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Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs - Politics Live PMQs: Corbyn calls on May to 'come up with a plan' for Brexit – Politics live
(35 minutes later)
12.39pm BST
12:39
Conservative MP Jack Lopresti asks if there are plans to provide specialist medical facilities for Kurdish forces, Peshmerga, in Iraq.
May says there are not.
12.38pm BST
12:38
Labour MP for Bolton South East, Yasmin Qureshi, asks about human rights abuses in Kashmir.
May says it is for India and Pakistan to sort out but the Foreign Secretary has heard her representations.
12.36pm BST
12:36
Alison McGovern, Labour MP for the Wirral, is angry because she believes Theresa May fobbed off her colleague Karl Turner on mental health referring to constituents waits for talking therapies.
Theresa May says she takes the issue vey seriously and looking into availability of and waiting times for talking therapies.
12.34pm BST
12:34
Labour MP Jim Dowd asks whether the PM about putting mandatory health warnings on alcoholic products in light of this week’s concerning report about excessive consumption, which found women drinking as much as men.
May says she helped develop the alcohol strategy with industry when Home Secretary.
12.30pm BST
12:30
SDLP MP Alasdair McDonnell asks about the impact of Brexit on the Good Friday agreement.
The PM assures him it will have no impact.
12.28pm BST
12:28
Sir David Amess, Tory, Southend West says now we know, via the Chilcot report, that parliament was misled, does the PM have a “cunning plan” to ensure action is taken.
May says the report found that there was no deliberate attempt to mislead but lessons should be learned.
12.28pm BST
12:28
Labour MP Karl Turner says his nephew committed suicide last year and attacks waiting times for mental health problems in the NHS.
May says it is a priority and assures him the government is committed to parity of esteem for mental and physical health.
12.23pm BST
12:23
Bizarrely there is a second question about West Midlands devolution before Helen Hayes, Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, asks if the prime minister will meet with her and sexual abuse survivors to ensure that confidence in the independent inquiry into sex abuse can be restored.
May says it is an independent inquiry so it is up to the inquiry chair to listen to the concerns of victims and survivors but says she will take away the points Hayes has raised and consider them.
Updated
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12.22pm BST
12:22
Christopher Chope, Tory, asks about Christchurch and East Dorset councils then the SNP’s Angus Robertson asks about the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo and asks if the prime minister if she will join him in urging Spain to reject the refuelling of Russian ships en route to Syria.
May doesn’t answer the question directly but says pressure should be brought to bear on Russia.
12.16pm BST
12:16
Corbyn asks if May will stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia given the kingdom’s activities in Yemen.
The PM doesn’t respond directly to the question but highlights the importance of the UK’s relationship with the kingdom.
12.12pm BST
12:12
Corbyn says with threats of businesses leaving the UK it is imperative that the prime minister “come up with a plan”.
May said she has been very clear that she wants the UK to trade within the single market and restrict free movement. Labour is opposed to free trade but wants unrestricted movement, says May.
In response to Corbyn’s question about the Ireland/Northern Ireland border, May says “no one wants to see a return to the borders of the past”.
Corbyn quotes Baldrick from Blackadder with respect to May’s plan for Brexit:
Our cunning plan is to have no plan.
May says in response that the actor playing Baldrick (Tony Robinson) was a member of the Labour party.
12.08pm BST
12:08
To laughter, given today’s revelations, May says she has been “very clear” about the aims of Brexit. She also pays tribute to Boles.
To more laughter, Corbyn says he thought for a moment she was going to say “Brexit means Brexit.”
May then chides Corbyn for lampooning her, saying he is trying to make Brexit mean something else.
12.06pm BST
12:06
Jeremy Corbyn welcomes the child refugees from Calais “we should welcome them, we should love them”. He also pays tribute to Nick Boles MP who announced this morning that he was battling cancer. He asks for clarity over Brexit.
