Select Committee
Parliament

SNP's Stewart C. McDonald asks Doreen Lawrence how she feels the Metropolitan Police is doing addressing the Macpherson Report's recommendations, and moving on from the damning "institutionally racist" verdict.

She says that she's "always said that senior officers understand how to speak to people...but police on the beat don't get it" and that disproportionate and "intimidating" tactics are still used against black suspects.

She adds that career progression for black officers seems to be stalling.

"Look around at the top table how many people of colour do you see? Not many."

Mr McDonald asks if the force is still "institutionally racist".

Baroness Lawrence says that "in some respect they still are...nobody wants to be labelled that but undercover it still exists".

Stephen Lawrence was a black teenager stabbed to death in South London in an unprovoked attack by a gang of white youths in April 1993.

Despite a tip off to the police and two of the gang being identified by Stephen Lawrence’s friend, Duwayne Brooks, no charges were brought.

Two of the men, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were eventually convicted of the crime in 2012, almost 20 years after the murder.

In 1998 a public inquiry, headed by Sir William Macpherson, was held to examine claims that the Lawrence murder had been racially motivated and that the police and the Crown Prosecution Service had failed to deal with the murder properly also due to issues of race.

The report found that the Metropolitan Police was “institutionally racist” and made numerous suggestions for how improvements could be made.

Image source, Lawrence family

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Baroness Lawrence says she's been looking for information about the Metropolitan Police's implementation of Sir William Macpherson's 70 recommendations but found it "really difficult".

She says she's worried that implementation of the report has "become stagnant, nothing seems to have moved".

Sir William's 70 recommendations applied to the police and other agents of the state and ranged from the definition of a racist crime to suggestions for how police officers should be trained to understand racism and targets for recruitment of minority ethnic police officers.

The Home Affairs Committee will take evidence on the Macpherson report, the result of the inquiry into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993.

It is 20 years since the report branded the Metropolitan Police “institutionally racist” after a series of failures in the investigation of the racially motivated murder.

The first witness will be Stephen Lawrence’s mother, Doreen Lawrence, now Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and a campaigner for victims of racist crime.

From 11am the committee will hear from serving and former black and minority ethnic police officers:

• DS Janet Hills, Chair, Metropolitan Black Police Association
• Inspector Mustafa Mohammed, President, National Association of Muslim Police
• Police Sergeant Tola Munro, President, National Black Police Association
• Bevan Powell, former chair, Metropolitan Black Police Association and founding member, National Black Police Association

Welcome to today's coverage of the House of Commons, Lords and committee rooms.

We'll be crossing over to a Home Affairs Committee session shortly.

The cash depended on now-abandoned plans to make the X-Trail model in the UK.

House of Commons
Parliament

Nissan will be forced to reapply for nearly £60m of taxpayer support after backtracking on a promise to build its X-Trail SUV in Sunderland.

The company has received £2.6m of the funds.

In a statement to MPs, Business Secretary Greg Clark said the X-Trail would have created 741 UK jobs.

But he told the House of Commons that Nissan had committed to building its Qashqai, Juke and Leaf models in Sunderland, where it employs 7,000 workers.

Mr Clark also said: "While the decision was made on broader business grounds, Nissan commented on the need for us to come together and resolve the question of our future trading relationship with the EU. I believe their advice should be listened to and acted upon."

House of Commons
Parliament

Both social security motions are approved without division in the Commons.

With that, the Commons moves to a general debate on sport in the UK.

House of Commons
Parliament

The Commons are now debating two motions on social security.

The first motion is on the guaranteed minimum pensions increase, external, the second on pensions automatic enrolment, external.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Ann Clwyd asks a point of order about Labour MPs in less affluent constituencies being offered money for their areas in exchange for supporting Theresa May's Brexit deal.

She asks the Speaker whether targeting individual constituencies in this way is acceptable, and notes that many, including Labour chairman Ian Lavery, have accused Theresa May of playing "divide and rule" over Brexit.

