Afternoon summary
- Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland secretary, has said government MPs will get a free vote if the Commons does consider legislation to liberalise the abortion laws in Northern Ireland. She appeared to rule out the government whipping its MPs to vote against on the grounds that this is a devolved matter. Speaking in an emergency debate on the issue, Bradley said:
This is a matter of conscience: a free vote on this issue in this House would be afforded if the matter of abortion comes before the House again, and the same applies in Northern Ireland.
But Bradley also restated the government’s view that this is a matter that should be decided by the Northern Ireland assembly, when power-sharing is restored, not by Westminster. Opening the debate, which she secured, the Labour MP Stella Creasy said she was proposing a UK-wide law change that would repeal the sections of the Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) 1861 that make abortion illegal in Northern Ireland. She said:
Even though the Good Friday Agreement explicitly retains human rights responsibilities for (Westminster), let me reassure those MPs who want to uphold the role of devolved assemblies that repealing OAPA would not write a particular abortion law for anyone, but it would require them to act.
During the debate, which saw many MPs from both sides of the Commons speak in favour of liberalising the law in Northern Ireland, the Conservative MP Heidi Allen said she was passionately pro-choice because she had an abortion herself. She said:
I was ill when I made the incredibly hard decision to have a termination: I was having seizures every day, I wasn’t even able to control my own body, let alone care for a new life.
That’s all from me for today.
Thanks for the comments.
Gordon Brown unveils five-point plan to unite UK around softer Brexit
Gordon Brown, the former prime minister, is speaking at an event at London’s Southbank centre tonight and his office has sent out advance extracts from what he is going to say. To use a phrase coined by Tony Blair’s former communications chief, Alastair Campbell, Brown is making the case for being tough on Brexit, and tough on the cause of Brexit.
It is classic Brown; in part almost brilliant, but over-complicated and not necessarily practical. It all hinges on a five-point plan (another quintessential Brownism). From what Brown is saying in his press release, he seems to be advocating a very soft Brexit, involving staying in the single market, although he is not explicit about what he is proposing.
The main problem with it, of course, is that it’s probably two years too late.
Still, it is interesting stuff. Here is a summary.
- Brown says the Brexit vote was “the biggest revolt against the political establishment of our country” and that remainers can’t just tell leavers they were wrong.
The Brexit vote was the biggest revolt against the political establishment of our country - and the commercial, industrial, financial and cultural establishment.
Something as seismic cannot be dismissed as false consciousness on the part of a poorly-informed electorate: we have to accept that was a genuine expression of people’s anxieties about the future.
The vote sent a powerful message that globalisation is not working for British citizens and this is reflected in economic discontent about wage stagnation and the prospects for young people, and in cultural pessimism – a sense that “the country is not what it was” and has “changed out of all recognition” – as well as an anti-politics sentiment.
Millions of people are feeling left out and left behind.
- He proposes a five-point plan that could unite both sides of the Brexit argument.
To deal with the underlying drivers of Brexit – the root causes – remainers have to attempt to answer and address the Leavers’ concerns about migration and sovereignty.
In turn, leavers should listen to the legitimate concerns that Remainers have about how diminished access to trading opportunities in mainland Europe may have a negative impact on wages and the prospects of young people, hit northern communities hard, and even deprive the NHS of staff and funds – and that job prospects may be more vulnerable in a hard Brexit economy more detached from mainland Europe, because so much depends on trade.
Here are the five points.
First, managing migration more successfully;
Second, giving proper weight to British law;
Third, fashioning an up to date British industrial policy that addresses stagnant wages and lost jobs;
Fourth, forging a new regional policy that gives a voice to the North and to communities which feel they have been held back – and accept that the third and fourth priorities will require the best possible access to European trading opportunities; and
Fifth, solving the funding crisis of the NHS.
- He says there are six measures the UK could implement to curb immigration that are all compatible with EU or single market membership.
If we wish to manage the migration of European citizens into Britain more effectively and address fears people undoubtedly have, then I believe that the British public would accept – and the European Union could not refuse – the following six proposals, all of which are in force in at least one country under ‘free movement’ rules and could be implemented in Britain now:
1. No undercutting of wages by migrants. Follow the precedent set by France this year and legislated last week across the EU by insisting that a migrant worker cannot be paid, for example, Eastern European wages in a British job.