12.04pm BST12.04pm BST
12:0412:04
Conservative MP James Morris encourages the PM to devolve more powers to the West Midlands and praises Tory mayor candidate.Conservative MP James Morris encourages the PM to devolve more powers to the West Midlands and praises Tory mayor candidate.
Unsurprisingly May concurs.Unsurprisingly May concurs.
12.01pm BST12.01pm BST
12:0112:01
What should we be looking out for in PMQs?What should we be looking out for in PMQs?
Will Jeremy Corbyn seek to grill Theresa May about her pre-Brexit speech at Goldman Sachs and contrast her comments then with her stance now and also those she made publicly during the referendum campaign?Will Jeremy Corbyn seek to grill Theresa May about her pre-Brexit speech at Goldman Sachs and contrast her comments then with her stance now and also those she made publicly during the referendum campaign?
Other subjects on the table could include Heathrow and Calais.Other subjects on the table could include Heathrow and Calais.
UpdatedUpdated
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11.55am BST
11:55
PMQs
PMQs is due to begin shortly.
Here is the list of people who will be asking the questions:
Q1 James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis)
Q2 Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch)
Q3 Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood)
Q4 Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills)
Q5 Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East)
Q6 Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South)
Q7 Jim Dowd (Lewisham West and Penge)
Q8 Alison McGovern (Wirral South)
Q9 Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Q10 Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South East)
Q11 Owen Thompson (Midlothian)
Q12 Sir David Amess (Southend West)
Q13 Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford)
Q14 Maggie Throup (Erewash)
Q15 Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon)
11.24am BST
11:24
Ukip has come out fighting after the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, referred the altercation between two of its MEPs - former leadership favourite Steven Woolfe (who subsequently quit the party) and Mike Hookem - to the French police.
President Schulz again repeats a prejudicial and unsubstantiated allegation on the Woolfe/Hookem spat, which is still under investigation.
@johnestevens and I wonder if @MartinSchulz and @ManfredWeber will repeat their defamatory claims where they don't have Parl immunity
Updated
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10.51am BST
10:51
The call by three Labour MPs for the party not to stand a candidate in Richmond to help the Lib Dems defeat Zac Goldmith (see previous post) has fallen on closed ears, according to Paul Waugh.
Now here's something interesting. @labourlewis @lisanandy + @jreynoldsMP urge Corbyn not to contest Richmond Park.https://t.co/Uipzd7wHrv
But Lewis-Nandy-Reynolds plan looks a "progressive alliance" too far. I'm told by senior source Lab will be standing candidate in Richmond
Updated
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10.23am BST
10:23
On Labour list, MPs Clive Lewis, Lisa Nandy and Jonathan Reynolds write that Labour should consider - like the Tories, albeit for different reasons - not standing a candidate against Zac Goldsmith in the Richmond byelection triggered by his resignation over Heathrow expansion.
They say:
With the Tories not standing against him, the fight will come down to a two way contest between him and the Liberal Democrats, whose vote will be split with the greens and Labour.
If there is any chance of kicking Goldsmith out of parliament, the vote against him must not be split. That’s why we think Labour should consider not standing a candidate in this by-election.
Clearly such a decision must have the support of the local CLP. Such a decision must not be imposed from above. It will also mean the Liberal Democrats understanding this isn’t a free ride. With the upcoming local elections next May there may well be seats where Labour (or possibly the Greens) could be given a clear run against their Tory opponents, with local consent.
They describe the byelection as a “vanity project” on Goldsmith’s part, and criticise him for his pro-Brexit stance and the much-criticised campaign he ran against Sadiq Khan in an attempt to be elected mayor of London.
Updated
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9.54am BST
09:54
Ukip MEPs reported to French police
There is more turmoil for Ukip this morning as the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, has referred the altercation between its MEPs Steven Woolfe and Mike Hookem to the French police.
