Summary

  • MPs vote to reject a government motion on Brexit

  • Some Brexiteers were unhappy with it, saying it implies support for ruling out a no-deal Brexit

  • Amendments put forward by Labour and the SNP were also rejected

  • Tory MP Anna Soubry decided not to push her amendment to a vote

  • It would have called on ministers to publish certain no-deal briefing papers

  1. Call for action over renewable energy technologiespublished at 11:45 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Barry GardinerImage source, HoC

    Shadow energy and climate change minister Barry Gardiner says that children are going on strike later this week to protest about a lack of action on renewable energy technologies. He says that the UK spends £10.5bn subsidising fossil fuels, while solar energy producers are forced to give their excess energy back to the national grid for free

    Claire Perry says that the UK has "led the world in decarbonisation in the past 25 years". She says that the UK does not subsidise fossil fuels.

  2. Export tariff level for solar energy homes 'under consideration'published at 11:43 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Claire PerryImage source, HoC

    Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake kicks off today's business, energy and industrial strategy questions, asking what steps the government has taken to ensure that solar power can compete on a level playing field with other energy generation technologies.

    Mr Brake calls for a minimum price for households exporting electricity that will allow confidence that new solar homes will receive consistent treatment in comparison to other energy technologies.

    Energy Minister Claire Perry says the level at which the export tariff is set and a mechanism for it to be set is under consideration "but is a matter for a consultation".

    Ms Perry says she is in continuous talks with the solar trade association and that the government are moving rapidly to "a subsidy world of solar energy".

  3. Concern over status of EU citizens who do not apply to settlement schemepublished at 11:41 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    Home Affairs Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Colin Yeo, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers and Founder and Editor, Free MovementImage source, HoC

    Barrister Colin Yeo says some of the "hostile environment checks" are suspended, including he thinks, checks on renters and opening bank accounts.

    However he adds, after the deadline those who did not apply to the EU Settlement Scheme would be "unlawfully resident" and "it is not clear" if this would immediately be a criminal offence.

    Mr Yeo says that working and driving would be a criminal offence. He adds that employers could be compelled to sack non-applicants, landlords might have to evict them and bank could be closed down.

    Law Lecturer Dr Adrienne Yong says should non-application become an offence, there is a presumption of automatic deportation and that would be a "significant problem".

  4. A resolution to months of Brexit indecision?published at 11:32 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    This week's Brexit votes may not come to much - the PM is essentially asking for more time.

    Read More
  5. Consequences of not applying to EU Settlement Scheme 'dire'published at 11:26 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    Home Affairs Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    The second panel of witnessesImage source, HoC

    Chair of the committee Yvette Cooper welcomes the second panel and again asks them about their impressions of the scheme.

    Dr Adrienne Yong from City University of London says it is a "fairly straight forward process" for applicants and the scrapping of the £65 fee was "welcome".

    Barrister and founder of Free Movement, Colin Yeo, states the system is a "huge experiment in technology and human behaviour" and it is "inevitable there is not going to be 100% take up".

    Jill Rutter from British Future says there is a much better "culture of openness and consultation" compared with the past but there "seems" to be a lack of planning in the information campaign.

    Luke Piper, solicitor at the3million group, says the consequences of not applying have not been "laid bare" by the government and are "dire".

  6. Today in the Commonspublished at 11:21 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Our coverage of the Commons will begin at 11.30am with business, energy and industrial strategy questions.

    At around 12.30pm, Theresa May is expected to arrive in the Commons to make a statement on leaving the EU.

    After this, Digital, Culture Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Wright will make a statement on the Cairncross Review, a government-backed report into the future of the UK news industry.

    The review calls for a regulator to oversee tech giants like Google and Facebook to ensure their news content is trustworthy, backs tax relief to encourage the provision of local journalism and calls for a new Institute for Public Interest News.

    Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat will then introduce his Child Cruelty (Sentences) Bill which calls for longer sentences for child cruelty crimes than the current ten year maximum.

    The bill is prompted by the case of his constituent Tony Hudgell, now four-years-old, who was beaten so badly by his birth parents that he had to have both legs amputated.

    MPs will then complete the remaining stages of the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill, external which intends to reform the process for authorising arrangements which enable people who lack capacity to consent to being deprived of their liberty in order to be provided with care or treatment.

    Labour MP Owen Smith will close today's proceedings with his adjournment debate on the licensing of medical devices.

  7. Government not acting in 'interests' of British childrenpublished at 10:58 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    Home Affairs Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Labour MP Stephen DoughtyImage source, HoC

    Labour MP Stephen Doughty asks about those whose residence is required to enable a British child or dependent adult to remain in the UK.

