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MPs liberalise abortion and same-sex marriage law in Northern Ireland - live news
Tory leadership: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt go head-to-head in ITV debate - live news
(about 2 hours later)
Lord Triesman has given an interview to Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis about his decision to resign the Labour whip in the House of Lords today over antisemitism. (See 3.18pm.) This is what Triesman said about the decision.
Hunt claims, if the UK prepares, it can get through this. But we should not pretend it will be a “walk in the park”, he says.
It’s been building for a long time, with incident after incident. It’s like a mad psychodrama. You pick up the morning’s papers, and there’s another issue. And quite aside from the issues that are in the public domain, the stream of invective that you get on social media is absolutely unbelievable – I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. So I think we have got to the point now where it is just unsustainable to continue. You have to take a decision about what your own ethics are.
Hunt says in their last debate Johnson said Gatt 24 would allow the UK to avoid tariffs. But Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, says that is wrong. He says getting facts wrong is okay for a newspaper columnist, but not for someone doing this job.
And this is what he said when asked to justify the claim he made in his resignation letter that Jeremy Corbyn is personally antisemitic. Asked for evidence of this, Triesman replied:
Johnson pushes back, claiming he never said the UK could use this unilaterally, but Hunt says that is not what he said.
If you look at event after event after event, and there is now a huge list of events. And you ask yourself the question, in relation to any one has he made the right call on it? And the answer is not once, never. And in those circumstances, it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that he either is indifferent to the problem or he is part of the problem.
And Hunt says Johnson’s claim the risk of a no-deal Brexit is a million to one is not correct, and irresponsible.
And here is a statement from Sinn Fein on the two votes. It’s from the Sinn Fein MP Elisha McCallion.
Q: My business would suffer under no-deal. What will you do to avoid one?
Marriage equality, like Irish language rights, victims and women’s rights should be addressed by the Assembly.
Johnson says he does not think there is much risk of no-deal.
They have not been because rights have been repeatedly vetoed by the DUP, enabled by the British Government.
Hunt says he has run his business. He knows what it is like to face threats like this. He mentions visiting a steel business that would be harmed by tariffs. He has a 10-point plan.
It was inevitable that the British government’s failure to defend basic rights available everywhere else on these islands would be confronted. This was the message coming out of Westminster today.
Q: Do you accept there is a cost to no-deal?
Rights delayed are rights denied and the obvious political imperative now is to ensure that all citizens are afforded rights and equality, regardless of where they live on these islands.
Johnson says, badly handled, no-deal could be costly.
Here is Tony Lloyd, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, on tonight’s two Commons votes.
He says it is “vanishingly inexpensive” if you prepare.
Today parliament has voted to ensure that love no longer has borders and women are not treated as second class citizens. The government must now act to bring forward legislation on marriage equality and abortion reform if the Northern Ireland assembly and Executive are not returned before the 21st October.
Johnson says a no-deal Brexit would be “vanishingly inexpensive” if the UK prepares.
Labour has long called on the government to take action on these issues and will work with the government to see it implemented.
Q: What is your plan for the backstop?
The size of the majority pays tribute to the campaigning of many in Northern Ireland and the determination of Labour MP’s Conor McGinn, Diana Johnson and Stella Creasy amongst others.
Hunt says his plan is based on the Alternative Arrangements Commission report?
This is from Sky News.
Q: How long will it take?
U.S. Commerce Department says the meeting between secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has been cancelled
Hunt says it will take some time to set up.
And here is the full list of 332 MPs who voted for the Stella Creasy amendment on liberalising the abortion law in Northern Ireland.
Q: Your plan?
And here is the full list of the 99 MPs who voted against - 84 Tories, eight DUP, five Labour, two SNP and one independent. The other two DUP MPs were tellers.
Johnson says there are a range of options, much as set out in the Alternative Arrangements Commission paper.
Back in the Commons Dominic Grieve, the Conservative pro-European, is now speaking about his various amendments intended to stop the next prime minster proroguing parliament to facilitate a no-deal Brexit in the autumn.
Q: The EU has said it has looked the world over for a solution, and not found one.
Steve Brine, a fellow Tory, asks if the amendments would prevent prorogation without new clause 14 being passed. NC14 is the one that is not being put to a vote. (See 2.07pm and 2.46pm.)
Johnson says they did not say that. He says solutions are available.
Grieve says with NC14 his amendments would definitely stop prorogation in the autumn. But even without it, the others are worth having, he says.
Johnson says if the UK is willing to delay, the EU will not take it seriously.
Sir Oliver Letwin, a fellow Conservative, asks Grieve if he agrees that the other amendments (saying MPs would have to make fortnightly reports to parliament and allow those reports to be debated - see 2.46pm) would allow someone to take a case to the supreme court if the PM did try to prorogue parliament.
Hunt ask Johnson if he will resign if he fails to take the UK out by 31 October.
Grieve does accept that. He also said that, if peers decide to include a version of NC14 when the bill is in the Lords, then MPs will get the chance to debate it when the bill comes back to the Commons.
Johnson at first dodges the question. Hunt presses him, and Johnson says it is important not to hold out any prospect of not coming out by 31 October. He says making that promise could encourage the EU to delay.
Letwin intervenes again. He says the Speaker probably decided not to allow a vote on NC14 because he considered it outside the “scope” of the bill (a technical parliamentary term). But he says that in the Lords peers apply a wider definition of scope.
