House of Lords
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Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Falkner of Margravine says it should be remembered that "there is great diversity is Islam in terms of its traditions", and that it is "an error" to speak of all Muslim's as a homogeneous group "with them and us as the victims".

Baroness Falkner says as there is a spectrum of beliefs within the Muslim faith, the proposed definition is too restrictive and unsuitable as it currently stands.

She adds that it omits the fact that there are white Muslims in society.

She says it is "hardly surprising" that there is evidence of hate crimes against Muslims spiking after a terrorist incident or after sustained negative media coverage of Muslims.

Most of the response should come from existing criminal law and guidance, she adds, "rather than the creation of new criminal definitions and categories".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour's Rushanara Ali says the UN has made "concrete recommendations" that Myanmar military figures be tried under international law for crimes against humanity.

She says "we know from history" that humans only act like this towards one another after the "dehumanisation" of others.

She says that she has frequently visited Rohingya refugee camps, and adds that the UN stated the refugees living there have no "dignity".

Amnesty International has accused the Myanmar military of laying landmines in the way of the Rohingya refugees fleeing, she tells MPs.

"Almost a million are now packed densely in only five square miles" at Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh, she says.

House of Lords
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Crossbench peer Lord Singh says tackling Islamophobia will require being "clear about its meaning".

He says the suggested definition from the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims is however "still vague and wooly".

He calls for the government to start treating all vulnerable groups "in an even-handed way, using common statistical evidence".

He says he sympathises with members of the Muslim community who have suffered hate crimes due to "common prejudice".

But he adds: "there is no statistical evidence whatsoever to suggest that this is greater than or less than that suffered by other minority communities".

House of Lords
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Labour peer Lord Parekh says Muslims have been the object of an "irrational and instinctive fear", something unique in comparison to other minority groups.

He adds that this fear of Muslims has been created by the view that Muslims are against ideas such as gender equality, and "the identity of the minority is undermining that of the majority".

There is a refusal to talk about Muslims, he says, and he calls for a "dual strategy": a strategy to counter anti-Muslim discrimination, and a different strategy for Islamophobia.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Conservative peer Baroness Warsi says Islamophobia is "Britain's bigotry blind spot".

She says she receives vile Islamophobic messages daily, and calls for the government to adopt a new definition of Islamophobia from a cross-party parliamentary group.

An accepted definition would be the start of an agreed plan to tackle Islamophobia, she says.

She also accuses Boris Johnson of using "dog-whistle remarks" when he compared Muslim women in burkas to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers.

She criticises peers for hosting former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson "during the week when MPs were receiving hateful letters for 'harm a Muslim day'".

"How Britain responds to this new environment will determine whether we succeed in remaining a tolerant, diverse, liberal and inclusive society", she adds.

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That’s the debate on the future parliamentary business finished.

MPs have now started a debate on a UN report which said top military figures in Myanmar must be investigated for genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled violence in the country, many to neighboring Bangladesh.

The report, released in August, said the army's tactics are "grossly disproportionate to actual security threats". Myanmar rejected the report.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Ian Murray raises the major delays at Gatwick Airport as a result of drones being spotted around the site.

He requests a debate on drones, and asks what is being done to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom says what has happened is "absolutely unacceptable".

The government has passed legislation "very swiftly" to deal with those who would seek to interfere with aeroplanes, she says, but she adds that ministers recognise the need to do more.

There is a consultation underway on the issue, and the government needs to make sure the legislation keeps up, she adds.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Conservative peer Lord Sheikh says elements of Islamophobia have "crept into political parties" - and says they must hold inquiries into the issue.

He calls for an "in-depth study of Islamophobia", which he calls a "real problem in today's society".

He also accuses the news media of becoming "increasingly fixated with the association between Islam and crime and terror" - and urges coverage of "facts rather than narratives".

He adds that the role of Muslims in society has been "historically undervalued".

He calls for a clear definition of Islamophobia, so that "real change can be made".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour MP David Hanson says he's still not clear why a date for the final vote on the government's Brexit deal hasn't been given.

Andrea Leadsom says the prime minister has told MPs the vote will be held in week beginning 14th of January.

Another Labour MP, Helen Goodman, says Andrea Leadsom used the phase "in the event that the vote doesn't take place" in a BBC interview this morning - and asks why.

Ms Leadsom replies: "What I meant was that in the event such a vote was not passed by the House".

The vote will take place during the week beginning 14th of January, she clarifies.

House of Lords
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Peers have now begun a debate on Islamophobia in the UK, opened by Conservative peer and President of the Conservative Muslim Forum Lord Sheikh.

House of Commons
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Conservative MP Justine Greening says Andrea Leadsom has said when the Brexit debate will begin, but not when it will end. She asks when that will be.

Ms Leadsom says "there will be a motion of the House for the house to agree", which will set out the terms of the final days of the debate and vote.