Following recommendation of EP Advisory Committee on Code of Conduct, I referred incident involving MEPs Hookem and Woolfe to FR authorities
Woolfe, at the time the favourite to be the next Ukip leader, was taken to hospital in a serious condition after the fracas in Strasbourg, which was triggered by the revelation that he had considered defecting to the Conservatives.
He subsequently quit the party, saying that the party had become ungovernable and was in “a death spiral”. Woolfe said he had been treated after the incident for “two seizures, partial paralysis and loss of feeling in my face and body”.
Hookem has strongly denied landing a blow and is also threatening legal action against Woolfe for defamation, suggesting he staged a photograph that showed him passed out after having a seizure.
9.42am BST
09:42
Some sad news to report: Conservative former minister Nick Boles has revealed that he is battling against cancer for a second time.
1. Some news: doctors have found a cancerous tumour in my head. Some of you might think that explains a lot about my recent behaviour..
2. At @KingsCollegeNHS doing tests and expect to start treatment soon. I fought cancer off 9 years ago and I am sure I can do it again.
Boles beat the disease nine years ago. Referencing a parody account popular with Westminster insiders, he added:
5. Giving up Twitter until I have got this thing licked. But @GeneralBoles will keep you entertained. Wish me luck!
Boles managed Michael Gove’s failed Tory leadership bid after the EU referendum and was forced to apologise after it emerged he had encouraged tactical voting because he was “seriously frightened” about Andrea Leadsom getting on to the ballot.
The former skills minister quit the government when Theresa May won the contest and took over as prime minister.
A close ally of David Cameron, he was part of the informal “Notting Hill set” of modernising Tories and his work with the Policy Exchange think-tank before becoming an MP in 2010 helped frame the former PM’s agenda as leader.
Updated
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9.30am BST
09:30
Here is what Paddy Ashdown makes about May’s comments:
Strange times! Our Remain Foreign Sec campaigned for Brexit to further his career & our Brexit PM supported Remain for the same reason..
9.24am BST
09:24
Here is a round-up of what the rest of the media is saying about the leaked Theresa May comments on Brexit.
The Telegraph’s political editor, Peter Dominiczak, writes that May “was seen as a ‘reluctant remainer’” during the run-up to the referendum and compares the comments at Goldman Sachs with those she made in a public speech. He says:
Ahead of the vote she made a speech which offered cautious backing to staying in the EU, but with the caveat that there are “problems” associated with membership and that the UK “could cope” outside the bloc.
She added at the time that the UK is “big enough and strong enough to be a success story in or out of the EU”.
Michael Savage, chief political correspondent for the Times, writes:
While it is public knowledge that Mrs May backed the Remain campaign, the recording will come as an embarrassment.
Her remarks appear to go further than the cautious backing she gave to the Remain camp, led by David Cameron. During the referendum campaign, her lukewarm support for Remain led Mr Cameron’s communications chief Craig Oliver to wonder if she was secretly an “enemy agent” for the Brexit camp.
Jon Craig, chief political correspondent for Sky News, writes:
Although No 10 insists Mrs May’s Goldman Sachs remarks were entirely consistent with her public statements, they strike a different tone from her comments about Brexit since becoming Prime Minister.
At the Conservative party conference Mrs May said that she wanted to prioritise reducing immigration over being part of the single market.
Under the headline “What the PM really thinks of Brexit”, the Mail’s chief political correspondent, Daniel Martin, writes:
The comments, revealed in the Guardian, are stronger than her more nuanced public position during the referendum campaign.
Although she was a Remain supporter, No 10 was worried about her lukewarm support for EU membership.
Last night Downing Street said that whatever Mrs May had said before June 23, the government was committed to honouring the result of the referendum.
The recording reveals Mrs May had numerous concerns about Britain leaving the EU. She appeared to go further than her public remarks to explain more clearly the economic benefits of staying in the EU when speaking at the bank in London on 26 May.
Beneath a similar headline the Express writes:
The audio, leaked by The Guardian newspaper, will heap further pressure on Mrs May who was lacklustre in her support for the Remain campaign and has enthusiastically embraced Brexit since the June 23 vote.