2. Registration of jobs. As in Switzerland, again under European freedom of movement rules, employers should be required to notify local job centres of job openings - generally or in sectors of high unemployment. Locally resident applicants would be eligible for a guaranteed interview with the employer.
3. Registration of migrants. Following the example of Germany, any migrant coming to the UK from within the EU should be required to register on arrival at a local job centre or on an online platform.
4. Possible removal of migrants. After nine months, migrants who do not have a job could be required to leave, in line with the law in Belgium.
5. No undercutting by employment agencies. We could ban employment agencies from advertising jobs abroad that are not at first advertised at home and end the practice where employment agencies bring groups of workers to Britain for jobs that British workers have been unable to compete for or even apply for.
6. Significantly expand the government’s fund for mitigating the impacts of immigration on local communities. Provide extra financial support for areas where there is pressure on resources because of large numbers of immigrants – helping local hospitals, schools and public amenities.
- He proposes a declaration of national identity that would allow the UK courts to prioritise the British constitution when it clashes with EU law.
The declaration will build on sentiments already expressed by the UK supreme court regarding the protection of UK constitution in applying EU law, for example in the cases of HS2 and Pham. It will ensure that the British courts will be in no doubt that the British constitution must be prioritised and protected, if ever EU law comes into conflict with it.
I would suggest that in the longer term, parliament passes a statute which requires Parliamentary approval for the application of EU law which may be seen to cut across or undermine ‘constitutional statutes’, including the Bill of Rights 1689, the Magna Carta, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, as well as the European Communities Act 1972. The statute would empower UK citizens to bring a case to UK courts on the grounds that a piece of EU law undermines the rights provided by the UK’s constitutional statutes.
- He says Britain risk being “permanently paralysed” by Brexit.
In our long history as a United Kingdom – at times threatened by invasion, sometimes subject to bombardment and for a time laid low by civil war – we have always found the strength from within ourselves to come together as one. By seeking and then finding common ground we have triumphed over whatever crises we have confronted.
Yet we are now at serious risk of being permanently paralysed by seemingly irreparable divisions – a fractured country divided not just over Brexit, but also with Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions at odds with Westminster and at what they see as a London-centric view of the world.
- He proposes changes to the EU withdrawal bill to take more account of the interests of devolution.
The current EU withdrawal bill, which reverses without Scottish consent some of the devolution settlement - at least for a seven-year period – is generating a new set of grievances.
I will propose that we restrict the retention of powers at the centre to essential matters where international obligations and negotiations require a united front and I suggest that when the EU withdrawal bill returns to the Commons next week we trigger the sunset clause not in 2026 but not later than 2024, thus restricting the amount of time that Westminster can ‘freeze’ devolve powers after Brexit.
Turning back to Jeremy Corbyn, according to the BBC’s Norman Smith, the Labour leader told the GMB conference in Britain that Labour wants a customs union with the EU after Brexit that would allow the UK to strike its own trade deals.
Jeremy Corbyn says Labour's planned Brexit customs union must allow for UK to strike its own trade deals.
— norman smith (@BBCNormanS) June 5, 2018
This repeats what Corbyn said in his speech in February announcing Labour’s support for staying in a customs union long term, but it is contentious because many would argue that the two goals are incompatible.
Corbyn also restated his opposition to the so-called Norway option.
Jeremy Corbyn says Labour wants a better deal than Norway EEA model
— norman smith (@BBCNormanS) June 5, 2018
Norway model wd not work for the UK says Corbyn
— norman smith (@BBCNormanS) June 5, 2018
Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative MP and GP who chairs the Commons health committee, backs Creasy. She says ministers should prepare for the fact that cross-party amendments demanding liberalisation of the abortion laws in Northern Ireland will be brought forward.
She says she hopes ministers won’t delay the domestic violence bill just because they want to avoid this vote.
Most parties generally allow their MPs a free vote on abortion. But, on this issue, Labour as a party is committed to liberalising the laws in Northern Ireland. This is what Jeremy Corbyn said on this subject earlier today.