House of Lords
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Peers have also heard a repeat of the statement in the Commons earlier on the new figures on homelessness deaths, from Housing Minister Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth.

Labour peer Baroness Thornton says four or five individuals will be sleeping by the doors of Parliament this Christmas, and this "brings shame to all of us".

She adds that rough sleeping has "doubled" on the government's watch.

Lord Bourne says homelessness people dying "is a tragedy everywhere" but "is more complex" than is suggested.

He adds that a third of homeless people who have died this year have had drugs or alcohol in their system, although he says this is not to "minimise the issue".

"We must get the figures down," he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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The SNP's Pete Wishart criticises the behaviour of Conservative MPs yesterday after Jeremy Corbyn was accused of calling the prime minister a "stupid woman" - which he denies.

Their conduct after prime minister's questions was "disgusting" and "embarrassing", he says.

"As Rome was burning we were deciphering what the leader of the opposition muttered under his breath", he adds.

He criticises Andrea Leadsom's role in events, suggesting she made matters worse rather than "lowering the temperatures" as she should have done.

On Brexit, he asks whether Dominic Grieve's amendment - which increases Parliament's role over Brexit - will still stand when the debate on the government's deal resumes.

Andrea Leadsom says people have worked very hard on the complaints procedure, rejecting his suggestion that yesterday's events were "trivial".

She says there will be a business motion put down on the 9th of January which will set out the Brexit debate.

Regarding Dominic Grieve's amendment, she says it "remains an order of this House".

House of Lords
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Transport Minister Baroness Sugg says the Department of Transport and Ministry of Defence are "involved in the response" alongside ten police units "to try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible".

"We are doing everything we can," she stresses.

Conservative peer and pilot Lord Kirkhope said the All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation, which he chairs, "are concerned about the activity of drones in airspace at this time".

He calls for stricter "measures of accountability" on the selling and use of drones.

Baroness Sugg says from next November those who have a drone will have to register it and take a safety test.

Numerous peers, including Liberal Democrat peer Lord Dholakia, call for a transport minister to return to the House later today to announce a further update on the issue, and for passengers to be given clearer information about the situation as "many are confused".

Labour peer Lord Harris of Haringey says the current regulations "are insufficient" and that the government "needs to stop dragging its feet on the issue" and implement tighter restrictions on the usage of drones.

Baroness Sugg says the disruption to passengers "is not acceptable" and says the government is "working to ensure it does not happen again".

House of Commons
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Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom replies to say that the government "has a good record" in allowing requests for debates from the opposition.

"The NHS themselves are writing their long-term plan" and the government looks forward to seeing it as soon as it is available, she says.

She says that the business for the following week - when the final deal on the Brexit deal has been promised - will be unveiled on the 9th January.

"There were over 280 hours of debate" on the EU Withdrawal Act, she says, adding that the legislation took 11 months to pass through Parliament.

She adds that Valerie Vaz needs to consider "very seriously voting for it" [the agreement] in order to end uncertainty.

House of Lords
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Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Randerson is now asking a private notice question about the disruption at Gatwick Airport caused by drone activity.

Gatwick's runway has been shut since Wednesday night, when two drone devices were seen flying over the perimeter fence, leaving tens of thousands of passengers facing major disruption.

Baroness Randerson asks whether the matter is "an act of terror, or plain criminal irresponsibility", and what steps are being taken to ensure "no copy-cat attacks".

Transport Minister Baroness Sugg says earlier this year the government brought in a law to ensure that it is illegal to fly a drone less than 1km away from an airport to prevent incidents like this.

"It does seem that these drones are being used intentionally to disrupt the airport, but this is an ongoing investigation," she adds.

Shadow leader in the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon says the incident is unlikely to be "simply a teenager playing with an early Christmas present".

Baroness Smith questions whether the police have the equipment and expertise to solve the situation.

House of Commons
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Shadow leader of the house Valerie Vaz says this week's business statement is "very interesting".

She asks for confirmation that the vote on the government's Brexit deal will happen on Tuesday 15 January, as Andrea Leadsom did not specify a date in her statement.

She asks for a guarantee that there will be a vote, just as the prime minister has stated in Parliament.

"Is it a new motion on a new deal?" she asks, also demanding to know whether MPs that have already spoken will get to speak again.

She also asks where the ten-year plan for the NHS is - it was expected before the end of the year.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Andrea Leadsom says MPs will debate a further report from the Commons standards committee responding to the Cox report on bullying and sexual harassment in Parliament on January 7.

She says debate on the government's Brexit deal will resume on January 9, and continue on Thursday 10 - and possibly on Friday 11 too.

She does not give a precise date for the final vote - which the prime minister has said will take place during the following week, beginning on Monday 14.

The debate on deaths of homeless people has come to an end.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom will now announce future debates and votes in the House of Commons after the Christmas recess.

This announcement, which traditionally takes place on Thursday mornings, is known as the ‘business statement’.