Chief Constable George Hamilton criticises the lack of decision making and guidance from government.

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MPs will be asked tomorrow to refer the director of Vote Leave to the Commons Privileges Committee.

Dominic Cummings has ignored a summons to appear before MPs on the Culture Committee.

Earlier this month MPs approved a rarely used Privilege motion ordering him to give evidence.

The Commons Speaker, John Bercow, said the Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, now wanted to refer the case to the Privileges Committee.

In a change to the parliamentary business, MPs will be asked to approve that decision tomorrow.

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Home Secretary Sajid Javid says the government's plan to tackle crime isn't just about banning certain weapons.

He says the government is investing £11m in an "early intervention youth fund", is taking action against videos that glorify violence and is running a campaign to tell young people about the risks of carrying knives.

"This is just the start," he adds

Image source, HoC

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The Commons has now moved on to second reading of the Offensive Weapons Bill.

The bill bans a number of offensive weapons including so-called Zombie knives, knuckle dusters and "death stars". Owners of such items will have to hand them over to the police.

It also is intended to make it harder for people under the age of 18 to buy knives or corrosive liquids and give police more powers to seize acid from people.

Introducing today's debate Home Secretary Sajid Javid says the past two years have seen an "unacceptable increase" in knife and gun crime as well as acid attacks.

There have been 77 violent murders in London this year, Mr Javid says.

The most recent murder in London was at the weekend in Romford, when 15-year-old Jordan Douherty was stabbed at a party.

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Image source, HOC

The heat is rising and the Brexit pot is beginning to bubble.

Jeremy Corbyn and the SNP’s Ian Blackford both raised the warnings from big companies about the jobs implications of a “no-deal” exit from the EU.

This gladiatorial arena is not an ideal place for the nuance and technical detail essential to this subject, but never mind the minutiae, feel the politics.

Jeremy Corbyn sounds increasingly committed to “a” customs union arrangement and Theresa May responded with taunts about his previous euroscepticism and mocked the idea that someone who wanted to abolish capitalism could be pro-business.

And she was able to follow up with a mocking lash at Labour and the SNP’s failure to support Heathrow expansion – not exactly business-friendly, she added.

Pithy point

Labour’s Mary Creagh suggested the foreign secretary’s demotic dismissal of business concerns about post Brexit customs arrangements were an effective summary of the impact of a hard Brexit… a nice pithy point.

But the PM will have been more worried by a rather less unfriendly question from up-and-coming backbencher Gillian Keegan, about fears of her local motor manufacturer, Rolls Royce. She does not want to find herself besieged by her own backbenchers, raising concerns from their local employers, as Leaving Day approaches.

Nerves are fraying there, and the government is going to need answers.

The PM got through question time, and while she mostly looked and sounded confident, and occasionally seemed to be enjoying herself, I’m not sure she emerges with her credit much strengthened.

Jeremy Corbyn had some nice mordant lines about the state of the government, but his underlying problem in attacking the PM on Brexit, is that his party, and even more, his voters, are also divided.

As for the other players – Ian Blackford now attracts as much heckling as the Labour leader, and chose to ask quite a similar question.

The combined result of those factors was a low-impact outing.

The Lib Dems’ Vince Cable always wants to insert a few barbs before getting on to his question – which allows Tory heckling to build and often opens up a line of counter-attack for the PM.

In this case she was able to give her most Brexity backbenchers an applause line, by reaffirming her determination to leave the EU by the end of March.

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Image source, HoC

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon says cuts to government budgets lead to "greater dependence" on outsourcing and privatisation.

He says the collapse of Carillion affected half of the prison estate where the company had maintenance contracts and asks what's being done to prevent a repeat.

Minister Rory Stewart says he doesn't want to be "overtly ideological" about how new prisons are funded and run.

He says there are "excellent public prisons" but says that some private prisons allow "innovation" and that the two sectors can "learn a great deal from each other".

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Shadow justice minister Richard Burgon has tabled this urgent question on private financing of prisons.

There are currently 14 privately owned and run prisons in England and Wales, split between the outsourcing companies G4S, Sodexo and Serco.

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart told a select committee that, although he wanted to see the prison population fall, he would be asking for more money for the system. He also confirmed that a new privately financed prison at Glen Parva in Leicestershire would get the go ahead.