    Marianne Lagrue says that no provision has been guaranteed and the parents are "effectively" being asking "to leave the country and take their British children with them".

    The policy manager says these children are likely to be from a mixed family where one parent is an EU citizen, but their other parent is the sole carer.

    Without provision, the parent could be "suddenly forced" to go from a free application to the family migration rules scheme that costs £2,033 and must be remade every two and a half years, she adds.

    Legal Officer Nicole Masri says "this is simply not acceptable" and this is a "potentially really vulnerable cohort of individuals".

    "It doesn't take into account the interests of these children," she adds.

  8. Domestic abuse victim unable to get settled statuspublished at 10:48 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    Home Affairs Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    Conservative MP Rehman ChishtiImage source, HoC

    Conservative Rehman Chishti asks how long it takes to make a successful application.

    Marianne Lagrue, from Coram Children’s Legal Centre, said her organisation assisted 72 applications, some were decided the following day and others are still waiting from December.

    Rights of Women have helped with 16 applications on behalf of women and children. Legal Officer Nicole Masri, says she had one application from a non-EU citizen estranged from EU citizen parents because of domestic abuse. The system did not allow her to obtain settled status as she was not applying with her parents.

  9. EU Settlement Scheme not 'intuitive' for children's applicationspublished at 10:20 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    Home Affairs Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    The panel of witnessesImage source, HoC

    Chair Yvette Cooper asks the panel what their impressions are of the EU Settlement Scheme.

    Abigail Adieze, from Waltham Forest Borough Council, says she has encountered a lot of difficulties with the application and the criteria for looked-after children.

    "A lot of our young people have no id at all," she says.

    Marianne Lagrue, Policy Manager at Coram Children’s Legal Centre, says the scheme is designed for those working in the UK and been adapted for children but isn't "intuitive".

    Legal officer at Rights of Women Nicole Masri says the scheme puts the "burden" on EU citizens and their families. She adds that this is not a scheme "conferring status".

    There is no legal aid for the scheme, she says.

    Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive of NHS Employers, says there was some "confusion" over Irish nationals and if they had to apply. He is also concerned that the technology is android based and adds that not everyone has access to android devices.

  10. Committee examines the EU Settlement Schemepublished at 10:00 Greenwich Mean Time 12 February 2019

    Home Affairs Committee

    Select Committee
    Parliament

    The Union Flag and the Flag of EuropeImage source, GETTY IMAGES

    The Home Affairs Committee is to hear evidence from organisations on the EU Settlement Scheme.

    Applications to settle after Brexit are open to EU citizens who will have lived in the UK for a continuous five-year period by the end of next year.

    Under current EU rules, citizens have a right to live and work in any member state. The prime minister says that free movement to the UK will end when the country leaves the EU

    Last month, Theresa May scrapped the scheme’s £65 application fee. The Liberal Democrats say that refunding the 30,000 applications could cost the government up to £1.95m.

    The deadline for applying will be 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, or if a deal is agreed, the deadline will be 30 June 2021.

  11. May to give Brexit update on Tuesdaypublished at 21:49 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    The statement comes ahead of an expected debate on Brexit options on Thursday.

    Read More
  12. Recap: Important not to claim victory over IS 'too quickly'published at 21:29 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told MPs that the struggle to combat the ideology of the Islamic State group will take longer than military success "and is far from over".

    He told MPs that "until then we must be vigilant".

    He said that as Islamic State were driven out of territorial strongholds, they are leading increasingly towards guerrilla warfare, and military action against the group should be maintained.

    "The territorial defeat of Islamic State does not mean the defeat of Islamic State," he said in a statement to the Commons about measures to combat the terror group.

    "It is important in this battle not to claim victory too quickly as Islamic State could come back."

    Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry asked whether the 2015 mandate for military action would need to be renewed for continued engagement in Syria.

    In 2015, MPs backed UK air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria, by 397 votes to 223, after an impassioned 10-hour Commons debate.

  13. Rudd links food bank rise to benefit messpublished at 19:30 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    The work and pensions secretary said difficulty in accessing universal credit was "one of the causes".

    Read More
  14. A look ahead to what is happening in Parliament on Tuesdaypublished at 19:19 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    Media caption,

    Theresa May is expected to make a fresh Brexit statement in Parliament tomorrow. BBC parliamentary correspondent, Susan Hulme, talks to researcher,Daniel Kraemer, about what's happening...

  15. MPs debate Financial Services (Implementation of Legislation) Billpublished at 18:18 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    Financial Services (Implementation of Legislation) Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    MPs are now moving on to the second reading of the Financial Services (Implementation of Legislation) Bill.