I would say very politely to Arlene Foster, you were elected to the Northern Ireland assembly, maybe you should play your part in ensuring that assembly functions and we get a devolved administration working in Northern Ireland.
In the absence of it, then clearly the UK Parliament has responsibility to adhere to human rights standards, and there is a Supreme Court decision coming on Thursday.
Labour’s position has always been that abortion rights should be extended, without fear or favour, across the whole of the UK.
In the Commons Tony Lloyd, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, has just finished speaking. He backed up Corbyn’s position, but he stressed that Labour’s preference was for power-sharing to be restored in Northern Ireland and for the Northern Ireland assembly to take forward this issue.
Government MPs would get free vote on liberalising abortion laws in Northern Ireland, says Bradley
Bradley says any read-across from the Irish referendum to the UK needs to be treated with care.
Ireland voted to repeal an article in their written constitution. They are now writing a new law.
She says the law in Ireland has not changed yet.
Creasy says she is not talking about getting rid of the Preservation of Infant Life Act from 1929, which banned abortion after 28 weeks (subsequently reduced to 24 weeks).
Bradley says this is a matter for a democratically elected assembly in Northern Ireland. MPs are in danger of disenfranchising people in Northern Ireland.
She says Theresa May has been clear in her support for women’s rights. She welcomes the result in the Republic of Ireland, she says.
And that’s it. Bradley has finished. What she said did not really go much beyond what Downing Street has said - she certainly did not show any enthusiasm for allowing MPs to have a vote on this - although what she said about this continuing to be a free vote matter (see 3.22pm) implied that, if Creasy or anyone else does find a way of forcing a vote on this in the future, the government would not whip its MPs to vote against on the grounds that this was a devolved matter, not a matter for Westminster.
- Bradley says government MPs would get a free vote if the Commons were to vote on liberalising the Northern Ireland abortion laws.
This does not mean there will be a vote at any point in the future. Creasy wants to table an amendment to the domestic violence bill, but that is still at the consultation phase and only a draft bill was published in the Queen’s speech.
Even if an amendment were to be tabled, government sources have said they think there is a strong chance of it being disallowed on the grounds that this is a devolved matter.
Updated
Bradley says abortion has long been a matter of conscience in the Commons.
It has been, and will continue to be, a matter for a free vote in the Commons, she says.
Ian Paisley, the DUP MP, says what Creasy proposes would change the law for the UK. That should not be done in the heat of the moment, following a vote in the Republic of Ireland.
Karen Bradley's speech
Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland secretary, is speaking now.
This may well be the most important speech of the debate because she will set out the government’s thinking. See 3.09pm.
Maria Miller, the Conservative former culture secretary who chairs the Commons women and equalities committee, backed calls for changing the law in Northern Ireland.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP chief whip, is speaking now. He says people claim he is out of touch with the views of his constituents. But he has been returned as an MP six times. He says the DUP is explicitly a pro-life party. And there are nationalist and unionists in Northern Ireland who back that position, he says.
He says 100,000 people are alive in Northern Ireland because it did not accept the 1967 Abortion Act.
This is from Sky’s Beth Rigby.
NEW: Am told that Karen Bradley's speech in @stellacreasy's #abortionlaws debate will 1] confirm PM support on the issue 2] confirm its a free vote issue 3] UK parliament is entitled to act. Does that pave a way for an amendment to the domestic violence bill?
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) June 5, 2018
If Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland secretary, says explicitly that Theresa May is in favour of liberalising the abortion laws in Northern Ireland, she will be going further than the prime minister’s spokesman. Up to now Downing Street has played down the prime minister’s personal views on this, stressing that it is a devolved matter.
Turning back to Heathrow for a moment, this is from ITV’s Robert Peston.
Very senior Labour source tells me #Heathrow will fail their four tests. In other words they will not back the Heathrow expansion. So yet another squeaky-bum vote for @theresa_may
— Robert Peston (@Peston) June 5, 2018
Creasy says that, by repealing OAPA, MPs can show they trust women. They can also show they trust devolved administrations to take their own decisions.
The next issue is, when can MPs vote, she says.
She says the government is consulting on a domestic violence bill.
Parliament does not protect women by criminalising them, she says.
And she says the majority of people in Northern Ireland would like to see abortion managed as a medical issue, not a criminal issue.
