manuscript amendment" to ensure that the government gives Parliament a say on the final deal. The vote on this should come around 3:15pm.

Select Committee
Parliament

Guy Verhofstadt says Brexit has changed the approach to the EU across Europe, and he thinks it's unlikely any other country will look to leave.

After Brexit, he says, all eurosceptic parties in the continent either lost elections or changed their opinions.

In Italy, "even the most eurosceptic government has recognised it would be stupid to leave".

Despite this change of approach, he repeats his earlier comments that the EU does need to reform,

On the idea of a European army, he says he supports the idea of a European Defence Community, which has been proposed for years and years, ever since 1952.

Select Committee
Parliament

Asked what the EU is willing to give or give up as part of Brexit, Mr Verhofstadt says it's not a question of trade offs, as it's a matter of following the terms of Article 50.

"It is not a classical political trade off, dealing and wheeling between political parties."

He says it's not easy to come to an agreement and the EU is being flexible every day, they have compromised in order to agree what they have of the withdrawal agreement.

The disruption of a no deal situation would be huge for the UK and on the continent, he says, and that is what drives the negotiations.

Select Committee
Parliament

Responding to suggestions by Labour MP Pat McFadden that paragraph 49 of the phase one Brexit agreement, which some have suggested, external would force a soft Brexit by stealth, Mr Verhofstadt says "contradictions happen a lot in politics".

He says it's clear the agreement cannot be applied fully and there are contradictions, but it is an initial agreement and it is the UK's red lines in the negotiations which are causing that.