Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Crossbencher Lord Cromwell asks what happens in the event of no deal for EU citizens who arrive after 29 March. He asks what their status will be in UK law.

Mr Javid says that if the Immigration Bill is passed then there will be a "transition system" from 30 March to a "new immigration system".

Lord Cromwell says that there is a "whole cohort" of people who are relying on Mr Javid's "pragmatism". He asks if employers are required to check eligibility to work.

Mr Javid replies that employers have to check everyone's right to work, "that won't change," he states.

As far as EU citizens are concerned, there will be no more action than is required currently, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour MP Stephen Twigg stands to speak to amendment a which is tabled in his name.

His amendment seeks to add to the list of specified purposes when individuals can travel to 'designated areas' those which do fall within the category “aid of a humanitarian nature”.

The additional travelling purposes Mr Twigg wishes to add include:

• Carrying out work on a development project or programme
• Carrying out work on a peace building project or programme
• Carrying out work relating to human rights monitoring or advocacy

He says his amendment "reverses the burden of proof" for those travelling to war zones, as "it would be wrong to have the unintended effect of deterring people with perfectly legitimate reasons from travelling for doing so".

Mr Twigg says without this amendment, he is concerned that there would not be sufficient protection for aid workers and the organisations that employ them, which could have "devastating effects on the distribution of aid".

He calls for the government to accept his amendment, or to confirm that 'peace building' will be included in the list of reasonable excuses to travel to a designated area, as it is "dangerous yet important work".

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, BEN BIRCHALL

The Defence Committee of MPs will begin their evidence session with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson shortly, as part of their inquiry on departmental priorities post-Nato summit.

Mr Williamson will be joined by a number of senior defence staff:

• Lieutenant General Richard Nugee - Chief of Defence People
• Air Marshal Richard Knighton - Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Financial and Military Capability)
• Angus Lapsley - Director General Strategy and International, Ministry of Defence

This is a continuation of a previous evidence session in October, which was cut short, but is also the first opportunity for the committee to take evidence following the publication of the Modernising Defence Programme document in December 2018.

The session will likely cover Nato, UK-US relations, threats and the protection of former and serving personnel from historic allegations.

Matters that have arisen since October, such as the airport drone incidents and the US announcements on the INF Treaty and the Middle East are also likely to be discussed.

House of Commons
Parliament

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SNP MP Gavin Newlands says the SNP welcome the amendments in the Lords "which as an SNP member, I say through gritted teeth".

He adds that he is pleased the government has dropped opposition to some of the safeguards, and allowed a guide on the reasonable excuse defence.

Like Mr Thomas-Symonds, Mr Newlands does call for clarification of those with a 'reasonable excuse' to enter a war zone which does not feature on the guided list, and calls for "peace building activity" to be a valid reason for travel to a designated area.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Crossbencher the Earl of Kinnoull says that testing of the registration scheme attracted fewer citizens than hoped for. He raises concerns that EU citizens with more complex histories have not yet been targeted in registering on the scheme.

He asks how the system is "performing generally" and how long it is taking for applications to work through the system.

Sajid Javid says the fact that under 30,000 people took part was not "unexpected" as the trial was on an "entirely voluntary basis".

He says that he has been satisfied by the performance of the scheme so far during the trial. There are eventually "millions" of people who will be using the service, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow Home Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds says Labour will try to work constructively on these serious matters.

He notes that previously it was illegal to download terrorist videos, but not to stream them and that "both of these should be illegal".

He adds that he is pleased that the government have accepted concessions through Lords amendment 1 about exceptions for individuals travelling to "designated areas", as he was concerned for the rights of journalists and academics.

"The last thing anyone wants to do is to deter people with a perfectly reasonable motive from going to what are generally areas of conflict," he says.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Liberal Democrat Baroness Ludford says individuals who are granted settled status will not receive formal written confirmation that they are settled. She asks if landlords will be able to contact the Home Office with their reference numbers to check their eligibility to stay in the UK.

"In the light of Windrush, wouldn't it be sensible for people to say 'I want a piece of paper'?" she asks.

Mr Javid says it is a "digital status system" so status is "recorded electronically" and held on a permanent record. He says it is part of trying to make the process as "straightforward, as quick" as possible.

He adds that EU citizens can print off their confirmation page after they have completed the form.

Baroness Kennedy says: "I love your confidence" to the home secretary.

Select Committee
Parliament

Crossbencher Baroness Neuberger asks what the government is doing for older EU citizens who may not be computer literate.

Mr Javid says that the Home Office is consulting with some EU groups who may not be technically literate or able to use a computer. Grants are being given to these groups to help affected citizens apply, he replies.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Conservative Baroness Shackleton says that she has previously asked the Home Office to change the tone of messaging to show EU citizens they are "welcome".

She says that the UK relies on builders and doctors from the EU, and these citizens will feel that they are being "interrogated". She states that the government should have apologised for charging the £65 fee as soon as it was reversed yesterday.

Mr Javid says that EU citizens are "very much part of our community" and the UK is "proud of its history of immigration".

