Summary

  • MPs debate private members' bills

  1. What happened to the Saudi journalist?published at 18:59 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    Jamal Khashoggi protestImage source, AFP

    Saudi Arabia has blamed the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on a "rogue operation", giving a new account of an act that sparked a global outcry.

    Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News "the murder" had been a "tremendous mistake" and denied the powerful crown prince had ordered it.

    Mr Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

    Read more: Khashoggi death: Saudi Arabia says journalist was murdered

  2. SNP call for suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabiapublished at 18:54 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    Jamal Khashoggi Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Stephen GethinsImage source, HoC

    Stephen Gethins, SNP international affairs spokesperson, says "we rightly called out the Russians, so what consideration is being given about taking similar action against those responsible for this attack?"

    "Freedom of press is critical," he says, "we have to target those individuals who are found to be guilty."

    He questions why the UK is continuing to sell arms to Saudi Arabia when some European partners have stopped arms sales, and says this "should be suspended".

    Jeremy Hunt says when it comes to arms sales "the UK have strict guidelines in place which we will keep under constant review."

  3. Concern over instability in Saudi Arabiapublished at 18:49 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    Jamal Khashoggi Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat asks about the situation in Saudi Arabia, where a consultative monarchy has been transformed to a situation where the Crown Prince makes decisions, leading to instability.

    He says this murder stands within abuse of press freedom, and this is "part of a pattern".

    Jeremy Hunt says there has been a pattern of deterioration, but there have been "conflicting signals", for instance, allowing women to drive.

    The UK needs confidence in Saudi Arabia, Mr Hunt says.

  4. Shadow foreign secretary: Saudi Crown Prince to blamepublished at 18:48 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    Jamal Khashoggi Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Emily ThornberryImage source, HoC

    Labour's Emily Thornberry lays the blame for the death of Mr Khashoggi on the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, seen as the country's most powerful figure.

    She says he has no respect for the rule of law, and no tolerance for international boundaries.

    She points to the conflict in Yemen, and says the pattern of Saudi behaviour there is mimicked in this incident. "Enough," she says. "The government must wake up to the reality of who the Crown Prince really is."

    She asks how much more confirmation the foreign secretary needs, and asks what the consequences will be.

    She advocates using powers in the Magnitsky amendments in UK law, and UK arms sales for use in Yemen should be suspended. And she asks for the UK to ignore the veto hanging over the UN resolution to bring about a ceasefire in the Yemen conflict.

    In response, Jeremy Hunt says if Ms Thornberry was in his position "she would not take any action until a full investigation was complete."

    "All of us share [the] outrage if the stories are confirmed, but we do have to wait for that confirmation," he says.

    He says it would be wrong to make any decisions until we know what has happened "and can see clearly".

    Mr Hunt reminds Labour MPs that when the Salisbury poisoning happened, Jeremy Corbyn said we needed to return to dialogue before prejudging and acting, a position that the Conservative government are following now.

  5. Foreign Secretary: Action of Saudi agents 'incompatible with UK's values'published at 18:38 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    Jamal Khashoggi Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Jeremy HuntImage source, HoC

    Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt introduces the second statement of the day on the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    Jeremy Hunt says the government "condemns the death of Mr Khashoggi on all terms, and our thoughts are with his family".

    He says anyone held responsible for an offence "must be held accountable".

    "Mr Khashoggi was murdered by agents of a government we have close relationship with," he says.

    Jeremy Hunt says he has spoken to the Saudi ambassador in person and has met with the chief executive of the Washington Post, the publication which Mr Khashoggi wrote for.

    "The claim that Mr Khashoggi died in a fight does not amount to a credible explanation," he says.

    Mr Hunt says it must be found out what happened to Mr Khashoggi's body, and why it took officials 17 days after his death to say he had died.

    He says the actions Britain and allies take will depend on the "credibility of the final explanation by Saudi officials, and the confidence that an episode cannot and will not be happen again".

    Mr Hunt says Britain has a strong partnership with Saudi Arabia based on defence, cooperation and trading deals.

    "Though because of this the government will be thoughtful and considered with our treatment of this issue, if the horrific stories are true, this is incompatible with our values and we will act accordingly," Mr Hunt says.

  6. Labour and SNP MPs left to ask questionspublished at 18:25 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

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  7. Will PM manage to convince her MPs?published at 18:21 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

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  8. PM: Political debates must be had 'in a respectful manner'published at 18:20 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    EU Council Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Dr Lisa CameronImage source, HoC

    SNP's Dr Lisa Cameron says she condemns the abuse of the prime minister by members of the Conservative party this weekend and says it was "disturbing".

    She says people look at MPs as an example, and asks if it is time to put a stop to "abuse and nastiness in politics".

    The prime minister says it is "very important that we can have debate with disagreements but not abuse".

    "They must be conducted in a respectful manner," she says.

  9. 'Really angry'published at 18:19 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

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  10. PM proposing paying divorce bill with nothing in returnpublished at 18:06 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    EU Council Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Chuka UmunnaImage source, HoC

    Labour MP and campaigner for a second referendum, Chuka Umunna, says the prime minister "promised to have a reached an agreement about our future partnership" within two years of triggering Article 50, "not during the transition deal or by the end of it".

