House of Lords
Parliament

Baroness Fairhead says the amendment from Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb has limitations, including its reference to "standards", which she says is not clear.

She adds that protections over areas including agri-foods are secured by the bill, and that the UK strives to uphold the highest standards possible across food, agriculture and human rights.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb subsequently withdraws her amendment.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, the only Green Party member of the House of Lords, speaks in favour of an amendment she has tabled on regulatory standards after Brexit.

The amendment says Brexit should not lead to a reduction in animal health, environmental protection, food safety, employment or labour standards.

"I'm not looking to cause trouble here or to undermine the government...for a change," she says.

She seeks assurances from Baroness Fairhead that the government will not undermine existing standards in EU trade agreements with other countries.

Earlier the Palace of Westminster authorities said that a "suspicious package has been found in the Peers' entrance" and asked people to avoid the area.

UPDATE:

The alert put out by the Parliamentary internal information system is a false alarm.

Police responded as a precaution but have now said it was not dangerous.

The debate at report stage today comes after months of delay.

During the bill's earlier stage in the Lords, peers endorsed a Labour proposal that the next stage should not take place until ministers had published their detailed plans for concluding trade deals.

The Department for International Trade published this information, external last week.

It was required to set out government policy on the role for Parliament in scrutinising trade agreements, and the role for the devolved legislatures and administrations.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Opening the Trade Bill's report stage, Minister for International Trade Baroness Fairhead says scrutiny of future trade agreements is "very important".

"We hear concerns about transparency and a desire for Parliament to be involved at every stage of the negotiations," she says.

She notes that the government has brought forward proposals which "give Parliament, and this House in particular, the reassurance that the government is committed to scrutiny".

She says these proposals will be announced during the course of the report stage.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Over in the Lords, peers begin debate on the Trade Bill, legislation to prepare the government for its new trade powers after Brexit which has already passed through the Commons.

The bill will give the UK powers to rollover existing EU trade deals with other countries, and allow the UK to continue to implement international commitments on public procurement.

It will also create a new body to defend UK businesses against unfair trade practices, and grant the government the legal ability to gather and share trade information.

House of Commons
Parliament

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MPs are now debating legislation to allow the UK government to set energy rates in Northern Ireland in the absence of a devolved executive.

Opening the debate, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley says she would like to "clarify" comments she made earlier that deaths at the hands of the security forces during the Troubles were "not crimes".

"The point I was seeking to convey was that the overwhelming majority of those who served carried out their duties with courage, professionalism and integrity and within the law", she says.

She says she was not referring to any specific cases but expressing a general view.

"Of course where there is evidence of wrongdoing it should always be investigated, whoever is responsible, this of course matters for the police and prosecuting authorities who are independent of government".

House of Commons
Parliament

Theresa May is now back in the Commons, to back a motion to appoint Gareth Davies as the new head of the National Audit Office (NAO), replacing Sir Amyas Morse.

She says she is sure Mr Davies will be a "worthy servant of this House and this country".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour's Melanie Onn - whose Grimbsy constituency voted Leave - says she would like to "cautiously welcome" the new measures from the government.

She says they do not meet the "gold standard" of a private member's bill she drafted on workers' rights, but says there is "much to be welcomed".

"I suggest that there may be further work that he needs to do to try and reassure more people", she says, specifically on the fact that government statements will only relate to primary legislation.

Greg Clark says ministers will look into whether they can give a "reassurance" on this matter.

He adds the government may use a list of EU laws she compiled when researching her bill as the "basis" for a list of relevant EU employment directives.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour's Jack Dromey says Brexit means the existing option of enforcing rights by taking UK public bodies to the European court will no longer exist.

He says the government's new pledges will be "worthless" unless new rights are "legally enforceable".

In reply, Greg Clark says rights will be enforceable in British courts.

He says continuing to have rights policed by the European Court of Justice - which he says is favoured by the TUC - would not be "compatible with Brexit".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey says the measures would "in no meaningful way compensate for the loss of the protections that currently exist".

UK workers should be entitled to no less favourable rights at work than their EU counterparts, she adds.

"History is littered with examples of the UK bitterly opposing new EU workers' rights," she says.

The proposals as drafted still don’t give a full guarantee and the provisions can be easily revoked, Ms Long Bailey says.