Baroness Shackleton asks if the EU registration form says "thank you" for the contribution EU citizens are making to the UK in it.

Mr Javid replies that the form is "very user friendly and very forward leaning".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Opening debate of the Lords amendments, Home Office Minister Ben Wallace says he will begin by discussing Lords amendment 1.

This amendment revises situations in which an individual, who goes into or remains in a designated area such as a war zone, would not be committing an offence by that act.

It states that those providing humanitarian aid, carrying out work for the United Nations and working as a journalist would not be committing an offence.

Mr Wallace says: "We are not drawing a circle around somewhere and saying no one is allowed in - but you will have to present a reasonable excuse and it can be tested and investigated."

He says the Lords have noted that there are "legitimate reasons" for people being in war zones, but they must have "a reasonable excuse for going" as "foreign fighters are an emerging threat".

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is appearing before a Lords committee to answer questions on EU citizens rights after Brexit.

Yesterday, the government confirmed that it would not charge EU nationals living in the UK £65 in order to register to stay after the UK leaves.

The Lords previously recommended, external to the government that the UK should guarantee the rights of three million EU nationals who live and work in the UK.

Chair, Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws, says that she was "relieved to see" that the "funding issue was resolved" for those applying for settled status.

She says that the advert for the scheme, aimed at EU nationals was described as "disgusting" by the editor of the Spectator and was described as "Orwellian" by the Financial Times.

Mr Javid thanks Baroness Kennedy for appreciating the changes to the fee arrangements.

He says that he did not see the social media advert before it was published, but he would have approved it.

He states the reason is because "there is a real parallel" between the Windrush scandal and the need for EU citizens to register today.

Image source, Getty Images

MPs are now discussing Lords' amendments to the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill.

If MPs agree to the amendments, the bill will receive royal assent.

This bill aims to:

• Amend certain terrorism offences for the digital age and to reflect contemporary patterns of radicalisation
• Increase the maximum penalty for certain offences, ensuring the punishment better reflects the crime and better prevents re-offending
• Manage offenders following their release from custody
• Strengthen powers of the police to prevent and investigate terrorist offences
• Harden the UK's defences at the border against hostile state activity

House of Commons
Parliament

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SNP MP Alan Brown introdues his Green Deal (Conduct of Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd) Bill.

The bill would require the secretary of state to review the home energy and lifestyle management limited (HELM) and to compensate people mis-sold loans under the Green Deal - an energy saving scheme that was launched by the previous coalition government.

The scheme was designed to incentivise energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for homes, "but customers were left with long-term debts after signing up for energy-saving home improvements," Mr Brown says.

In all, 4,662 households in the UK are effected by Green Deal loans, Mr Brown says, noting that over 75% of these loans are in the range of 20 to 25 years long.

He calls for a review on loans taken out under the Green Deal scheme, for compensation to be paid out "to all those affected", and for aftercare to be offered to those that are financially suffering due to loans.

"Greater transparency is needed," he concludes.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour MP Chris Bryant asks if votes can be moved earlier in the day as they are often late in the evenings which does not suit members with young families.

He also asks about reports that February recess will be cancelled due to Brexit.

Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom says the House has agreed its recess arrangements in February and that "It would be a matter for the House, but I have no plan to change it".

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Jess Phillips says she is "certain" that somebody will seek to block progress and object to the motion on Monday.

She warns that she - along with her "feminist army" - will "make a misery" of the lives of anyone who seeks to do that.

Ms Leadsom says she agrees someone will likely attempt to block it, warning "beware, anyone considering it".

SNP Alison Thewliss asks what she will do to prevent anyone blocking the motion, to which Andrea Leadsom suggests MPs will need "examine their consciences and act in accordance with them".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative MP Julian Lewis says he is pleased that a motion is being produced "but it does not go far enough".

He says at the end of the one-year pilot scheme, he believes the procedure should be rolled out to those who are ill as well.

He also calls for electronic voting not to be implemented in the Commons.

Andrea Leadsom says Mr Lewis's opinions show that more debate is needed on whether to rollout the procedure to other categories.

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs from both sides of the House, Conservative Andrea Jenkyns and Labour's Ellie Reeves, thank Speaker John Bercow for his role in introducing a nursery to the House of Commons.

Ms Jenkyns speaks of the "guilt" of having to "drag" a newborn baby across the country for key votes, whilst Ellie Reeves says the nursery was a contributing factor when deciding to stand as an MP.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Cat Smith, who has just returned from six months away from the Commons after having a baby, says she would have rather had the opportunity to vote by proxy than the option of pairing.

She says she wants to stress to the leader of the House how important it is to ensure proxy voting becomes procedure "to bring this place into the mid-20th century in terms of work place rights".

Labour MP Emma Reynolds says "pairing for me was not enough", as her reputation was disputed in a newspaper claiming she had the "worst voting record in Parliament".

"People in this place should be able to have babies and vote," she concludes.

Ms Leadsom says the way Ms Reynolds was treated in the press was "disgusting" and that she hopes this does not happen in the future.