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PMQs: Johnson says plan to let Scotland decide its immigration policy 'fanciful and deranged' - live news PMQs: Johnson says plan to let Scotland decide its immigration policy 'fanciful and deranged' - live news
(32 minutes later)
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenRolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen
Rebecca Long-Bailey, another Labour leadership candidate, did not take part when there was a Commons vote on building a third runway at Heathrow in June 2018. But today she has posted this on Twitter, signalling her clear opposition to the plan.
Sir Keir Starmer, Lisa Nandy and Emily Thornberry, the other three remaining leadership candidates, all voted against Heathrow expansion in 2018. Jess Phillips, who was in the contest before withdrawing last week, voted in favour.
Sir Keir Starmer, another Labour leadership candidate, says he would only nominate people to sit in the House of Lords if they were prepared to sign a declaration promising to vote for its abolition.
Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary and Labour leadership candidate, has issued her own statement about President Trump’s Middle East peace plan. She says it is an abomination.
Ian Murray, a candidate for the Labour deputy leadership, has received endorsements of sorts from both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Brown formally says is is backing Murray. The Blair statement does not go quite that far, although that may be an acknowledgement of the fact that, given Blair’s standing with Labour party members (62% of them have an unfavourable view of him), a proper Blair endorsement would be a mixed blessing.
This is from the Tony Blair Institute.
And here is a statement from Brown. He said:
Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, has told reporters that the US is still considering whether or not to restrict intelligence sharing with the UK in the light of the Huawei decision. Speaking to reporters on his flight to the UK, he also suggested that Washington is still hoping that the UK might change its mind. These are from the Washington Post’s John Hudson.Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, has told reporters that the US is still considering whether or not to restrict intelligence sharing with the UK in the light of the Huawei decision. Speaking to reporters on his flight to the UK, he also suggested that Washington is still hoping that the UK might change its mind. These are from the Washington Post’s John Hudson.
This is what Pompeo said when asked about the prospect of Washington reducing intelligence sharing. He said:This is what Pompeo said when asked about the prospect of Washington reducing intelligence sharing. He said:
In the European parliament the debate on the withdrawal agreement has not started yet. MEPs are marking the Holocaust Remembrance Day first.In the European parliament the debate on the withdrawal agreement has not started yet. MEPs are marking the Holocaust Remembrance Day first.
MEPs are about to start debating the EU withdrawal agreement.MEPs are about to start debating the EU withdrawal agreement.
There is a live feed here.There is a live feed here.
From my colleague Jennifer Rankin in BrusselsFrom my colleague Jennifer Rankin in Brussels
Boris Johnson claimed that the Scottish government’s plan for Edinburgh to be able to decide immigration policy for Scotland was “fanciful and deranged”. This is what he said when asked Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, asked about this at PMQs. Johnson said:Boris Johnson claimed that the Scottish government’s plan for Edinburgh to be able to decide immigration policy for Scotland was “fanciful and deranged”. This is what he said when asked Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, asked about this at PMQs. Johnson said:
Blackford replied:Blackford replied:
From the BBC’s Laura KuenssbergFrom the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg
The Northern rail franchise is to be renationalised, the government has announced, with the state operator of last resort taking over the running of the struggling network from 1 March, my colleagues Gwyn Topham and Lucy Campbell report.The Northern rail franchise is to be renationalised, the government has announced, with the state operator of last resort taking over the running of the struggling network from 1 March, my colleagues Gwyn Topham and Lucy Campbell report.
Here are some lines from the post-PMQs briefing from Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesman.Here are some lines from the post-PMQs briefing from Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesman.
Boris Johnson’s line at PMQs about the Scottish parliament not debating education for two years sounded very effective when he made it. (See 1.10pm.) But, according to the SNP’s Ross Colquhoun, it wasn’t quite true.
Scotland has not broken apart from the UK yet, but the faultline seems to be getting bigger and in the Commons every week that crack is on display at PMQs. Boris Johnson seems to give more thought to countering Ian Blackford’s arguments than Jeremy Corbyn’s, and today he scored a good hit with a point about the Scottish parliament not debating education (where the SNP’s record has been poor) for the last two years. But his jibe only served to highlight the fact that on the substance - Scotland being disadvantaged by not being able to set its own immigration policy, despite its immigration needs being quite different to England’s - Blackford was right. The SNP case was strengthened by team discipline (various MPs making the same point). These were moments when Johnson faced forceful challenge.
He is also facing an acute dilemma over HS2. At least three MPs asked about it, and he fobbed them off each time with a reply about the government announcement about HS2 being made very soon. But it was clear from the commotion in the Commons that Conservative MPs are split over this, and not afraid to say so.
By contrast, Johnson is not facing much challenge at the moment from Corbyn. That is partly because Corbyn’s own MPs are indifferent to what he is saying, and partly because Corbyn seems to have even less interest than he ever used to in mastering the theatrics of PMQs. That is not to say he wasn’t talking sense; he was, and it was clear from listening to him that he is better informed about the Middle East and international human rights (a lifelong passion for him) than Johnson is (despite Johnson being a former foreign secretary). Corbyn was also right to expose the government announcement last week about no longer funding coal projects abroad with aid money as essentially cosmetic (because funding for oil and gas projects continues). But Caroline Lucas made this point with more passion and punch (see 12.21pm), and on the Middle East, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, Corbyn may have been right, but he did not inspire the house. That is not to say these issues aren’t important; it is just that if you feel they are important, you should find a way of conveying that. It’s not easy, but effective politics never is.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, is making an announcement.
He says he is setting up a new system. If he takes a decision against the strong advice of clerks, the clerk will have the right to place a copy of his advice in the Commons library.
This system is modelled on the “ministerial direction” system that allows civil servants, if they feel they are being ordered to go ahead with a spending plan that cannot be justified, to insist on being given a written “ministerial direction”. It does not stop ministers doing what they want, but it serves as an incentive against rogue decision making.
Hoyle’s announcement is a response to the controversy generated by John Bercow when he over-ruled advice from his clerk, and effectively tore up the Commons rulebook, to allow a vote on an amendment opposed by Brexiters.
Speaker announces plan to reduce prospect of officials’ advice being ignored on procedural rulings.
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru’s leader at Westminster, says many people are not happy about Brexit. Will Johnson meet Plaid Cymru to discuss Wales’ prospects after Brexit.
Johnson says he agrees on the need for unity, but Wales voted for Brexit.
Johnson repeats the point about the HS2 announcement coming shortly.
An MP asks if the BBC is a mortal enemy of the Conservative party, or a much-prized national institution.
That is a reference to what Dominic Cummings, the PM’s chief adviser, used to say about the BBC.
Johnson says the BBC is a much-prized institution. It is not a mortal enemy, he says.
The SNP’s Richard Thomson asks if Johnson will commit to keeping the UK in the Erasmus+ student exchange programme after Brexit.
Johnson says nothing in Brexit will stop students being able to pursue their hopes and dreams around the EU.
Labour’s Meg Hillier asks what Johnson is going to do now to ensure there are more GPs. She says just training more is not good enough, because that takes years.
Johnson says the government is training 6,000 more GPs.
The SNP’s Ronnie Cowan asks Johnson if he agrees that protecting Scotland’s care sector with tailor-made immigration policies are more important than his ideological obsession with cutting immigration.
Johnson claims existing plans take into account Scotland’s needs.
The DUP’s Gregory Campbell asks if Johnson backs plans for pensions for innocent victims of violence in Northern Ireland.
Johnson says the principle that victims must not be to blame for what happened must be maintained in these negotiations.