Johnson says promises to resign if Brexit is not delivered by 31 October could give the EU an incentive to delay.
Here is the full list of the 383 MPs who voted in favour of Conor McGinn’s same-sex marriage amendment.
Hunt says this is not leadership.
And here is the full list of the 73 MPs who voted against - 65 Tories and eight from the DUP. The other two DUP were acting as tellers.
Q: So how long will you delay?
Today’s majority of 310 in favour of same-sex marriage compares with the 225 majority in favour six years ago when MPs voted in favour of same-sex marriage for England and Wales. The Scottish parliament voted for same-sex marriage in 2014.
Hunt starts answering. Johnson challenges him repeatedly: Christmas?
MPs have passed the Creasy amendment to liberalise the abortion law in Northern Irelnd (see 5.30pm) by 332 votes to 99 - a majority of 233.
Hunt implies Johnson has been rude to the EU. He says he has a serious strategy.
Back in the Commons MPs are now voting on Stella Creasy’s new clause 10 (NC10) on abortion.
Julie Etchingham says the audience is made up of people how have voted Tory, or might do so in the future.
It says:
Q: I used to vote Tory, but now I back the Brexit party, and I want to see Nigel Farage in Number 10. Can you guarantee we will leave the EU by 31 October?
Clause 1, page 1, line 3, at end insert—
Hunt says he is as keen as anyone to deliver Brexit by 31 October. But there has been a breach of trust, and MPs should only make promises they can keep.
“(2) This section comes into force on the day after the secretary of state has laid before both Houses of Parliament regulations to enable the effective application in Northern Ireland of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in order to guarantee the rights of all women in Northern Ireland.”
Johnson says it is absolutely vital to leave by 31 October.
And here is Creasy’s explanatory statement.
Jeremy Hunt goes next.
The report of the inquiry concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland under article 8 of the optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women called on the UK government to take all measures necessary to ensure the effective application of the convention to guarantee the rights of all women in Northern Ireland, in the absence of a functioning government in Northern Ireland since January 2017.
“As a tough negotiator, I will deliver Brexit,” he says.
Jeremy Hunt, the underdog in the Tory leadership contest, has told President Trump on Twitter his comments about Theresa May “disrespectful and wrong”.
But he will do so much more. He is an entrepreneur, he will reform services as he did with the NHS, and he knows how to get young people to vote Tory, he says. He says he won a marginal seat. And polls show he has most appeal to the public at large, he says.
1/2 @realDonaldTrump friends speak frankly so I will: these comments are disrespectful and wrong to our Prime Minister and my country. Your diplomats give their private opinions to @SecPompeo and so do ours! You said the UK/US alliance was the greatest in history and I agree... https://t.co/hNeBWmyyVN
Boris Johnson goes first.
2/2...but allies need to treat each other with respect as @theresa_may has always done with you. Ambassadors are appointed by the UK government and if I become PM our Ambassador stays.
He says we can carry on as now, or change, and put the country on the path to success.
Hunt says he would keep Sir Kim Darroch as UK ambassador to the US, despite President Trump saying he won’t deal with him.
The way to do that is to deliver Brexit, propose plans for better infrastructure, and beat Jeremy Corbyn.
Hunt’s comments contrast with the approach taken by Boris Johnson, the clear favourite in the leadership contest, who did not criticise President Trump when asked about this earlier and instead boasted about his “good relationship” with Trump’s White House. (See 3pm.)
The ITV debate is starting.
MPs are now voting on Dominic Grieve’s amendment 17.
Following the decision of the Speaker not to call his new clause 14, this is the Grieve amendment being voted on tonight with the most bite.
It would require the progress reports that MPs have just voted to have fortnightly (see 7.41pm) to be debated.
As the Hansard Society’s Brigid Fowler explained, under the amendment MPs would debate an amendable motion - which means they could be used to trigger further Brexit votes.
But I'm struck that the Grieve am with the most bite (am 17), which *has* been selected, replicates (with different deadlines) the process for statutory statements & motions thereon, within statutory deadlines, set out in s13 of the EU(W)A (the 'meaningful vote' provisions). 9/
&, given the motions wld be approval motions, they'd be amendable, so Grieve incorporates the business motion am. he got thru' in Dec '18. So we may have 2 instances of a parliamentarian borrowing a provision from an existing statute & seeking to insert it in another. 10/
MPs have voted down Dominic Grieve’s amendment 16 - by 292 to 289.
MPs are now voting on Dominic Grieve’s amendment 16.
Here is the full text of it.
Clause 3, page 2, line 16, leave out “the report” and insert “any report under this section”
In his explanatory statement Grieve describes this simply as “a consequential amendment”, meaning that now the bill has been amended to require fortnightly reports (see 7.21pm), the singular noun in this clause is no longer appropriate.
Dominic Grieve has won - by a single vote. MPs voted for his amendment (see 7.18pm and 7.21pm) by 294 votes to 293.
Here is Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, commenting ahead of tonight’s ITV debate.
After three years of pathetic hand-holding and kow-towing by Theresa May, it's a huge test of Boris Johnson’s leadership in tonight's debate to see if he will stand up to Donald Trump and tell him we will not let our diplomats be bullied for doing their job and telling the truth.
