House of Commons
Parliament

Tory MP Mark Francois says he has brought along a copy of the original business motion passed on 4 December which says "no motion to vary or supplement the provisions of this order shall be made except by a minister of the Crown, and the question on any such motion shall be put forthwith."

Mr Francois says he has never known any occasion when the Speaker has overruled a motion of the House of Commons.

"You have said again and again that you are a servant of this House, and we take your word," he adds, noting that the Speaker has said he cannot override a motion of the House "multiple times" before.

He questions why the Speaker is doing just this today.

Speaker John Bercow says "we are not treating a motion, but an amendment to a motion: there is a distinction between a motion and an amendment."

"I accept what the honourable gentleman says about a motion, but it doesn't apply to an amendment," he concludes.

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Peter Bone is an FoB (friend of Bercow) and makes his complaint about being told he could not put an amendment down to today’s Business of the House motion….

A suitably decorous replay comes from the Speaker, but the tension is ratchetting up...

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Following PMQs comes the first of several point of order about reports that an amendment to today's business motion has been selected for a vote by Speaker John Bercow.

Tory Eurosceptic MP Peter Bone says he went to the Parliament's Table Office last night and was told he would not be able to table an amendment of his own.

"I was told that would be totally out of order," he says.

In reply John Bercow says he was not aware he had tried to table an amendment, adding that it "seems doubtful" he would be able to do so now.

He goes on to add: "In my understanding, the motion is amendable", telling MPs: "I'm clear in my mind about that."

He is simply trying to "do the right thing and make the right judgments", he adds.

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Parliament

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran says that when she paid tribute to former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown, the MP for North West Leicester "shouted 'from the grave'".

She asks what can be done to rectify these remarks as they are "shameful" and "offensive".

The Speaker says "what was said should not have been said", adding that the opportunity is open to the individual to apologise if they wish to do so.

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen stands and says "I apologise if any offence was caused by my remarks."

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

At PMQs, another assurance from the PM that she will not seek to extend the Article 50 deadline, and, in effect, postpone Brexit Day.

And while this Prime Minister has eaten her words on plenty of occasions, (no snap election, no postponement of the Meaningful Vote….) she would have to devour a positive banquet of previous assurances in order to take that step now……

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Parliament

Labour MP Meg Hillier says the prime minister has had "20 dancing rebels, promised five golden trade agreements and has had one big defeat" yet she "still can't find her withdrawal agreement".

She asks if Theresa May has checked her pear tree.

Theresa May says "it was a good attempt but Christmas happened a few weeks ago".

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Parliament

Labour MP Rachel Maskell says her York constituency "has been in shock" as they learnt that 11 homeless people had died last year, yet substance abuse services has been cut, social housing hasn't been built and mental health services are "desperately underfunded and understaffed".

"Prime minister, I don't want to hear what you have done - because clearly it has failed," she says.

"I want to know what you are going to do differently so no homeless person dies this year."

The prime minister says every death of someone homeless or sleeping rough "is one too many". She says the government has committed over £1.2bn to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping, whilst they are also putting more money into mental health services.

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The SNP's Pete Wishart says defeats in Parliament are becoming a "regular feature" for Theresa May's government, and its Brexit deal is "as dead as the deadest dodo".

"How many more indignities can this prime minister endure before she realises she is the biggest part of this problem?" he asks, calling on her to "just go".

Theresa May replies that the government has negotiated a deal which "delivers on the referendum result", unlike the intentions of Mr Wishart's party.

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Labour MP Stephen Kinnock says he is part of a cross-party group of MPs in support of "Norway plus" and "common market 2.0".

He asks, if the EU withdrawal agreement is rejected, the prime minister will give MPs the opportunity to vote on the range of options available, including "common market 2.0".

He also asks for Tory MPs to get a free vote if this happens.

Theresa May says she is working to ensure the deal that has been agreed is supported by MPs. It is a good deal that delivers on the referendum, she says.

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Parliament

Conservative MP Huw Merriman says he will be voting for the prime minister's withdrawal agreement next Tuesday, but would like a further assurance.

He refers to section 33 of the agreement, saying that he would like to see no fee for settled status for EU nationals - adding that he was so confident that the government would provide this that he offered to pay for one European constituent.

"We should be offering this charge free so that our neighbours, our friends, our workers can stay in this country at our cost," he concludes.

Theresa May says the fee of £65 to apply for status to the scheme is in line with the current costs of receiving permanent residence documentation.

"It will be free of charge for those who hold valid permanent residence documentation and for children being looked after by a local authority," she adds, noting that if an individual applies for pre-settled status under the scheme, when they apply for settled status after April 2019 there will be no cost.

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Lib Dem MP Layla Moran says for the UK to leave the EU is "clearly in Russia's geopoltical interest".

She says it was "chilling" to hear Vladimir Putin "parroting" the words of the prime minister on why a further referendum should not take place.

Last month the Russian president accused the British political class of "disrespecting" the public by questioning the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Adding that "poll after poll" has shown a majority in favour of another referendum, she asks: "Whose side is this prime minister on: Putin's or the people's?"

Theresa May replies that she is on the side of the people, "to whom this Parliament gave the vote on the decision on whether to stay in the European Union".

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Parliament

Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith says he spent a week shadowing Whipps Cross Hospital staff over the recess, and that upgrades are needed to Whipps Cross and other NHS hospitals in north-east London.

He calls on the government to invest in the relevant buildings and facilities.

Theresa May says the health secretary has heard what he has been saying about Whipps Cross Hospital and would be happy to discuss this further.

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Lib Dem Sir Ed Davey begins his question by paying tribute to "our friend" Paddy Ashdown - the former Lib Dem leader who died in December. He says he was loved and respected across the House and across the country.

He raises the uniting of MPs last night behind his amendment to the Finance Bill, which called for a review of the 'loan charge'.

He asks the PM to meet with him and a cross-party delegation of other MPs to discuss how this can be moved forward.

Mrs May says the government accepted the amendment, and the first stage would be for the Chancellor to sit down with MPs to discuss the issue.

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Labour MP John Spellar says he welcomes the crackdown on cold calling to pensioners "to fleece money out of their pension pots".

But he questions whether then this is "dealing with the symptoms rather than the cause", noting that the cause was the "ill-judged" pension changes implemented by the previous Chancellor George Osborne "which gave the green light to the shysters".

Theresa May says the changes to pensions introduced by the previous Chancellor gave pensioners more flexibility to manage their own money.

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Tory MP Ken Clarke says it is clear there is no majority in Parliament for any future relationship with the EU after Brexit, except a majority that is "clearly against" leaving without a deal.

Stating that the prime minister must now be "flexible", he asks whether she will delay or revoke Article 50 if her deal is indeed defeated, calling it an "obvious step".

Theresa May replies that the framework for future relations with the EU has been agreed "in greater detail than many had expected" in the political declaration.

She says it is right to consider what role Parliament should play during the negotiations on this relationship, which she says should be "deep and close".

Analysis from Mark D'Arcy

The immediate shouts of “no” from Conservative MPs when Ken Clark suggested extending the Article 50 period or revoking A50 altogether demonstrate how dangerous this option will be, to the Tories’ fraying unity…...

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SNP MP Martyn Day says UK officials at Dover process 10,000 lorries a day from the EU, carrying food, medicines and other goods.

He raises the "government experiment on Monday with 89 lorries in a Kent car park", an asks whether this has given the PM confidence in her government's preparations for no deal.

Mrs May says the government is "doing exactly what is necessary and sensible to do" and if MPs are worried about the consequences of no deal, they should back the deal reached.