She says she has respect for people opposed to abortion. But she says she thinks women should have the choice.
She says today she made the mistake of reading her emails. One person said women could always say no, and keep their clothes on.
She says people like this are more concerned about how women became pregnant, not what happens to the foetus, she says.
She says, as far as she is concerned, this is all about freedom.
By supporting the case for liberalisation, MPs can show they think all women deserve to be treated as citizens.
She says today she is asking ministers to commit to allowing parliament a vote on this.
She ends:
I ask the ministers - give us a date.
Updated
The DUP MP Ian Paisley says the Northern Ireland assembly debated this issue in 2016 and rejected what Creasy is proposing.
Creasy says in 2016 the assembly did not reject the proposal. In fact, the DUP said it just had to be considered properly. And there have been two elections since then, she says.
The independent MP for North Down in Northern Ireland, Sylvia Hermon, intervenes. She says she has received many letters from constituents who think MPs legislating to liberalise the abortion laws in Northern Ireland would subvert devolution.
Creasy addresses this.
She says she wants to get rid of the sections in the Offences against the Person Act that outlaw abortion.
This is UK legislation, she says. If it were repealed, it would then be up to Northern Ireland to draw up its own law on abortion.
The Northern Ireland assembly, if reconstituted, would not be able to ignore this issue, she says.
She says she is opposed to calls for a referendum. What would the terms of the referendum be? If there were to be a referendum, that could open the way to other referendums, such as one on the border, she says.
Stella Creasy is opening the debate now.
She says she and colleagues have been planning for this since they managed last year to force the government to offer women from Northern Ireland abortions in England on the NHS.
This debate has been triggered by the result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland, she says.
She says under the law in Northern Ireland, a woman who is raped and seeks a termination can face a higher sentence than her attacker.
MPs to debate abortion laws in Northern Ireland
MPs are starting the emergency debate on the abortion laws in Northern Ireland in the next few minutes.
It has been scheduled in response to a demand from the Labour MP Stella Creasy. I’ve described it as a debate on the abortion laws in Northern Ireland, but technically it’s a debate on the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which banned abortion (among other things). The abortion section now longer applies in the rest of the United Kingdom, but it does still apply in Northern Ireland.
These are from the Evening Standard’s Joe Murphy.
Boris was the only minister in Cabinet to speak against Third Runway at Heathrow, we've learned.https://t.co/7VYZ3bRw5G
— Joe Murphy (@JoeMurphyLondon) June 5, 2018
Ministers being told by letter from PM that there will be a whip. Those with long-standing local objections can voice dissent to local media, but not in Commons @EveningStandard
— Joe Murphy (@JoeMurphyLondon) June 5, 2018
The @unofficial@ exception is Boris Johnson, who won't get into hot water if he travels abroad and misses the vote. If he votes against it, however, he'll have to resign.
— Joe Murphy (@JoeMurphyLondon) June 5, 2018
Time for a trade visit to the Caribbean, perhaps, Foreign Sec?
Matt Hancock, the culture secretary, is now making a Common statement about the Sky takeover bids.
My colleague Graeme Wearden is covering it on his business live blog.
Grayling says the Heathrow vote has to be taken within 21 sitting days from today. (That timetable is set out in the Planning Act.) He says the date of the vote will be announced in due course.
The Labour MP Richard Burden says regional airports should not be called regional airports.
Whatever your view of 3rd runway at Heathrow, disappointingly limited vision from Transport Sec, Chris Grayling today about potential of UK’s airports like @bhx_official outside SE. Stop calling them “regional airports”. They are international air gateways in their own right
— Richard Burden MP (@RichardBurdenMP) June 5, 2018
Grayling says he wants to “get on with it” and hold the Heathrow vote soon.
This is from the Wales Office.
NEWS: Welsh Secretary @AlunCairns says #Heathrow expansion is the right move for #Wales as the UK Government backs airport expansion through the development of a new Northwest Runway. #HeathrowExpansion pic.twitter.com/ReGsbUVWwN
— UK Government Wales (@UKGovWales) June 5, 2018
Labour’s Stephen Timms says he welcomes the announcement. How many jobs will it create?
Grayling says it should create in the region of 100,000 extra jobs.