She made almost no public pronouncements of note during the referendum campaign, reportedly drawing the ire of David Cameron and his Project Fear camp, who questioned his once-time close ally’s loyalty.
Politics Home notes:
The recordings reveal more about the prime minister’s personal beliefs over Brexit than her public offerings about the benefits of staying in the bloc, where she was known as a reluctant Remainer.
Guardian front page, Wednesday 26 October 2016 – Exclusive: leaked recording reveals what May really thinks about Brexit pic.twitter.com/S7cUFcPHPb
8.48am BST
08:48
Unsurprisingly, Theresa May is facing flak following the revelation that she warned about the economic consequences of a Brexit vote at a private meeting before the referendum.
My colleague Rowena Mason has written a story on the reaction to the leaked recording. It includes the following comments:
Before referendum PM says access to 500m strong trading bloc essential; now won't make economy & jobs the priority! https://t.co/EaqRLxd59F
My colleague Rowena Mason has written a story on the reaction to the leaked recording.
Among others who have commented are:
Andrew Gwynne, the shadow minister without portfolio:
As if we needed it, this recording is cast-iron evidence of how Theresa May and other senior Tories have been saying one thing in private about the economic impact of Brexit and another in the comfort of Tory conference halls.
It’s plain that she recognises what a disaster it would be for Britain to lose access to the single market, so why doesn’t she be honest with the British people and say how she plans to retain it
PM's private Brexit views https://t.co/Qoi6lE6yzS. She was right then -it underlines why Single Market membership should be her ambition now pic.twitter.com/HM55aMhBq3
Andrew Gwynne, the shadow minister without portfolio, said:
As if we needed it, this recording is cast-iron evidence of how Theresa May and other senior Tories have been saying one thing in private about the economic impact of Brexit and another in the comfort of Tory conference halls.
It’s plain that she recognises what a disaster it would be for Britain to lose access to the single market, so why doesn’t she be honest with the British people and say how she plans to retain it.
Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, said it was “disappointing that Theresa May lacked the political courage to warn the public as she did a bunch of bankers in private about the devastating economic effects of Brexit”.
He added:
More disappointing is that now she is supposedly in charge, she is blithely ignoring her own warnings and is prepared to inflict an act of monumental self-harm on the UK economy by pulling Britain out of the single market.
8.35am BST
08:35
Good morning, it’s Haroon Siddique here, standing in again for Andrew Sparrow.
Yesterday was all about Heathrow and while the fallout to that decision is likely to continue, the main story this morning is about a warning given by Theresa May at a private meeting prior to the EU referendum in which she warned that companies would leave the UK if the country voted for Brexit.
On 26 May, the prime minister (who was home secretary at the time) told an audience of bankers at Goldman Sachs in London:
I think the economic arguments are clear. I think being part of a 500-million trading bloc is significant for us. I think, as I was saying to you a little earlier, that one of the issues is that a lot of people will invest here in the UK because it is the UK in Europe.
If we were not in Europe, I think there would be firms and companies who would be looking to say, do they need to develop a mainland Europe presence rather than a UK presence? So I think there are definite benefits for us in economic terms.
The warning contrasted with her low profile during the referendum campaign, which has come in for criticism, with some believing she was hedging her bets in the event of a vote to leave.
Also in the political news today:
Coming up later today are:
12pm PMQs
2pm International trade secretary Liam Fox gives evidence to the Commons European scrutiny committee.
2.30pm Hilary Benn, Dominic Grieve and Douglas Carswell are among those at a Foreign Policy Centre conference on the EU.
3.15pm Marina Wheeler QC (Boris Johnson’s wife) gives evidence on Brexit and human rights to the parliamentary human rights committee.
Additionally there will be coverage of breaking political news as it happens and reaction, comment and analysis.
You can get in touch with me on twitter, @Haroon_Siddique
Updated
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