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Tory MP John Stevenson, who had tabled an amendment to the motion, says he has been sufficiently assured by the leader of the House and withdraws it.

He says the changes proposed need to be made "with our eyes open", with it important to recognise that the democratic legitimacy of the Standards Committee must be maintained.

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Shadow Leader of the House Valerie Vaz says House staff need to know they are valued, and that everyone is treated with respect in Parliament

She says the main proposal - allowing lay members of the standards committee to vote on recommendations on whether MPs should be disciplined - "changes the nature of the select committee".

"All the difficulties in the process will not be alleviated by giving lay members voting rights," she adds, noting that Dame Laura Cox agreed with this.

She says if lay members are given the a vote on the Standards Committee, "lay members must be covered by privilege" and that would require legislation.

“Lay members have to be protected," she warns.

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Before the debate began, a number of MPs raised points of order with the Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing, expressing frustration that the debate - "on a motion of huge constitutional significance" - is taking place with only 35 minutes left of business.

Opening the debate, Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom says "now more than ever we must not lose sight of our drive to improve the culture of this Parliament".

"Creating the Independent grievance and complaints system was the beginning and not the end of reforming the House of Commons", she adds, "I am keen that Dame Laura Cox’s concerns about the governance of the House are not brushed aside".

Intervening, Labour MP Jess Phillips says she has spoken to people who have been “raped, groped and abused in this building”. She says “we can see the people who were trying to stop” the changes proposed, “and that would be a disaster and a shame on this House”.

Concluding, Ms Leadsom says the report promotes clarity in the system and that "this is something we can all be united on; our shared ambition for our Parliament to be a world leader and an institution we are proud of."

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Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom is now introducing a debate on the fifth report from the Committee on Standards on implications of the Dame Laura Cox report for the House's Standards System.

On 25 October 2018 Dame Laura Cox published her report, external into allegations of bullying and harassment of House of Commons staff, which concluded that the new system for dealing with misbehaviour by MPs is not good enough and the culture and management must change.

The fifth report sets out measures, external which the House can take to enhance the independence of the Standards Committee and modernise the complaints procedure.

Its recommendations include:

• The House should give non-MPs equal status on the Committee in terms of voting rights.

• The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards should be allowed to initiate an inquiry into either a former Member or a matter which goes back more than seven years, without permission from the Committee.
• The Commissioner should not does require the permission of the Committee to make a referral of a case to the police, giving the Commissioner more independence.
• The requirement that complaints against Members should be submitted in hard copy before the Commissioner can investigate them be abolished.

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Winding up, Health Minister Steve Brine insists the government will not water down or lose any ambition in terms of tackling smoking. There is no desire to lower standards.

"We are absolutely committed to tobacco control standards", he says, reminding MPs that if they support the prime minister's Brexit deal, there will be no need for the regulation.

MPs approve the regulations without division.

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Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing points out that for the first time in Parliamentary history the orders before the House of Commons are illustrated, adding that "they are shocking."

Shadow Health Minister Sharon Hodgson begins by calling on the government to reverse cuts to Public Health.

Around 6.1 million adults in the UK smoke, says Ms Hodgson, "and it is never too late to quit".

She asks if the government will undertake a new study on e-cigarettes to see if they are fit for purpose and are not encouraging smoking for young people, and if there are any plans to use UK sourced photographs on cigarette packages.

"The opposition will support these regulations today in the hope that they will not be needed," she concludes.

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Peers are now responding to the repeat of the statement given to MPs on drones, which is being read by Transport Minister Baroness Sugg.

Labour spokesman Lord Tunnicliffe says the transport secretary has a personal responsibility for both passenger safety and to those affected by disruption at Gatwick. There has been many missed opportunities to introduce further legislation concerning drone use.

"We have known about this risk for many years", he says, "why was there not a plan?"

The whole issue of drones has been handled "chaotically". He asks "when the government is going to get a grip?"

Lib Dem Baroness Randerson suggests events at Gatwick highlight how the government has allowed itself to be distracted from other serious issues by Brexit. Today's proposals are "welcome, but they are far too vague". She calls for further action beyond legislation.

She says the Department for Transport has been "a gift for satirists" recently.

Baroness Sugg insists the government "have not been complacent", the issue is extremely complex and they are "taking action, and taking further action".

Following this, the Lords adjourn for the day.

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MPs are now considering tobacco and nicotine inhaling products regulations. This includes regulation of advertising and promotion, packaging, and toxicity and flavouring, all of which could be affected by Brexit.

Public Health Minister Steve Brine says the regulations will only be needed if there is no deal with the EU, and the government is determined to continue to control the tobacco industry after Brexit.

If Britain were to leave the EU without a deal, the UK will not have the copyright to use tobacco warning pictures. The government has signed a deal to use Australia’s tobacco picture warnings if this happens.

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Labour MP Nic Dakin says there were reports that there were no drones at all at Gatwick Airport, and asks the Transport Secretary to confirm how many malicious drones there were.

Chris Grayling says this was "a misspeak" by a police officer, and that there were at least one, possibly a few drones in the area.

These drones kept reappearing, he adds, but it is probable that it was only one.

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Liberal Democrat MP Jamie Stone says every passenger has the right to safe travel, and that it is in the interest of all of the world that knowledge of drones is shared.

Chris Grayling says the government is already seeking to share what it has learnt from the Gatwick incident.

He says this information will also be distributed to UK airports to ensure that confidence is restored.

"This strategy is about meeting the challenge of the inappropriate usage of drones," he adds.

Anna Soubry was verbally abused outside Parliament by protesters during a live BBC interview.

