House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

In the House of Lords, peers are debating an amendment aiming to prevent a future PM from suspending Parliament to push through a no-deal Brexit.

If approved later, it will go back to the House of Commons to be voted on by MPs tomorrow.

The amendment has been tagged onto a Northern Ireland bill to ensure continued governance in the province in the absence of a devolved executive.

Last week, MPs amended the bill to require ministers to give fortnightly reports to Parliament throughout October on progress to restore devolution.

The amendment to be voted on later seeks to make sure these reports would have to be debated in the Commons, thus meaning it could not be suspended.

In her last major speech, the PM says lack of compromise is leading to a dangerous "absolutism". Read more.

Image source, UK POOL

Theresa May is asked to whom she was referring when she talked about "absolutism at home and abroad".

She is asked to rule out that she meant President Trump or Tory leadership hopeful Boris Johnson.

In reply, she says it was a "general observation" about politics across the world.

Mrs May is also asked about her own use of language during her time in office.

In response, the outgoing prime minister admits her language has not always been "as perfect as it should be".

But she says a "coarsening" of political language has been "developing over time".

Mrs May is asked whether her concerns about politicians' unwillingness to compromise has been borne out in the Tory leadership contest - and whether her remarks about the risks of "populist promises" are in any way aimed at the two men trying to follow her.

"These are ideas that I have been forming for some time now," she says diplomatically, and are observations about politics "across Europe and the wider world".

Mrs May finishes her speech with a final appeal for political disputes to be resolved through "co-operation not absolutism".

We're now onto the Q&A.

Mrs May says she has "no greater regret" than her failure to deliver Brexit.

She says any form of leaving the EU must be “sustainable for the long term", and bring the country together whilst delivering on the 2016 referendum result.

“That has to mean some kind of compromise."

She says one of the reasons her withdrawal deal was rejected three times by MPs was because they “retreated back” into the Remain/Leave camps of pre-referendum days.

A number of political correspondents note that the spirit of compromise could perhaps have been invoked earlier...

Mrs May says the future of free market capitalism will only be protected if it is "reformed" so that "it works for everyone".

She says policies such as her industrial strategy were taken to restore the "popular legitimacy" of free enterprise.

More broadly, she urges politicians to rebuild support among the public by addressing people’s concerns with "more than just populist promises".

House of Commons
Parliament

Elsewhere right now, MPs have begun debating last week’s report by Gemma White QC, which found there was a "significant problem" in Parliament of MPs bullying and harassing staff.

Later MPs will vote on a government motion on allowing the parliamentary complaints scheme to investigate historical allegations before June 2017.

A new independent complaints scheme was introduced last year in the wake of the damning report by High Court judge Dame Laura Cox.

Image source, UK POOL

In contrast, Theresa May says the spirit of compromise was important in post-War British politics, as well as efforts to create a "rules-based international order".

It would be easy to assume these gains internationally will always exist, she says, but warns that politicians "cannot be complacent about ensuring they endure".

The alternative to compromise is "a politics of winners and losers... of absolutes and perpetual strife", the prime minister goes on.

Increasingly, she says, the feeling seems to be that "if you assert your view long and loud enough, you will get your way".

The PM warns that this is happening around the world, not just in the UK, citing the rise of far right and far left parties, and the increasingly confrontational nature of international relations.

Continuing, the outgoing PM says she has not made many “theoretical speeches” about her political beliefs, but has sought to put them into action.

She says the willingness to compromise is becoming “unfashionable”, and an inability of politicians to "combine principles with pragmatism" is leading public discourse "down the wrong path".

This "absolutism" is "coarsening public debate" and meaning people are losing their ability to disagree, she says.

Theresa May says the Twenty-First Century has the potential to be a "pivotal point in human history".

She says a "small and strategic state" should ensure everyone can benefit from technological and social progress in the years to come.

Making mention of recent falls in child poverty and child mortality, as well as shifting social attitudes, she says there is a "great deal to feel optimistic about".

After beginning with some positive thoughts, Theresa May now moves on to her concerns.