MPs should not be under pressure to vote in a particular way in order to get funding for their area, Ms Clwyd adds, noting that there are no circumstances under which she would support the Prime Minister‘s deal.

Ms Clwyd says under Erskine May, targeting individual constituencies is "contrary to the dignity of the House".

The Speaker says on the matter of contempt, allegations have customarily to be raised with the chair in writing.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Jack Dromey says the automotive industry is the "jewel in the crown of manufacturing excellence", and says fears of no-deal are already having a significant impact on the sector.

He says that he is aware the business secretary is against no-deal, and calls for him to strengthen his position on this with the government.

He further calls for a deal to be sought with the EU that includes "a comprehensive customs union".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Ian Mearns, whose constituency is 5 miles from the Nissan plant, warns that the north east is "in danger of being left behind". He asks for a "task force to rescue the north east economy".

Mr Clark says that the resurgence of Nissan in the north east in recent years is something "we should celebrate".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable says this morning Business Minister Richard Harrington said the £61m grant to Nissan from the UK government would still be intact despite the decision not to manufacture the new model in Sunderland.

He adds that in his statement, Business Secretary Greg Clark said Nissan would have to reapply for funding.

Mr Cable asks for clarity about how much of the £61m grant Nissan has been paid to date.

Business Secretary Greg Clark says "£2.6m is what has been paid to date."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Bridget Phillipson, who represents Sunderland South, says that even if the deal is agreed by the Commons, that "years of uncertainty" will still cause problems for businesses.

Mr Clark says that he is familiar what goes into investment plans, and the deal brokered by the PM and the EU meets the needs of the car industry.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour MP Sharon Hodgson says in her constituency of Washington and Sunderland West, Nissan and the supply chain employ 40,000 people.

She asks what immediate steps is the government taking to reassure the whole UK automotive industry.

Business Secretary Greg Clark says the best way to support stability is to back Theresa May's Brexit deal and that it is in the interest of every MP to realise this.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Julie Elliott, who has the Nissan plant in her constituency, asks what assurances can be made that the government will come up with a Brexit agreement which will secure jobs. She warns that the PM's deal is not going to get approval from the Commons.

Mr Clark says it is a responsibility for the Commons to "come together" and "put differences aside" so that Nissan and other investors can receive certainty.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

The SNP's business spokesperson Drew Hendry says that the Greg Clark has put a "brave face" on this news "which has Brexit at its heart".

He states that all manufacturers say that "any deal" is worse for the UK than the current arrangements under EU membership. He asks what hope there is for small businesses if a business like Nissan cannot cope with Brexit.

Mr Clark says "there is a greater amount of financial investment going into Sunderland than was anticipated in 2016".

He says that the deal commands the "positive confidence of the industry" including from the head of Ford in Europe.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Business Secretary Greg Clark says the support to the car manufacturing sector has been available for many years, but that Nissan will "be invited to resubmit an application" in light of the changes.

"Nissan is committed to Sunderland," he says, but notes that cross-party support for a deal is the best scenario for the industry.

Mr Clark adds that he wants "no disorderly Brexit", and that if Ms Long-Bailey wants to avoid no-deal Brexit she should ratify the agreement

Nissan representatives asked him to give the Labour party the message to communicate with the government to secure a deal, he says.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey says that yesterday's decision is a "bitter blow to the north east".

She says the "juggernaut of government chaos goes on" as it continues to consider no-deal Brexit a possibility.

"Today we finally" saw a copy of the letter that the government sent to Nissan in 2016, which confirmed fears over why manufacturers did not want the UK to leave the customs union, she says.

She asks him to rule out the possibility of a Brexit no-deal.

She says that this announcement comes a few days after the EU removed tariffs between the bloc and Japan, which will see tariffs reduced to zero over the next 10 years.

She says Brexit and the UK's industrial strategy has reached a "tipping point" as the UK's handling of Brexit is harming businesses.

The carmaker will make its new X-Trail overseas despite first pledging to produce the model in Sunderland.