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Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald asks Mr Grayling: "is that it?"

The people who were disrupted at Gatwick "deserve much more".

Mr McDonald says members of all parties have criticised the handling of this situation, noting that Mr Grayling "was negligent to bring forward measures to protect national infrastructure" when a drone was spotted by Gatwick in Summer 2017.

"The failure to bring forward detailed plans on controlling drones has been disastrous," he says, "the rhetoric we have heard from this government today is miles from reality."

"Isn't it obvious that the Secretary of State is not up to the job?" he questions.

Mr Grayling says the Gatwick incident was not to do with inadequate laws, and was a deliberate criminal act.

"There is simply not an off-the-shelf model available to airports tomorrow to prevent this attack, and he is simply ill informed."

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Transport Secretary Chris Grayling says the disruption caused to Gatwick Airport last year was "deliberate, irresponsible, unacceptable and illegal".

He says he is clear that when those are responsible are caught they should receive the largest custodial sentence possible.

Drones must be used "safely and securely in the UK", a concept which was clear in the 5000 responses to the consultation, he says.

While noting that steps have already been taken to regulate this new industry, he says the police will be given additional powers to land, seize and search drones.

"The majority of drone users fly safely, but we must ensure that the police have the right powers to deal with those who do not," he adds.

He says the government will work on expanding technology to detect and repel drones in the UK, and that aviation is at the heart of this, so in addition, the exclusion zone where drones are banned from flying around airports will be extended.

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Baroness Williams of Trafford is now repeating a statement given earlier in the Commons by Sajid Javid on migrant crossings.

Opposition spokesperson Lord Kennedy of Southwark says that the language used has been "a little florid to say the least".

He asks what contingency measures have been taking place so that holes are not left in other services from the Royal Navy being deployed to deal with the situation.

Lib Dem Baroness Hamwee says "this is an awful situation, but relatively small numbers are involved" in the wider context of the "international refugee situation". She asks if there would have been a "quieter and calmer reaction" if the country "was not in mid-Brexit mode".

Baroness Williams says "the first rule of any vessel at sea is to protect lives at sea".

"What we do not want to do" is for British vessels to provide "an incentive" for risky journeys across the Channel.

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Transport Secretary Chris Grayling is now giving a statement on the drone consultation response.

From 26 July 2018 to 17 September 2018 a consultation looking at legislation monitoring the use, restrictions and enforcement of drones, external took place.

The consultation considered:

• the minimum age requirement for operators for small unmanned aircraft
• whether the 1km flight restriction around protected aerodromes is sufficient
• the powers required by enforcement bodies in order to properly police drone use and penalise incorrect use, including the possible use of fixed penalty notices
• counter drone technology system proposals

In December, about 1,000 flights were cancelled and 140,000 passengers affected over three days due to drone sightings by Gatwick Airport.

Last week, Gatwick and Heathrow announced they are to spend millions of pounds on anti-drone technology following the disruption before Christmas.

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Home Office Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford says "this is not just about legislation, and it isn't," she adds "this cannot just be solved by legislation".

She says that there will be further returns to complications raised by peers this afternoon, including acids in batteries for cars and mobility scooters, and whether or not they will be covered by carrying corrosive liquids.

The police already have powers to conduct stop and search for corrosive materials, she adds.

She says that prevention and early intervention are key to "tackling" the problem of violence.

With that, the Bill moves to a Grand Committee at a later date.

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Labour MP David Hanson asks how many convictions there have been for human trafficking in the last twelve months.

Sajid Javid says since April 2018, the UK has disrupted 46 organised criminal gangs for issues including people smuggling.

He adds that there will be increased surveillance.

Liberal Democrat MP Sir Ed Davey asks how many asylum seekers the UK has managed to send back to other EU countries.

Sajid Javid says that Mr Davey must "stop using this as a political game" as "this government cares about these people's lives".

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SNP Immigration spokesperson Stuart C McDonald questions why there are reports that Sajid Javid said real migrants wouldn't be part of these Channel crossings.

He asks for more clarification as to why this is deemed a major incident, and stresses concern that if the laws are tightened, it will put asylum seekers at risk.

Sajid Javid says he stands by his comments that genuine asylum seekers must be identified, and that it is important that migrants who are in France or another safe country seek asylum there rather than risking their lives travelling to the UK.

"Do not take this dangerous journey; if you are seeking protection, seek protection in the first safe country you can", he adds.

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Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott says Theresa May scrapped aerial surveillance of the Channel when she was Home Secretary.

Ms Abbott expresses concern at Mr Javid's classification of the crossings as a 'major incident'.

"There can be no question of turning back asylum seekers who have reached British shores," she says, adding that it is not for the Home Secretary to choose who is a genuine asylum seeker before analysis is carried out.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid says there is a definite trend in the number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel through dangerous means to get to the UK increasing, "and this is why this is a major incident and requires us to take more action".

"This is not a political football," he says, noting that action needs to be taken to save human lives and ensure controlled migration.

"If you have passed through a safe country it is expected that you claim asylum there first," the home secretary says, noting that this should be encouraged by all.

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Shadow communities minister Lord Kennedy of Southwark says that the opposition will support the bill, but expresses that they have "reservations" about it.

"It is the first duty of government to protect the public," he says, adding that police cuts are putting this in jeopardy.

Over 18,000 police staff have been axed since 2010, he says, adding that this has made communities less safe, as well as the reduction in youth workers and community support officers.

He says that the bill does "nothing to cut the root causes of crime" and does "nothing to tackle the bad side of social media" which can "incite violence".