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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Politics
Benjamin Kentish

Northern Ireland abortion vote - LIVE: MPs bid to force government to act over ban on terminations

MPs will try to force the government to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland when the Commons votes today on an motion tabled by Labour MPs.

The amendment, which would force ministers to ensure that the law in the region is compatible with human rights legislation, has been tabled by Labour backbenchers Stella Creasy and Cnor McGinn but has the backing of a number of Tories.

The Conservatives are expected to give their MPs a free vote on the matter, raising the prospect that it could pass.

It comes after the Commons voted by 208 to 123 in favour of a largely symbolic motion to scrap that 157-year-old laws that make abortion illegal in Northern Ireladnd. It was backed by Tories including women and equalities minister Penny Mordaunt, piling pressure on Ms May to act.

Here's the clip of Theresa May confirming the government will revoke the visas of anyone suspected of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi...
 
Here's a bit more on the action the government is taking against suspects implicated in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
 
Sajid Javid, the home secretary, said:
 
"The UK government condemns in the strongest possible terms the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and has serious concerns around the explanation given by the Saudi authorities.

“With this in mind, I have decided to take action against those implicated in his death to prevent them from entering the UK.

“We will always be thoughtful and considered in our response, but if the appalling stories are true, they are fundamentally incompatible with our values.”
Labour said the government should take tougher action against Saudi Arabia in the wake of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

"There is a clear responsibility on the British government to take decisive action in relation not only to the murder in Istanbul but also the conduct of the Yemen war," a spokesperson said.

The steps taken by the government "do not go far enough in response to this action and the wide mass abuse of human rights by the Saudi dictatorship", they added.

 
Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May clashed over the prime minister's promise to end austerity, with the Labour leader asking when this was likely to happen. Mr Corbyn also quoted Tory local government leaders who questioned the prime minister's claims as they face several years of further budget cuts. 
 

FULL STORY: UK to revoke Saudi suspects' visas today over Jamal Khashoggi murder, Theresa May says 

UK to 'revoke Saudi suspects' visas today' over Jamal Khashoggi's murder, Theresa May says

Theresa May has announced the UK government will today revoke visas of suspects related to the murder of the Saudi journalist and dissident, Jamal Khashoggi. The action comes after the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed the kingdom's efforts to blame Mr Khashoggi's death within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on "rouge operatives". 
 

FULL STORY: UK to revoke Saudi suspects' visas today over Jamal Khashoggi murder, Theresa May says 

 
http://http:/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/khashoggi-murder-saudi-arabia-visas-theresa-may-bin-salman-turkey-consulate-istanbul-a8599236.html
That's it for this week's PMQs. It was another fairly dull encounter between Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May, with the two leaders hurling statistics at each other as they clashed over spending on public services and the potential ending of austerity.
 
The main news was the prime minister's announcement that the UK will revoke any visas held by suspects in the murder of Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable asks about universal credit, saying the positive principles behind the policy were "seriously undermined" by George Osborne's 2015 budget.
 
He says Ms May must listen to charities and her own backbenchers who are calling for the rollout of the policy to be halted until improvements are made.
 
The prime minister says universal credit makes the system more simple, helps people into work and allows people to keep more as they earn more.
 
She once again defends the changes, insisting: "This is a system that is good for people."
Major dig from Labour's Susan Elan Jones, who suggests that the reason Ms May won't confirm what will be in next week's budget is because she doesn't know who will be prime minister next week...
 
Jacob Rees-Mogg asks about reports that the jurisdiction of European courts will continue after Brexit.
 
Ms May says any reports suggesting this are wrong and insists that the European Court of Justice will not continue to have jurisdiction in the UK after Brexit.
Labour's Jess Phillips says UK laws currently "allow rich and powerful men to do pretty much whatever they want as long as they can pay to keep it quiet".
 
It follows reports that a prominent businessman has used non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and a court injunction to stop allegations against him being made public.
 
Ms Phillips asks what the government will do about the use of NDAs in relation to cases of sexual harassment.
 
The prime minister says sexual harassment in the workplace is against the law and "such abhorrent behaviour should not be tolerated." She adds:
 
"There must be consequences for failing to comply with the law."
 
Ms May says NDAs cannot stop people from whistle-blowing but that the government will make put forward changes to improve the regulation of NDAs in order to make clear to employers when they can and can't be used. 
That's a new announcement from Theresa May: any suspects in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi will be banned from entering the UK, with visas being revoked today.
 
That won't be enough for many critics, who want tough action against the Saudi government, but it's a sign of the UK stepping up its response.
The SNP's Ian Blackford asks about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, saying it bears "all the hallmarks of being a pre-meditated murder".
 
He says German chancellor Angela Merkel has said her government will no longer approve new arms sales to the Saudis, and calls for "decisive action" from the UK. Will the UK end the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, he asks?
 
May doesn't directly respond that but says action is being taken. The government will prevent any suspects in the case entering the UK, with any visas they have to be revoked "today", she says.
 
Jeremy Corbyn moves onto universal credit, saying May is "completely out of touch with what universal credit is about". He demands to know whether people on the benefit will be worse off than under the current system.
 
May defends the policy, unsurprisingly.
 
Corbyn then moves onto the NHS, asking whether the ending of austerity will mean more funding for the health service.
 
May says the government is investing more in the NHS than Labour called for.
 
Corbyn replies saying saying applications for nurse training have dropped by 12 per cent, blaming removal of nurse bursaries.
 
Jeremy Corbyn quotes Conservative local government leaders talking about huge cuts to their budgets.
 
May highlights the government's economic record, saying there are record numbers of people in work.
 
Corbyn hits back, saying the prime minister failed to mention the record number of people on zero-hours contracts and in in-work poverty. Wages are lower in real terms than they were eight years ago, he says, while local councils have seen their budgets cut by 49 per cent. 
Jeremy Corbyn is up. He asks about austerity and when it will be over, as Theresa May has promised.
 
The prime minister says:
 
"People need to know that their hard work has paid off and, because of their sacrifices, there are better days ahead."
 
She says the government will lay out its plans during next year's spending review, but that debt will go down and support for public services go.
 
She adds:
 
"Unlike Labour we will continue to live within our means and we won't go back to square one."
Sir David Amess asks about a new jazz centre that has opened in his Southend West constituency. 
 
Referring to her now (in)famous dancing, Theresa May quips that she "has been known to move to a little bit of music myself".


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