House of Commons
Parliament

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Former Exiting the EU minister Steve Baker says the UK should develop a "special relationship" with the European Union, based on "close and peaceful relations".

He says he wants the UK to remain "the closest of friends and partners," adding that he does not want to put up a wall between the UK and the EU.

He wants to make sure there is no disruption to flights or data from leaving the EU, he states.

The "governing class" in the UK does not believe in Brexit, he states, and is "trying to deliver" something as close as possible to EU membership.

"The project of the European Union is in real difficulty," he states.

He says that he believes the Labour Party will vote against any agreement reached by the UK.

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers are debating a bill to set the budget for Northern Ireland. This is normally done by the devolved government at Stormont, but since it collapsed these powers have been returned to Parliament.

The bill includes £410m secured by the DUP in 2017 as part of its confidence and supply deal with the Conservatives, external. It means there will be funds until March 2019 while work continues to reinstate power sharing and form a government in Northern Ireland.

Peers have raised the issues of poor health outcomes, post-Brexit customs and when devolution will be restored.

Spectator political editor and Sun columnist James Forsyth writes, external that Boris Johnson's speech "will certainly make it harder for Downing Street to sell Chequers to the Tory rank and file. What Boris Johnson said about it, is what they worry about."

Daily Mirror associate editor Kevin Maguire questions whether the speech will have the impact some, including Mr Johnson, think:

Times political sketch writer Patrick Kidd is also less convinced:

Labour MPs, unsurprisingly, were not impressed.

Mr Johnson did have support among some on his own side, however.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow Exiting the EU secretary Sir Keir Starmer says that the Chequers agreement took two years to reach and unravelled within a few days.

He adds that the government is clinging on "vote by vote," and that the party is "at war with itself". He says that the Tory "civil war" over Europe is now bringing in the country. The last three Conservative PMs have left office due to Europe, he adds.

While the government continues to focus on this argument, public services are suffering, he states, adding that this argument threatens to harm jobs, the economy, and the UK's place in the world.

"This has got to stop," he says. He adds that the divide has "threatened to break out" since the referendum and is now damaging the country.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Exiting the EU Secretary Dominic Raab says he admires "the optimism" with which Boris Johnson spoke during his resignation speech earlier today.

The Chequers agreement is a "pragmatic" approach to leaving the EU, enabling the UK to take back control while also enabling strong security co-operation with the EU, he states.

"In a limited number of areas" the UK will choose to abide by common rules to enable the free flow of goods, he states.

The government has been working on 300 no deal plans for almost two years, he states, and is planning on increasing "the pace" of these preparations.

Select Committee
Parliament

Environmental Audit Committee Chair Mary Creagh asks what will happen to environmental standards if the UK leaves without a deal, as there will be no body in place to take action and enforce rules.

She suggests the UK has only offered a "bodge fix" over the Volkswagon diesel emissions scandal, which many countries have issued fines for. These fines follow the central EU environmental principle of "polluter pays," she says.

Mrs May says, "the question assumes that without a deal we are going to abandon our environmental standards... the government will not suddenly reduce all the standards that we have"

Mrs Creagh points out that the UK has been taken to court for its failure to meet environmental targets and standards, and says there is nothing currently in place to uphold the standards in the absence of the EU body.

The prime minister says "we have a commitment to be a generation that leaves the environment in a better state than we found it."

Select Committee
Parliament

The committee moves away from Brexit to air quality.

Lillian Greenwood asks what the government's plan is to move people from cars to public transport.

Mrs May says it is important that the public have options and information about those options. She says she wants public transport to dominate urban travel and she says money is being invested.

Ms Greenwood says it sounds as if the government just wants people to have a choice, and does not care what those choices are. Mrs May says there is evidence that once people know this choice exists, they often choose public transport.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Committee chair Sarah Wollaston asks for more detail about planning for a no deal situation, specifically for the wider public.

"Will you be very clear and transparent about potential implications" of a no deal, she asks, giving the example that "people with long term health conditions would effectively be un-insurable to travel to the European Union".

"We're looking to negotiate a deal by October," the PM says, "at that point it will become clear what the future relationship is going to be."

"What preparedness is about is making sure that government, that business, that those who need to take action are able to do that, and do that in a timely way.

"If we were in a no deal scenario then obviously the information that would be necessary for the public to have would be made available."

The prime minister says she does not believe we are approaching a no deal situation.

Select Committee
Parliament

Neil Parrish, Chair of the Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, says he very much welcomes the Chequers agreement as "rules need to be dealt with".

