Summary

  • MPs are debating private members' bills

  1. Government pulls debate on proxy votingpublished at 13:56 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Proxy voting debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    John BercowImage source, HoC

    The government has not moved the scheduled debate on proxy voting and baby leave for members of the Commons, due to time pressures from the statements and urgent questions this morning.

    The debate was only scheduled to take place until 2:30pm, and the statement on Amesbury finished at 1:30pm.

    Speaker John Bercow tells the Commons he understands how MPs are "disappointed" and "aggrieved" that this debate will no longer take place today.

    He says, from the government's perspective, that this debate would have been "truncated".

    Speaking to the Commons, the Leader of the Commons, Andrea Leadsom, says "nobody is more disappointed than I am that we have not been able to carry on with this debate".

    She says it is "absolutely" her intention to put this debate before the House again as soon as possible.

  2. Lib Dem MP praises 'careful phrasing' of statementpublished at 13:50 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Amesbury statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Sajid JavidImage source, HoC

    Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesperson Sir Ed Davey thanks the home secretary for separating his criticism of the Russian government and the Russian people.

    "His careful phrasing today and his diplomatic sensitivity is vital", he says - before asking for reassurance that other ministers will display the same "calm strength".

    "Yes absolutely," Mr Javid replies.

  3. Labour MP: Is Russia co-operating?published at 13:47 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Amesbury statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Yvette CooperImage source, HoC

    Chair of the Home Affairs Committee Yvette Cooper asks him to confirm that "he has had no co-operation from the Russian government".

    She also asks if the nerve agent degrades over time.

    Mr Javid says he can confirm "no co-operation" from Russia.

    "Given their responsibility for the original attack and their campaign of disinformation, I don't think anyone in the House will be surprised about that".

    He adds that this could be the "exact same" nerve agent as used in March, because the degradation time for Novichok is "months and months".

  4. SNP asks about attribution of nerve agentpublished at 13:42 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Amesbury statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Tommy SheppardImage source, HoC

    The SNP's Tommy Sheppard asks whether it is possible to identify if the Novichok agent in this latest incident is from the same batch suspected in the Skripal case.

    He also asks what other measures have been taken against Russia, as well as the expulsion of British diplomats.

    Mr Javid says the government is "clear" that the incident involved the "exact same" type of nerve agent, from the "same family".

    However he says at this point scientists cannot make an attribution to the same batch. This may not be possible to make, he adds.

    As the government continues with its investigation on the Skripal case, it will respond accordingly on further sanctions, he responds.

  5. People of Wiltshire must be 'alarmed' - Abbottpublished at 13:37 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Amesbury statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Diane AbbottImage source, HoC

    Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott says no government can allow the poisoning of citizens as they go about their daily lives.

    She wishes the affected couple a speedy and complete recovery, and pays tribute to the emergency services and public servants working on the incident.

    The people of Wiltshire must be "alarmed" at this second incident, she says.

    "We must not jump to conclusions," she says, agreeing with the Home Secretary. But she adds that British towns must not become "killing fields for state actors".

    Mr Javid says that ministers are "comfortable" the latest incident is not related to any kind of failed decontamination of the original area which affected the Skripals.

    He says this is a view shared by the Chief Medical Officer.

    He adds that connections to the Skripals are the "main line of inquiry" for police. He adds that the community have been "heroic in their response".

  6. Link to Skripal case 'main line of inquiry' - Javidpublished at 13:32 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Amesbury statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The Home Secretary adds that the incident will "invoke memories" of the "reckless murder attempts" on the Skripals.

    "I know that many of you will question whether this incident is linked to that one, that is clearly the main line of inquiry", he says, although he says it is important not to "jump to conclusions".

    He says there is "no plausible alternative explanation" for the attack on the Skripals in March other than the responsibility of Russia, he says.

    "The eyes of the world are currently on Russia, not least because of the World Cup. It is now time that the Russian state comes forward and explains what has gone on", he adds.

  7. Javid: 'No significant risk to wider public'published at 13:07 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Amesbury statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Sajid JavidImage source, HoC

    Home Secretary Sajid Javid says both people affected by the poisoning are British citizens, and confirms they were exposed to the same nerve agent which contaminated Yulia and Sergei Skripal.

    He expresses "sincere thanks" to all the staff in the emergency services and hospital staff.

    The "latest assessment" from Public Health England is that there is "no significant risk to the wider public", he tells MPs.

    Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies has advised people who have recently visited cordoned-off areas to wash their clothes and wipe down items they were carrying.

    There is "no evidence" that the couple visited any of the places by the Skripals, he says.

    "Our strong working assumption is that the couple came into contact with the nerve agent in a different location to the sites which have been part of the original clean-up operation", he adds.

    He also says around 100 detectives are working on this from the police counter-terrorism unit, he adds.

