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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/dec/17/brexit-labour-cabinet-plp-commons-starmer-says-johnsons-decision-to-rule-out-transition-extension-reckless-and-irresponsible--live-news
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| Boris Johnson says new parliament is 'vast improvement' as MPs sworn in – live news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the cabinet, the House of Commons and the parliamentary Labour party all meeting for the first time since the general election | Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the cabinet, the House of Commons and the parliamentary Labour party all meeting for the first time since the general election |
| In the Commons the sitting has been suspended. Later MPs will return to start swearing in. | |
| Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says he is pleased to congratulate Lindsay Hoyle on behalf of the expanded SNP group in the Commons. | |
| And Sir Ed Davey, the acting Lib Dem leader, says that if Britain had a proportional representation system, his group would be the third largest, with 70 MPs. He says he hopes Hoyle will bear this in mind. | |
| Corbyn congratulates new MPs. | |
| He says all MPs represent a community. That is a strength of the Commons. | |
| He says a majority of Labour MPs are now women. And 20 of the 26 new Labour MPs are women, he says. | |
| He says he hopes the Speaker will continue to take the mental health of MPs seriously. | |
| He finishes by urging Lindsay Hoyle to stand firm against abuses by the executive. In doing so, he will be standing up not just for MPs, but for the people they represent. | |
| Jeremy Corbyn is speaking now. | |
| He joins Johnson in recalling the London Bridge terror attack. He says MPs should remember what David Merritt said about his son Jack, who was killed on that day. | |
| He congratulates Johnson on winning the election. And he pays tribute to Labour MPs who lost their seats, particularly Dennis Skinner. | |
| Corbyn says Johnson will be judged by whether he keeps his promises. And he says Labour will hold the government to account. | |
| Boris Johnson is speaking now. He is opening a short session allowing party leaders to congratulate Sir Lindsay Hoyle. | |
| Johnson says this parliament “is a vast improvement on its predecessor”. In fact, it is one of the best this country has produced. It has more female MPs than ever before and more BAME MPs than ever before. | |
| And it is more democratic, he says. | |
| He says this parliament is going to pass the withdrawal bill. And he invites the Speaker to guess what parliament will do: it will “get Brexit done”, he says. | |
| He says even Hoyle’s parrot (Hoyle has a menagerie of pets, mostly named after parliamentarians) would have guessed that. | |
| He says the government will do whatever it can to reach out across the House, to find common ground and to heal the divisions facing this country. | |
| MPs have passed the motion by acclamation. | MPs have passed the motion by acclamation. |
| Sir Lindsay Hoyle is taking the chair. | Sir Lindsay Hoyle is taking the chair. |
| There is now a mini-debate on the motion to approve Sir Lindsay Hoyle as Speaker. | There is now a mini-debate on the motion to approve Sir Lindsay Hoyle as Speaker. |
| Labour’s Lisa Nandy is proposing the motion. She says new MPs will find out out how friendly and supportive he can be. Joking about his taste for Yorkshire tea, she tells an anecdote about how Hoyle (a proud Lancastrian) once said there were only two good things about Yorkshire; its tea, and the M62 leading out of it. | Labour’s Lisa Nandy is proposing the motion. She says new MPs will find out out how friendly and supportive he can be. Joking about his taste for Yorkshire tea, she tells an anecdote about how Hoyle (a proud Lancastrian) once said there were only two good things about Yorkshire; its tea, and the M62 leading out of it. |
| She says in the Speaker’s chair (he was deputy Speaker before his promotion) Hoyle has always been fair and unpartisan. | She says in the Speaker’s chair (he was deputy Speaker before his promotion) Hoyle has always been fair and unpartisan. |
| In the Commons MPs have just been to the Lords chamber and back to hear a royal commission instruct them to elect a Speaker. | In the Commons MPs have just been to the Lords chamber and back to hear a royal commission instruct them to elect a Speaker. |
| Sir Peter Bottomley, the father of the Commons, is chairing proceedings and he proposes the election of Sir Lindsay Hoyle as Speaker. (Or re-election - Hoyle was first elected at the end of the last parliament.) | Sir Peter Bottomley, the father of the Commons, is chairing proceedings and he proposes the election of Sir Lindsay Hoyle as Speaker. (Or re-election - Hoyle was first elected at the end of the last parliament.) |