He raises the issue of fishing and asks how British fisherman "will get their fish back".

Mrs May confirms the UK will be out of the Commons Fisheries Policy and acting as an independent coastal state.

"Fishing is separate to other elements of the economic partnership," she says, "we are going to be ensuring control of our natural resouces."

It will not be a negotiating tool, she says, "it will not be jumbled in with other elements of the trade relationship."

Select Committee
Parliament

Lillian Greenwood, chair of the Transport Committee, says the UK is nowhere near ready to stay in the European aviation area.

The prime minister says a deal will be ready in the autumn as the details of the future relationship with the EU has now been presented to the European Commission.

Ms Greenwood complains that this arrangement has been delayed. She says "grounded planes are in no one's interest."

Mrs May says the Department of Transport is working on options for all outcomes on the Brexit deal and planes will not be grounded.

Ms Greenwood asks why an aviation deal has not been done with the US.

Mrs May says the government is working with the sector and authorities within and outside the EU to make sure planes can always fly.

House of Commons
Parliament

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The SNP's energy spokesperson Alan Brown says "there seems to be consensus across the House" on this bill.

He says this is a "temporary bill" and asks therefore why the Lords amendment would be such a permanent measure.

He says that Labour have worked with the government on this, and he welcomes the government amendment in lieu.

Once this has passed, he urges the government to focus on making energy cheaper permanently.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Constitutional Affairs Committee Chair Sir Bernard Jenkin asks "what's the basis for deciding when to announce what is being done in preparation for no deal?"

He suggests there's "a reticence" about making announcements so far.

Mrs May says technical notifications will be released over August and September in terms of what needs to be done by citizens and businesses in the case of a no deal situation.

"We imagine there's going to be around 70 notices that will be issued."

Cabinet has agreed to step up No Deal preparations, she says.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow energy minister Dr Alan Whitehead says that Labour is "delighted" that this bill is about to pass into law. He adds that he is "especially" delighted due to the "parentage" of this bill, which is from a Labour motion debated in 2013.

He says that debate didn't receive "a terribly positive response" from the then government.

He adds that the Lords amendment would help end the practice of consumers being put on extremely high tariffs when their fixed tariffs end.

Labour are happy with the government amendment in lieu, he states.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Conservative Sir Bill Cash - who is chair of the European Scrutiny Committee - asks when the government's position was changed to that in the Chequers agreement, and if she showed this position to Angela Merkel before her own ministers. He asks if that is not in contravention of the ministerial code.

Mrs May says she needs to "knock the idea on the head" that anyone outside the UK was shown the white paper before ministers. She says the government had legal advice she will not discuss in public.

She says it had long become clear that the earlier Mansion House position was no longer plausible as a negotiating position and so it was revised.

Select Committee
Parliament

Chair of the Liaison Committee Sarah Wollaston calls the customs arrangement "baffling" which Mrs May rejects.

Lib Dem Norman Baker asks Mrs May about her negotiations with the EU on science and technology. She says this is a key part of the negotiations and that she hopes to have an agreement in the autumn so that these industries have some certainty - but she stresses this will not be a full legal document.

On questions about specific EU science programmes, she says the parametres of the UK's involvement are still being negotiated.

Mr Baker asks how the government will ensure the best workers in science - as well as other skilled sectors - will be able to work in the UK. She says this will be ensured in new immigration guidelines that will go to Parliament.

Theresa May tells one of her backbenchers that "Brexit continues to mean Brexit".

Select Committee
Parliament

Labour's Yvette Cooper focuses her questions on customs and tariffs. She questions the White Paper's concept of reciprocity on collecting taxes for the EU on goods coming into the UK and vice versa.

Ms Cooper says she is "really baffled" and cannot understand when and how tariffs will be paid following the government's acceptance of new clause 36 two days ago, in the customs bill.

She says the amendment undermines the Chequers proposals, as we would not have a reciprocal arrangement.

"The reason we keep going round and round in circles on this is because you're not being straight about the language," she tells the PM.

"Everybody is confused, and as a result nobody trusts what the government is doing."

Mrs May says she's been very straight about the language.

"What we are proposing is a reciprocal agreement with the European Union in relation to the exchange of tariffs that are paid on external borders for goods entering the United Kingdom destined for the EU, and goods entering the European Union destined for the United Kingdom."

Yvette Cooper questions, with raised eyebrows, whether "this will be in place and working by 2021".

"Good luck," adds another member of the committee.