    This bill will aim to provide the government with powers to implement and make changes to 'in flight' files of EU financial services legislation.

    The powers will last for two years after the UK's withdrawal from the EU, in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

    'In flight' refers to pieces of EU legislation that:

    • have been adopted by the EU but not yet enacted, and so would not apply under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
    • are currently in negotiation and may be adopted up to two years following EU withdrawal
  16. What is Islamic State?published at 18:15 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    Statement on Islamic State

    Last year, it was announced by the US that 98% of the territory previously held by Islamic State Group was recaptured by other forces.

    At its peak, it's estimated that 10 million people were living under Islamic State control.

    Islamic State Group grew out of al-Qaeda in Iraq, which was formed by Sunni militants after the US-led invasion in 2003 and became a major force in the country's sectarian insurgency.

    In 2011, the group joined the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, where it found a safe haven and easy access to weapons.

    At the same time, it took advantage of the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, as well as widespread Sunni anger at the sectarian policies of the country's Shia-led government.

    In 2013, the group began seizing control of territory in Syria and changed its name to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis or Isil).

    The following year, Isis overran large swathes of northern and western Iraq, proclaimed the creation of a "caliphate", and became known as "Islamic State".

  17. Labour MP welcomes 'near final defeat of bunch of fascists'published at 18:14 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    Statement on Islamic State

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Hilary BennImage source, HoC

    Labour MP Hilary Benn says he welcomes the near final defeat on the battlefield of "this bunch of fascists", but questions who is taking responsibility for collecting forensic evidence "so that those who committed these crimes can be brought to justice".

    Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the United Nations security council has set up an investigatory body which will be looking in to this.

    "We have to acknowledge the mistakes that we have made in the past in the Middle East," Mr Hunt says, noting that "as a new foreign secretary it is not an area of the world that one comes to understand quickly".

  18. Evidence 'insufficient' to delay start of school daypublished at 17:51 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    Secondary School Opening Hours Debate

    Westminster Hall

    Education Minister Nick GibbImage source, HoC

    Education Minister Nick Gibb says that every child's school experience should be a "happy one" and the government wants them to be "receptive to what is being taught".

    Mr Gibb says at present there is "insufficient" evidence that a 10am start time would be beneficial to teenagers.

    The change may cause "difficulties" for working parents, he adds.

    The ministers says the government has "high ambition" for all pupils and wants to ensure they have the opportunity to "thrive and excel".

    He adds there is "broad" but not "universal" agreement that teenagers need more sleep.

    The government welcomes the chief medical officer's report on screen-time, which advises that phones are kept out of the bedroom at night.

    He adds good mental health is a government "priority".

    Labour MP Daniel Zeichner then concludes the debate, saying there is a "strength of feeling" from young people through this petition.

  19. Hunt: 'Important in this battle not to claim victory too quickly'published at 17:51 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    Statement on Islamic State

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Emily ThornberryImage source, HoC

    Responding to Mr Hunt's statement, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry says this statement from the foreign secretary should have been delivered earlier.

    She asks what estimate he has made of the strength of Islamic State forces still in Syria, whether they will be removed in "coming weeks", and whether the government has an "open-ended commitment to military action" there.

    Ms Thornberry further asks if the foreign secretary will accept the 2015 mandate for military action will be needed to be renewed if continued engagement in Syria is going to happen, and what estimates the government has made of the true number causalities caused by British planes and drones in air strikes.

    Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt apologises for the delay for this statement.

    "The territorial defeat of Islamic State does not mean the defeat of Islamic State," he adds, "it is important in this battle not to claim victory too quickly as Islamic State could come back."

    Some military interventions have not been successful, but this has been extremely successful in reducing the risk to British citizens, and has not been led by Britain alone, he adds, but notes that Ms Thornberry was wrong to say the government has an "open-ended commitment to military action".

  20. Child hospital attendance for sleep disorders 'tripled in 10 years'published at 17:39 Greenwich Mean Time 11 February 2019

    Secondary School Opening Hours Debate

    Westminster Hall

    Shadow Education Minister Mike KaneImage source, HoC

    Shadow education minister Mike Kane says many people would "dismiss" the debate, but there is "growing" evidence that starting the school later would be better for teenagers.

    The Labour MP says a 2017 study found the change to the school day can lead to better academic performance and improved health.

    Mr Kane says that children are sleeping less around the world, and in the UK, hospital attendance for children under 14 with sleep disorders has tripled in the last 10 years.

    Two-thirds of teenagers use their phone an hour before bed, he adds.

    The shadow minister says just 8% of the mental health budget is spent on children, despite being 20% of the population.