  8. Javid updates MPs on Amesbury incidentpublished at 12:52 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Amesbury Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Muggleton RoadImage source, Reuters

    MPs are now hearing a statement from the Home Secretary Sajid Javid, on the Amesbury incident.

    He chaired a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee on the matter this morning.

    Police say a man and woman who were found unconscious in a house in Amesbury, were exposed to Novichok.

    Novichok is a nerve agent that was used to poison ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March.

    The UK government blamed Russia for the attack on the Skripals, but Russia has denied any involvement.

    The man and woman found unconscious on Saturday are believed to be Charlie Rowley, 45, and Dawn Sturgess, 44. They both remain in a critical condition.

    Police have said it could not be confirmed whether the nerve agent came from the same batch as the Skirpal's poisoning, but it was a line of inquiry.

  9. Lib Dem MP raises EU construction workerspublished at 12:46 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Construction sector deal statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Tom BrakeImage source, HoC

    Lbieral Democrat Tom Brake says that 30% construction workers in London are EU nationals. He says this is a problem for Brexit at the same time that apprenticeships for under 25s have "plummeted".

    Mr Harrington says he "could not envisage a situation" following Brexit "where we do not allow people with the necessary skills" to come in to the country to work.

  10. Unhappy ministers 'should be sacked or leave'published at 12:41 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Cabinet members who do not back the government line over Brexit "should get out", says a Conservative MP.

    Read More
  11. How much of this is going to Scotland?published at 12:41 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Construction sector deal statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Ronnie CowanImage source, HoC

    The SNP's Ronnie Cowan asks what the proportion is of public and private money in this announcement; and he also asks where the risk lies.

    He asks how much of this money will be going to Scotland.

    Mr Harrington says that the proportion of public and private sector cash "depends" on the project listed at the time, "so I can't give him that split," but he says that the "global amount" that has been commissioned will be granted.

    He adds that Scotland will get its "fair share".

  12. We wanted to 'get things right'published at 12:36 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Construction sector deal statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Richard HarringtonImage source, HoC

    Business Minister Richard Harrington says he makes "no excuses" on the time it has taken because he wants to "get things right".

    Government sector deals "are true partnerships with not just the usual suspects but with lots of companies within industry", he states.

    "We have done our best to get this right," he adds.

    He says there are "a lot of things to be learned" from Carillion, adding that the government is overseeing "a very significant increase" in spending for research and development.

  13. 'Bytes and Mortar'published at 12:27 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

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  14. Labour raises concern over infrastructure investmentpublished at 12:27 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Construction sector deal statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Shadow business minister Bill Esterson says the deal has been delayed, and he criticises the government for not responding to other industries with their sector deals, such as steel and rail.

    What assurances will the government give to the sector that there will be no more collapses such as Carillion? he asks.

    Mr Esterson says investment is needed into infrastructure and house building projects too, and the government lags behind other industrial nations.

    "We have to question whether the government's commitment is meaningful when it comes to investment," he says.

  15. Construction deal 'will improve lives'published at 12:22 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Construction sector deal statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Business Minister Richard Harrington is speaking about the deal made by the government and construction sector to increase productivity and growth.

    He says the government is focused on green growth, better housing, and infrastructure.

    He announces government investment spending, particularly for 1.5 million homes, and efforts to help the industry recruit by ensuring there are people with the relevant skills.

    He says the government will ensure access to capital and increase the use of digital tools.

    He thanks those who helped make the deal, saying it will improve lives across the country.

  16. MPs debate 'smart construction' dealpublished at 12:15 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Statement on a construction sector deal

    Building siteImage source, PA

    MPs are now hearing a statement from Business Minister Richard Harrington on a government-industry deal for the construction sector announced yesterday.

    Ministers have pledged to see £420m invested in "smart construction" measures, such as digital building design and new manufacturing technologies.

    Under the plan, £170m will come from the government, with £250m from industry.

    The scheme is meant to boost housebuilding by reducing the time required to complete construction work, and help improve energy efficiency in a bid to reduce fuel bills.

  17. Big votes on Brexit coming up...published at 11:43 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

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  18. Next week's businesspublished at 11:29 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

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  19. MPs hear parliamentary businesspublished at 11:19 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    That's the debate on the urgent question about Esther McVey's statements to Parliament on Universal Credit finished.

    Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has now joined MPs to announce forthcoming parliamentary business.

  20. Labour: this is 'constitutional issue'published at 11:14 British Summer Time 5 July 2018

    Esther McVey urgent question

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Meg Hillier says there is no point debating the small details of a report, this is about Ms McVey misleading Parliament and not representing the true view of the NAO's Auditor General.

    "This is a constitutional issue," she says, and calls on Ms McVey to declare her full confidence in the NAO.

    Ms McVey says she will be meeting the Auditor General next week.