Today he tells the House that government remains committed to delivering 10,000 new prison places to replace old, outdated prisons.

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Jacob Rees-Mogg says a claim made by Jeremy Corbyn in PMQs is "false in all respects". Jeremy Corbyn claimed Mr Rees-Mogg had moved his hedge fund into the Eurozone.

Last week, Private Eye reported that investment house Somerset Capital Management, co founded by Mr Rees-Mogg, had set up a fund in Dublin.

Mr Rees-Mogg says "my company does not run any hedge funds" and has not moved any business out of the country.

He accuses Mr Corbyn of being a "peddlar of false news, or at least guilty of terminalogical inexactude".

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Conservative Gillian Keegan says that all Rolls Royce cars are made in her constituency.

She says the UK is the only "serious party of business" and asks the prime minister to give certainty that the company's seamless model will continue when the UK leaves the EU.

Theresa May says she "right to raise this issue" and adds that Rolls Royce plays an "important" role for the country.

She tells the House that she want to have the "greatest possible" tariff free and friction-less trade with the EU. The prime minister says she want to encourage "iconic" brands to seek opportunities across the world.

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Labour Dudley MP Ian Austin raises the plight of a brewing company in his constituency which had to stop production this week because of the current CO2 shortage.

He asks what the government is doing to "sort this out" so "we can all enjoy a beer during the World Cup".

Theresa May replies that the issue is "predominantly a commercial matter" for brewing companies and their supplies.

The government is in contact with brewing and distribution companies, she adds.

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Image source, Getty Images

Labour's Debbie Abrahams says 100 firefighters are fighting a wildfire on Saddleworth moor near her constituency. She asks if contingency funds will be allocated to local authorities who are having to deal with a "major incident".

Theresa May sympathises with those affected, commends the emergency services and says the Home Office is "monitoring the situation closely".

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Labour's Laura Smith says social care workers "up and down" the country are being paid less than the minimum wage because of incorrect government guidance.

The Labour MP asks if the government will commit to paying what they are owed from HMRC.

Theresa May says there are rules in place to ensure people are paid the minimum wage.

She adds the government is aware of the issue and have been working to deal with the matter in the interest of workers and charities.

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Image source, Reuters

Conservative backbencher Nick Boles says people are taking "great pride" in the England football team's progress at the World Cup. He asks if public buildings will be able to fly the St George's cross for the rest of the tournament.

Theresa May says that Number 10 is currently flying the Armed Forces flag but says she can "assure" MPs that it will do so on the day of every remaining England match, and will be "encouraging other departments to do the same".

She says she wants to go one further than her predecessors, who have also flown the English flag during football tournaments.

She says "next year we will do the same for the women's World Cup".

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Image source, hoc

Ex-army officer, Conservative MP Johnny Mercer raises the fear that the UK will lose the status of a “Teir 1” military power; the PM’s carefully worded response is that she wants the UK to remain a “leading military power”.

Will that calm the fears of her backbenchers?

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Labour MP Heidi Allen highlights constituents' problems with rail services and cancelled services.

She says that reassurances from Govia Thameslink Railway are "not enough" and asks if the government will commit to a task-force.

Theresa May tells the House she recognises the problem and that performance has been "unacceptable".

She adds that the Department for Transport are working with GTR on new timetables

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Image source, HoC

The SNP's Alison Thewliss asks whether the prime minister will "push" insurance firms to give support to firms that have been displaced by the recent fire at the Glasgow School of Art.

Some are struggling to get their insurers to provide "adequate support", she says.

Theresa May says she will insure the Scottish Secretary is "aware of that question", and ministers will "look to see what can be done".

She also pays tribute to the action of the emergency services after the fire.

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Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable says that 100,000 people gathered in Parliament Square at the weekend to "demand a people's vote on the final Brexit deal".

He asks why the PM is "so afraid" of allowing the public the final say.

Theresa May says that the Liberal Democrats have argued for referendums on the EU in the past. "We gave the people the choice, they have voted and we will deliver on it," she says.

Analysis from Mark D'Arcy:

Vince Cable’s questions are too long. They always give the PM an opening for a counter-punch.