Labour’s Gavin Shuker says that, given this project will last several parliaments, isn’t it incredible for any party that aspires to government not to have a clear view on this. He asks if there will be special whipping arrangements to allow some Tories (Boris Johnson, especially) to vote against.
Grayling won’t comment on whipping arrangements, but he says all parties that aspire to government should back the plan
Labour’s Ian Austin, MP for Dudley North, says most of the benefit will go to London and the south east. He says the government should have expanded Birmingham airpot instead.
The GMB union, which is also a major financial backer of Labour, is also supporting Heathrow expansion.
“We’ve been waiting long enough for this Government to pull itself together and to put this plan to MPs and secure the future of the airport and the jobs it can and will support.” @RixyieOrganiser on Heathrow expansion #GMB18 pic.twitter.com/ENWyRhJOVQ
— GMB UNION (@GMB_union) June 5, 2018
This is from the Manchester Evening News’ political editor Jennifer Williams.
Something slightly ironic about being on a radio interview about the north needing decent transport that gets cut short to cut to a Westminster statement on Heathrow’s expansion (not having a go at 5Live, who have been good on the northern stuff. Still made me smile though)
— Jennifer Williams (@JenWilliamsMEN) June 5, 2018
And this is from the Labour-supporting elections expert Ian Warren.
I don't think you could better (or worsen) the optics for people in the north. Approving a third runway for Heathrow on the day our transport infrastructure grinds to a halt. Up yours, northerners.
— Election Data (@election_data) June 5, 2018
But Greenpeace has described the move as a mistake. This is from the Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven.
Green-lighting a new runway at Heathrow on world environment day is like handing out free cigarettes on world health day.
This airstrip alone will load the atmosphere with as much extra carbon as some entire countries pump out. And it would make Londoners’ air more dangerous to breathe, contributing to an air pollution crisis that’s already cutting short thousands of lives.
It’s time the UK Government took seriously its commitment to protect the environment by building a low-carbon economy. Trains not planes for short haul journeys and a tax on frequent flyers is needed to prevent aviation emissions from rising.
The Institute of Directors has welcomed the plan. This is from its director general, Stephen Martin.
Businesses will be delighted by the cabinet’s decision to proceed with a new Heathrow runway. This gets us within touching distance of the end of a debate that has drawn out for far too long, holding us back at a time when we should be looking outward to become a truly global Britain.
Labour’s Seema Malhotra, who represents Feltham and Heston in west London, says polling suggests her constituents are in favour of the third runway. But they have some concerns about it, she says.
Grayling says there was “almost universal support” for the decision at cabinet this morning.
There is some laughter at his implicit reference to Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary and former London mayor who is a longterm opponent of the scheme.
Updated
Labour’s Mike Gapes welcomes the decision and says he is glad that a government has finally got a grip on this issue.
George Freeman, a Conservative, congratulates Grayling on putting the national interest before party politics. He says he hopes the same approach will apply in other areas (ie, Brexit).
Labour’s Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central, says she is in favour of the plan, provided it boosts regional growth.
But John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor and MP for Hayes and Harlington, near Heathrow, has confirmed his opposition to the plan on Twitter.
So that my constituents are fully aware I remain implacably opposed to expansion at Heathrow and after listening to the transport minister, Chris Grayling, today I am even more convinced that this would be a costly, environmental and social disaster that will never be built.
— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) June 5, 2018
Labour’s Kevan Jones says he backs the plan for a new runway.
Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative MP for Richmond Park in west London and prominent opponent of the scheme, says this looks like a whole load of blank cheques being written by the government. He suggests the government should be building a new runway at Gatwick instead.
Grayling says, from the 2060s, the economic case for Gatwick gets stronger than the economic case for Heathrow. But not before, he says.
Business groups have welcomed the decision. This is from the CBI.
Fantastic that the new runway at @yourHeathrow is getting closer to take-off. Expanding our #aviation capacity, and creating new flight routes to rapidly growing markets, is critical to ensuring Britain can compete on the world stage @transportgovuk https://t.co/AmVKPwCYGs pic.twitter.com/TXOqfg5cPr
— CBI (@CBItweets) June 5, 2018
And this is from the British Chambers of Commerce.