| Hoyle says he has served two days as Speaker. It made his election a lot easier, he says. (He represents what was a relatively marginal seat.) He says it will be a privilege to serve as Speaker. He promises to be fair. | Hoyle says he has served two days as Speaker. It made his election a lot easier, he says. (He represents what was a relatively marginal seat.) He says it will be a privilege to serve as Speaker. He promises to be fair. |
| In his speech at dawn on Friday Boris Johnson said he hoped that Steve Bray, the anti-Brexit campaign best known for his costume and for shouting “Stop Brexit” loudly outside the Houses of Parliament on a regular basis, would finally call it a day. Johnson told a Tory audience. | In his speech at dawn on Friday Boris Johnson said he hoped that Steve Bray, the anti-Brexit campaign best known for his costume and for shouting “Stop Brexit” loudly outside the Houses of Parliament on a regular basis, would finally call it a day. Johnson told a Tory audience. |
| Bray doesn’t seem to be taking much notice. He is outside parliament today, and he’s been shouting too. | Bray doesn’t seem to be taking much notice. He is outside parliament today, and he’s been shouting too. |
| From the Daily Mirror’s Pippa Crerar | From the Daily Mirror’s Pippa Crerar |
| Experts from the Centre for European Reform thinktank have been giving interviews today about the government’s decision to rule out an extension to the Brexit transition period. | Experts from the Centre for European Reform thinktank have been giving interviews today about the government’s decision to rule out an extension to the Brexit transition period. |
| Sam Lowe, a trade specialist at the CER, described it as “domestic virtue signalling”. | Sam Lowe, a trade specialist at the CER, described it as “domestic virtue signalling”. |
| And Charles Grant, the CER’s director, said that if Boris Johnson refuses to be bound by EU regulations, getting a trade deal will become much more complicated. | And Charles Grant, the CER’s director, said that if Boris Johnson refuses to be bound by EU regulations, getting a trade deal will become much more complicated. |
| From the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves | From the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves |
| Back in London MPs are in the Commons chamber for the election of Speaker. | Back in London MPs are in the Commons chamber for the election of Speaker. |
| The chamber is more or less packed, although at the back row on the opposition benches there are empty seats. | The chamber is more or less packed, although at the back row on the opposition benches there are empty seats. |
| Sturgeon says this is a watershed moment for Scotland. | Sturgeon says this is a watershed moment for Scotland. |
| Later this week she will take the next steps to secure Scotland’s right to choose its future, she says. | Later this week she will take the next steps to secure Scotland’s right to choose its future, she says. |
| Sturgeon has now finished. | Sturgeon has now finished. |
| Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, is making a statement to the Scottish parliament. | Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, is making a statement to the Scottish parliament. |
| She says the SNP comprehensively won the election. | She says the SNP comprehensively won the election. |
| The Conservatives have successfully lost 17 elections in Scotland, she says, going back to 1959. | The Conservatives have successfully lost 17 elections in Scotland, she says, going back to 1959. |
| She says that 90% of seats in Scotland were won by pro-EU or pro-referendum parties. | She says that 90% of seats in Scotland were won by pro-EU or pro-referendum parties. |
| She says this situation is “not just undesirable” but “completely and utterly unsustainable”. | She says this situation is “not just undesirable” but “completely and utterly unsustainable”. |
| She says she is pressing ahead with her call for the right to hold a second referendum. | She says she is pressing ahead with her call for the right to hold a second referendum. |
| Referring to Scottish Labour, she says there are some signs that people opposed to a second independence referendum are changing their minds. But she says she accepts that favouring a second referendum is not the same as favouring independence. And she says that she accepts some SNP voters do not back independence. | Referring to Scottish Labour, she says there are some signs that people opposed to a second independence referendum are changing their minds. But she says she accepts that favouring a second referendum is not the same as favouring independence. And she says that she accepts some SNP voters do not back independence. |