    He asks her to confirm that she will therefore be breaking her promise, "we will not have the detail of a legally binding trade agreement in place before we leave". He says she is therefore proposing paying "a divorce bill of over £40bn without a trade deal in return."

    Theresa May says Mr Umunna has misunderstood the process.

    "We cannot finalise and sign the legal text until we have left the EU," she says.

    But she says the UK and the EU can know "what that final relationship is going to be", and it is the basis of that relationship that is being negotiated.

  11. Baker withdraws amendments from NI billpublished at 17:55 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    The former Conservative minister Steve Baker has said he has withdrawn amendments which could have blocked the government’s controversial plans for a "backstop" to guarantee no hard Irish border after Brexit.

    The long-standing Brexit-supporting MP had put down amendments to the Northern Ireland Bill – which is due to be debated on Wednesday.

    On Twitter today, the former Brexit minister confirmed he had withdrawn the amendments because they “could only be voted on by amending [the bill’s] emergency programming.

    “I am persuaded this would not be in the public interest… the substantive issues of the Union remain of concern," he wrote.

    Mr Baker had wanted to make it a legal requirement to get the Stormont Assembly's approval for any plan to treat Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK.

    But the devolved government has not sat since power-sharing collapsed in 2017.

    As they have been withdrawn, the amendments will now not be discussed or voted on by the House of Commons.

  12. May: 'Be careful about language' on Brexitpublished at 17:51 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    The PM speaks out after one colleague said she would be "knifed" and one suggested she "bring her own noose".

    Read More
  13. Brexit ‘mixture of failure, denial and delusion'published at 17:50 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    Jeremy Corbyn accuses the Conservative Party of spending two years arguing with itself instead of negotiating a “sensible deal in the public interest".

    Read More
  14. May on Brexit: Four steps we need to takepublished at 17:50 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    Theresa May tells MPs on Monday about what is needed to break the "impasse" over Brexit talks.

    Read More
  15. Jacob Rees-Mogg questions if PM knows where she is going with Brexitpublished at 17:46 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    EU Council Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Jacob Rees MoggImage source, HoC

    Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg says "when the implementation was announced, it was going to be the implementation of what had been agreed, but now it seems as if the government do not know where they are going."

    He asks the prime minister if she knows where she is going.

    The prime minister says "we've set out a plan and we're moving along within the scope of that plan."

    "The withdrawal agreement must contain sufficient detail so what know what the future relationship will be like," she says.

  16. What is the backstop and why isn't there an agreement?published at 17:46 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    The UK and the EU both want to avoid a hard border - physical checks or infrastructure - between Northern Ireland and Ireland after Brexit, but they cannot agree how.

    As the deadline for negotiations fast approaches, and with it the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, the pressure is growing for a "backstop" arrangement to be found. This would be a position of last resort, which would ensure that an open border is maintained even if there is no other agreement found on the future relationship between the UK and EU.

    Both sides agree a backstop is needed - and have put their own proposals forward - but can't agree on what it would look like.

    The EU proposes a solution that would see Northern Ireland remaining in the EU customs union, with the rest of the UK leaving. Theresa May says such a proposal would threaten the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

    In return, the UK has suggested a backstop that would see the UK as a whole remaining aligned with the EU customs union for a limited time after 2020. But whilst the EU is now willing to work from this proposal, they say any backstop cannot be time limited.

  17. Tory MP: Business owners 'in despair' over Brexit uncertaintypublished at 17:39 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    EU Council Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Anna SoubryImage source, HoC

    Conservative MP Anna Soubry says 700,000 people marched in Parliament on Saturday and many of them were people who own their own businesses.

    "These people are in despair as two years ago they were told there would be a trade deal before we left, and now it's two years after we leave the EU," she says.

    Ms Soubry says the UK is heading to "destination unknown, where we have no say and no control," and says this is "something that nobody voted for".

    The prime minister says "businesses want certainty, which is why we're continuing to work through negotiations with the EU so businesses can see the future deal and what the future relationship will be."

  18. Unpacking the PM's statementpublished at 17:35 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

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  19. Tory MP questions ruling out of European Economic Area membershippublished at 17:33 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    EU Council Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative MP Nick Boles asks why the prime minister continues to rule out membership of the European Economic Area and the European Free Trade Association as an interim state.

    The prime minister says for "a limited time period" there will be "a backstop that ensures no border between Ireland and Northern Ireland".

    "The key thing is for those proposals to ensure there is no hard border," she says.

  20. PM: 'Significant progress has been made' on no deal preparationspublished at 17:32 British Summer Time 22 October 2018

    EU Council Statement

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Steve BakerImage source, HoC

    Conservative MP Steve Baker condemns the anonymous Tory MPs who have spoken out "in foul language" against the prime minister this week.

    He continues to ask what accelerations have been made on preparations for a no deal scenario since July.

    The prime minister says "significant progress has been made".

    "You can see the progress in legislation passed in this House, and through technical notices," she says.