BCC: No more delays, no more excuses on #Heathrow expansion https://t.co/FcO4tVh5dj pic.twitter.com/TEo07TNAJ7
— BCC (@britishchambers) June 5, 2018
Unite urges MPs to vote for the Heathrow third runway
The Unite union, which is one of the Labour party’s main financial backers, has put out a statement urging MPs to vote for the third runway. Oliver Richardson, its national officer, said:
After repeated delays the government has finally given the green light to Heathrow’s expansion. Now it is critical for the wider economy that this additional capacity is delivered, and done so in a timely fashion.
As a nation, we cannot continue to have a never-ending holding pattern of inaction. It will not only postpone the economic boost and jobs a third runway would bring to the UK economy, but hand rival airports like Frankfurt and Charles de Gaulle in Paris a keen competitive advantage.
Ministers need to avoid playing parliamentary games with such an important project and put Heathrow expansion to a vote of MPs as soon as possible.
The UK is a world leader in aviation and aerospace. We urge MPs from all political parties to back growth for the UK economy and vote for Heathrow’s expansion to create and maintain high quality jobs.
Unite represents 34,000 workers at Heathrow.
The Green MP Caroline Lucas asks about carbon emissions. (See 1.15pm.)
Grayling says the airports commission said the third runway was compatible with the UK meeting its climate change obligations.
Grayling says allowing more capacity to Heathrow will allow new firms to enter the aviation market.
These are from the Green MP and outgoing co-party leader, Caroline Lucas.
Can't quite believe Chris Grayling's statement on #Heathrow didn't mention climate change even once. The biggest crisis this planet faces - aviation one of fastest growing sources of emissions- yet not one word. Government claims to be 'green' increasingly look like a bad joke.
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) June 5, 2018
And sadly Labour seems to share same fantasy that Heathrow expansion could be compatible with our climate change commitments. Govt aviation forecasts show *no scenario* in which expansion is compatible with commitment to limit air passenger growth to 60% by 2050 - another fudge
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) June 5, 2018
Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, says all the big regional airports oppose the plans.
Grayling does not accept that. He says there is huge support for the plan from regional airports.
Damian Green, the Conservative former first secretary of state, says this decision probably should have been taken 10 years ago. He asks Grayling to accept that new rail links with Heathrow will be required.
Grayling says some new rail services are already planned. The plan includes proposals to improve rail access to Heathrow from the south and from the west.
Lilian Greenwood, chair of the transport committee, asks Grayling to explain how a new runway will ensure there are more domestic routes.
Grayling says having a new runway will provide more connectivity. That will the main benefit to travellers from the UK outside London.
Justine Greening, the Conservative former transport secretary and Putney MP, says this is the wrong decision.
Grayling says a night flight ban is “an absolute requirement”.
It is “non-negotiable from the government’s point of view”, he says.
That would only change if the local community proposed something different.
This is from Sir Christopher Meyer, the former diplomat who ended his career as ambassador to Washington.
When in 1964 the Home Civil Service tried to recruit me, they offered me the prospect of working on a new airport for London. Today’s announcement of a third Heathrow runway is the end (?) of that process.
— Christopher Meyer (@SirSocks) June 5, 2018
The SNP’s transport spokesman, Alan Brown, says supporting a third runway was counter-intuitive for him. But he says all the Scottish airports back the proposal.
Grayling says the government welcomes the SNP’s support. It wants Scotland to benefit from the new runway.
Grayling is replying to McDonald.
He says McDonald did not say whether or not Labour backs the project.
He regards it as important for the whole of the country, he says.
On air quality, Grayling says the runway will not open if it does not meet air quality rules.
On landing charges, he says they will have to stay at about the same level they are now.
He says promises on night flights will have to be met.
This project can and will be delivered, he says.
If you look at the price at which slots at Heathrow are sold, you will see it is one of the world’s premier airports, he says.
He says Heathrow expansion will give people in all parts of the UK, as well as from the crown dependencies, better access to the rest of the world.
The vote has to take place within 21 days, he says.
Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, says Grayling does not have the support of the Commons. He is only here because Theresa May was too weak to sack hi, he says.
As Tory MPs jeer, he says they did not support Grayling during yesterday’s statement on the rail timetable crisis.