There is no direct obligation on the government to accept any recommendations from their discussions with workers, she adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Business Secretary Greg Clark says while the EU sets minimum requirements on workers' rights, "time and again Britain has been in advance of them and has chosen to exceed them".

The government is today publishing draft clauses to put these commitments on workers rights' after Brexit into law, he says.

MPs will be able in future to consider the compatibility of measures with the non-regression principle the prime minister has promised, he adds.

Parliament will be given the opportunity at least every six months to consider changes to EU workers' rights, which will be scrutinised by the relevant select committees, Mr Clark says.

"We will create a statutory duty to report regularly on the strengthening of environmental and food protections in the European Union," he concludes.

Image source, Getty Images

Business Secretary Greg Clark is now delivering a ministerial statement on the protection of workers after the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

MPs have been promised a vote on any changes to workers' rights after Brexit, as Theresa May seeks Labour support to pass her deal on leaving the EU.

No 10 said Parliament would be given a say over whether to adopt any new protections introduced at an EU level and to stay aligned with the bloc's standards.

The TUC said Labour MPs should not be "taken in by blatant window dressing" and that what is being offered is "flimsy procedural tweaks".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow work and pensions minister Marsha de Cordova says there are serious concerns involved in combining payments for the PIP and ESA benefits.

Ms de Cordova says disabled people who can work need more support from the government.

There needs to be "fundamental reform and not just tinkering at the edges", she adds.

Sarah Newton says she is "disappointed" that Ms de Cordova is not allowing the government to move forwards and practice the new policies to improve the lives of disabled people in the country.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour's Debbie Abrahams says she was pleased by Amber Rudd's announcement yesterday that disabled pensioners will no longer face repeat assessments.

She notes, however, that younger individuals will still be repeatedly assessed.

She says she welcomes the review into the inadequacy of social security support for disabled people, and asks what form this review will take.

Work and Pensions Minister Sarah Newton says the changes disabled people would like to see have driven the changes that the government wants to see.

She adds that reassessments will not be required for the terminally ill.

House of Commons
Parliament

Work and Pensions Minister Sarah Newton says the government is making "significant progress" towards improving people's experience in claiming disability benefits.

Ms Newton says the government will "improve and simplify" the process, by no longer requiring a PIP reassessment to be carried out for those above state pension age.

There will be an integrated service by 2021, she adds.

A health transformation programme will be co-designed with disabled people, she says, noting ministers "intend to support disabled people in all areas of life".

Image source, Getty Images

With PMQs over, MPs have now moved on to an urgent question from Labour MP Debbie Abrahams on social security and employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions.

Yesterday Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said disabled pensioners will no longer face "unnecessary" repeat assessments to continue receiving benefits.

From the spring, 270,000 people in Britain will not have Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) regularly reviewed.

A disability group said millions of younger people would "still be stuck in a failing system".

House of Commons
Parliament

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable says the prime minister received advice from her colleagues about the "dangerous folly" of making landlords responsible in criminal law for immigration control.

A High Court ruling of Mr Justice Spencer said that the prime minister's policy is "increasing the risk of racial discrimination", Sir Vince says.

He asks if Theresa May will accept that her policy is "fanning the flames of racism" in return for "nothing but rhetoric about tightening immigration control".

Theresa May says it is "absolutely right" that the right of people to be in this country should be assessed when they are trying to access services.

She adds that the government is appealing the High Court ruling.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour MP Marsha de Cordova tells the prime minister that one of her constituents was given zero points in his disability benefits assessment "despite being unable to dress himself".

She notes that over 72% of cases going to an appeal tribunal are overturned, and urges the government to scrap the "discredited" assessment framework for Personal Independence Payments (PIPs).

Theresa May replies that the Department of Work and Pensions takes the issue "very seriously" and expects to have finished correcting cases by April.

House of Commons
Parliament

DUP MP Paul Girvan says he is concerned about attempts to prosecute members of the security services who "courageously defended all the people of Northern Ireland against terrorism".

He calls for greater protection for ex-security forces personnel in Northern Ireland so that they are not unfairly pursued.

Theresa May says the current system for dealing with the legacy of Northern Ireland's past "is not working for anyone".

3,500 people were killed in the troubles, 90% by terrorists, she says, noting that many of these cases require further investigation.

"The system to investigate the past does need to change to provide better security for victims and survivors of the Troubles - and also to ensure members of security forces are not unfairly treated," she adds.

Theresa May says the government is working on cross-party proposals.