House of Commons

The Tories are expected to abstain in two key votes on the government’s support for families – which includes scrapping a £1,000 a year cut in Universal Credit and the extension of free school meals – with Boris Johnson claiming the party is “playing politics” with the vote. Johnson will come under intense pressure to […]

MPs have a “moral duty” to protect the NHS from being negotiated in trade deals, campaigners have said as a vote on protecting the health service enters the House of Commons for a second time. Anti-privatisation campaigners claim that failing to protect the NHS from trade deals would open it up to being charged more […]

The government has dismissed calls from Labour to publish the economic impact assessment of Boris Johnson’s Brexit trade deal with the EU. Speaking in the Commons, shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry said: “Over the last two years the government has placed, as the Secretary of State tells us frequently, more than 30 new trade agreements […]

Liz Truss has been told to “do better” with her answers in the House of Commons as the speaker asked trade ministers to end the “political games” in the chamber. Sir Lindsay Hoyle claimed Truss’ team were giving better answers to Conservative MPs than to opposition MPs over similar questions. At one point the speaker […]

The Commons speaker has had to interrupt Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) to remind him to “answer the question” put forward by Sir Keir Starmer. Sir Lindsay was forced to abruptly end this week’s session of PMQs after Boris Johnson gave a long-winded response to the controversy over free school meals parcels. “Mr prime minister,” Sir Lindsay patiently […]

The government’s attempt to postpone debates which require MPs to attend parliament in person has been defeated by two Tory backbenchers. Westminster Hall debates are continuing to take place during the pandemic, but MPs are not allowed to contribute via Zoom and must be in the room if they want to speak. Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg […]

Theresa May has insisted Britain must reject “any push towards nationalism and isolationism” if it wants to prosper post-Brexit and deal with the effects of Covid-19. The Conservative former prime minister also reiterated her criticism of Boris Johnson for cutting the UK’s aid and threatening to breach international law over Brexit, warning this risked undermining […]

MPs have overwhelmingly backed the latest lockdown measures as the UK Covid death rate reached levels not seen since the spring peak. With Labour supporting the lockdown, the vote in the recalled House of Commons passed comfortably by 524 votes to 16, giving the government a majority of 508. Boris Johnson, however, did face rebellion […]

As MPs in the House of Commons vote in support of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, we look at how each politician voted. In the second and third reading of the bill, the Commons voted by 521 votes to 73 to back the agreement, a government majority of 448. 359 Tory MPs backed the bill – with 162 Labour […]

Former Brexit secretary David Davis has said the treaty agreed by Boris Johnson is “much better than would have been achieved under the previous strategy”, but warned there are “issues to deal with” on Northern Ireland, fishing and Gibraltar. He told the Commons: “It’s not over. All will lead to uncomfortable decisions in the near […]

Tory Brexiteer Mark Francois has quoted Nigel Farage, Mel Gibson and the prophet Isiah in his speech on the government’s Brexit deal – claiming his colleagues in the ‘Spartans’ could now “lower our spears”. Francois, who chairs the European Research Group, told MPs: “Thanks to this agreement on New Year’s Eve we will finally leave […]

The House of Commons Christmas recess is being extended to January 11 following the vote on Brexit, Downing Street has said. The prime minister’s official spokesman said the move was in recognition of the fact that many MPs had had to work through Christmas to prepare for the recall of Parliament to ratify the EU trade […]

Brexiteers Michael Gove and Boris Johnson have been accused of laughing about the end of the UK’s participation in the Erasmus scheme, as MPs debate the Brexit deal in the House of Commons. SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford told MPs: “He will remember standing in this House promising we will be staying in the Erasmus […]

Boris Johnson is set to tell MPs that the UK will be the “best friend and ally the EU could have” as politicians are set to vote for his Brexit deal. Parliament will be recalled to give its ruling on the trade agreement reached more than four years after the In/Out referendum in 2016. The […]

Tory Brexiteers in the influential European Research Group are set to support Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal ahead of a vote in the House of Commons. The prime minister had expected up to 20 of the MPs in the Eurosceptic faction of the Conservative Party to vote against the agreement with the EU, after giving Theresa […]

The DUP has joined a majority of Northern Ireland’s MPs in saying it will not vote for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. The Democratic Unionist Party announced its eight MPs will vote against the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU in the House of Commons when it is recalled on Wednesday. An […]