He says Labour will assess the plans in accordance with its four test:
1) that they will meet the UK’s capacity demands.
2) that they will not breach noise and air pollution obligations
3) that they will allow the UK to meet its climate change targets in their entirety
4) that they will support growth across the whole country.
He says some MPs have not forgotten Grayling’s broken promises on duel-fuel trains.
How can they believe the assurances he is giving on Heathrow, for example on the number of slots available for domestic flights?
He says MPs must look at the revised NPS in detail.
And Labour will apply its tests, he says.
He says, alongside the NPS (national policy statement) being published today, he is releasing a lot of other material that will help MPs make a decision on this.
Grayling says the process involves the Commons having to approve the government’s plans, and then a much more detailed planning permission having to be approved.
Grayling says the government’s airport strategy will set out a longterm strategy for airports.
He says he has met financial backers who could fund a new southern rail access to the airport.
Grayling says Heathrow are the only body who could deliver this scheme.
His department will be working closely with it, so it can meet the target date of 2026, he says.
Grayling tells MPs £2.6bn set aside to compensate people living near Heathrow for new runway
Chris Grayling says he comes to the Commons to mark a historic moment. He is laying before the House a plan to expand Heathrow airport. It is an example of the the government’s industrial strategy.
He says he is aware of the strength of feeling on this and has met residents.
He summarises the consultation process.
He says the UK has one of the largest aviation sectors in the world. The time for action is now, he says. Heathrow is already full and the evidence shows that the remaining London airports aren’t far behind.
Heathrow is already losing out because it is full, he says.
He says it is a nationally significant freight hub. A third runway would enable it to double its freight capacity.
He says he expects the whole of the UK to benefit. Regional connectivity is one of the key reasons for Heathrow getting a third airport.
He says communities around Heathrow will get up to £2.6bn in compensation. That is 10 times bigger than what was first proposed in 2009. That covers money for sound proofing homes.
- Grayling tells MPs £2.6bn has been set aside to compensate people living near Heathrow for the impact of the new runway.
Communities will be supported by up to £2.6bn towards compensation, noise insulation and improvements to public amenities – 10 times bigger than under the 2009 third runway proposal. This package is comparable with some of the most generous in the world and includes £700m for noise insulation for homes and £40m to insulate schools and community buildings. The airport has offered 125% of the full market value for homes in the compulsory and voluntary purchase zones, plus stamp duty, moving costs and legal fees, as well as a legally-binding noise envelope and more predictable periods of respite.
Updated
Chris Grayling's Commons statement on Heathrow third runway
Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, is about to make a Commons statement about going ahead with the third runway at Heathrow.
As we switch from customs to Chris Grayling, here is a tweet from Peter Ricketts, the former head of the Foreign Office, neatly linking the two topics.
The deft handling by Grayling and team of the new rail timetable boosts my confidence they’ll make an equal success of the much tougher feat of keeping the 8.5m vehicles a year flowing smoothly across the channel, esp since the new customs plans will be clear so far in advance!
— Peter Ricketts (@LordRickettsP) June 5, 2018
What HMRC said about the customs costs of a no deal Brexit
This is what Jon Thompson, the HMRC chief executive and permanent secretary, told the committee earlier (see 11.18am) when asked what the cost to business would be of a no deal Brexit.
He said stressed that this was not the government’s preferred option. But he went on:
If we moved to WTO [World Trade Organisation] rules, then that would definitely require customs declarations. So it would similar [to the costs of the “max fac” option].
Thompson says HMRC has worked with internet service providers to stop people receiving fake HMRC phishing emails. He says it estimates that it has prevented 500m of these emails being sent out.
HMRC never sends out emails inviting people to click links, he says.
And that’s it. The hearing is over.
They were due to cover economic crime, but Nicky Morgan says they will address that on another occasion.
Labour’s Wes Streeting goes next.
He asks about the revelation that HMRC made a reference to Lycamobile making a donation to the Conservative party when HMRC wrote to the French authorities refusing to raid Lycamobile’s London office on their behalf.
Thompson says HMRC has reviewed all requests for help from other tax authorities. There around 260 a year. That review showed there were no other references to political donors.