A former leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party has warned Keir Starmer’s party not to put itself “on the wrong side of public opinion” with the vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. Richard Corbett, former Labour MEP, has urged his party not to vote in support of the agreement, which would put it on […]

At least 20 members of the hardline European Research Group are expected to vote down a Brexit deal when it comes to the House of Commons next vote. Allies of Boris Johnson have calculated that a significant proportion of the backbenchers would vote against any deal, regardless of the content in the agreement. Among the […]

A transport head has said Brexit will cause traffic jams at British ports “like we have never experienced”. Road Haulage Association policy director Duncan Buchanan warned that the UK faced a “very serious” disruption to supply chains as a result of Brexit. Buchanan had been fronting an emergency meeting of the Common’s business and industrial strategy committee when he […]

The government has reportedly planned to recall MPs to the House of Commons next week to vote on a possible deal between Westminster and Brussels over Brexit. MPs must be given at least 48 hours notice before returning to parliament, with the government unlikely to recall politicians over the festive period, even if a deal […]

Tory MPs have joined calls for parliament to be recalled to allow politicians to “hold ministers to account” over Brexit and Covid-19 decisions. Former Conservative chief whip – and chairman of the Covid Recovery Group – Mark Harper has led the calls for a recall, while Tory Brexiteer Desmond Swayne has accused the government of […]

Ministers have been warned of a series of concerns about the “overall state of readiness” for the end of the Brexit transition period in less than a fortnight. Decisions have been made “too late”, communications with businesses have been “patchy at best” and police may be forced to use “slower and more cumbersome” systems, the […]

An MP who picked up the parliamentary mace in a Brexit protest has been branded “silly” by Jacob Rees-Mogg.  The Commons leader described the actions of the SNP’s Drew Hendry as “silly” and “childish”. Hendry, the party’s business spokesman, was suspended from the Commons after protesting against the UK Internal Market Bill. As proceedings on the Bill […]

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has told MPs Unicef should be “ashamed” of itself over its pledge to feed UK children during the coronavirus pandemic after a Labour politician asked him to get his “super-rich chums to pay their fair share”. The Commons leader told MPs it was “a scandal” that the charity had said it […]

An SNP MP has been suspended from a House of Commons sitting after he protested against the approval of controversial Brexit legislation. The party’s business spokesman Drew Hendry shouted “this is an outrage” as proceedings on the UK Internal Market Bill came to a conclusion following a lengthy parliamentary battle in recent weeks. Deputy speaker […]

Tory MP Michael Fabricant was cut-off by the House of Commons speaker after he branded Labour leader Keir Starmer a “smarmy lawyer”. The Conservative politician for Lichfield used his question at Prime Minister’s Question to claim the Labour leader was looking to change the rules on Christmas. He told MPs: “Look, on the subject of […]

MPs might not be able to vote on any Brexit deal agreed until after the transition period has ended, the leader of the House of Commons has admitted. Jacob Rees-Mogg said that MPs may be asked to “retrospectively correct” the law to recognise the agreement that Boris Johnson could sign before December 31. He admits it […]

A Labour MP has apologised for an “altercation” during Prime Minister’s Questions in which he was accused by speaker Lindsay Hoyle of “disgraceful” behaviour after an apparent heckling of Boris Johnson. During an answer from Boris Johnson on Brexit at last week’s PMQs Hoyle took exception to the MP for Rhondda’s behaviour before he left the chamber. […]

Boris Johnson has told MPs he is still searching for the “chatty rat” who leaked details of proposals for a second lockdown in England. The search for the culprit – continues and the prime minister promised to update the Commons “if” the source is identified. The announcement of the lockdown was made at a hastily-convened […]

Priti Patel has claimed Labour “stands up for the murderers, rapists, sex offenders” after she was taunted by the opposition over a report which said she had bullied staff. Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds praised police officers for visiting schools to promote anti-bullying messages, before pointing out: “We have a home secretary in office […]

Downing Street repeatedly refused to confirm that MPs would be given a vote on any post-Brexit trade deal that is agreed with the European Union. The prime minister’s official spokesman said it was for Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg to set out the business of the House and refused to commit to the principle of MPs […]

SAM FOWLES took on Boris Johnson’s government over the prorogation of parliament in 2019 – now he warns of a new battle against the repealing of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act. The Royal Prerogative harks back “to the clanking of mediaeval chains of the ghosts of the past”. So said the great judge Lord Roskill, […]