He says the person who included that reference made a mistake. But in other respects the reply to the French authorities was excellent, he says.
He says the reply stressed HMRC’s need to comply with the law.
Nicky Morgan says she was surprised to read a recent Times article saying HMRC is employing 2,000 fewer people than at the time of the EU referendum.
Thompson says there was an assumption that digitisation would reduce the need for staff.
He says he has described that assumption as over-aggressive.
Thompson says HMRC has continued to ask for permission to have discussion with other tax authorities about systems after Brexit.
But at the moment all negotiations are with the EU, he says.
Nicky Morgan goes next.
Q: You says, under the new customs partnership plan, there would be no checks. Presumably you mean no customs checks - not all checks. There could be checks for sanitary reason, couldn’t there?
Harra confirms that. He says HMRC has been focusing on checks for the purposes of tariffs and VAT.
Q: The Sunday Times at the weekend said a no deal Brexit could result in “armageddon”. How do you provide reassurance in the light of that?
Karen Wheeler, director general of the cross-government border delivery group at HMRC, says that story referred to a report she has not seen. It is not something she recognises, she says.
Her group is trying to minimise risks.
Thompson says, if such a report exists, he has not seen it.
Labour’s Rushanara Ali goes next.
Q: You said HMRC would be able to have a functioning border by January 2021, even though new arrangements might not be fully optional. And you said one of three things would have to give: security, revenue or trade. So would that really be a functioning border.
Thompson says he did tell the committee two weeks ago that there would be a border, but that it would be sub-optimal.
Q: We can’t compromise on security or trade, so we will have to compromise on revenue. How much might that cost?
Thompson says that question is too hypothetical to answer.
But ministers would have to make a choice, he says.
Harra says customs procedures always have to balance out these three objectives.
Thompson says HMRC is only one department of several looking at customs options.
He says HMRC is not the primary author of government papers on the two options being considered.
Thompson says he does not believe that the alternative methods used to calculate the cost of “max fac” take into account the actual nature of UK-EU trade.
Commons transport committee announces inquiry into new rail timetable chaos
The Commons transport committee has announced it will launch an inquiry into the rail timetable debacle, likely spelling another uncomfortable hearing for transport secretary Chris Grayling.
Thousands of trains have been cancelled and seriously delayed on Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern rail services since a new timetable was introduced two and a half weeks ago, leading to calls for urgent government action.
Lilian Greenwood, the committee chair, said:
Passengers continue to suffer from terrible disruption to their train services, particularly on Northern and GTR services. We will begin by questioning Northern, GTR and Network Rail but plan to take further evidence, including from the Department for Transport, so that we properly understand why the introduction of the new timetable has gone so badly wrong, what is being done to put it right and the steps needed to prevent this happening again.
The secretary of state has said there have been ‘major failures’ - we want to unpick this mess and understand how it can be prevented from occurring in December, when another timetable change is due.
Q: You have been accused of muddling consignments and containers in the calculations that produced a figure for the cost of “max fac”?
Thompson says he has explained how he arrived at his figures. They reflect the fact that trade with the EU is lower value, higher frequency than trade with elsewhere in the world.
Q: Other people say customs cost would only be about 1% of the overall costs of trade. Your figures are out of line.
Thompson tells Elphicke he is ignoring what he is saying. He produced his figures using a bottom up method, looking at the nature of trade. For example, a well-known firm of chemists distributes its goods in the UK from a warehouse in northern France.
Charlie Elphicke, who was elected as a Conservative but is currently suspended from the party, goes next. He asks about a letter he received from the Treasury minister Mel Stride saying government policy after Brexit would be to stick close to EU VAT policy. Is that right, he asks.
Elphicke is referring to a letter written up in a Financial Times story (paywall). This is how it started.
Britain is taking what a minister has described as an “active role” in shaping new EU value added tax regulations for the 2020s, suggesting the Treasury is planning for the UK to remain inside the bloc’s VAT area after the Brexit transition period.
In a letter seen by the Financial Times from Mel Stride, financial secretary to the Treasury, to Charlie Elphicke, MP for Dover, the minister also says: “The government aims to keep VAT processes after EU exit as close as possible to what they are now.”
If Britain seeks to remain inside the EU VAT area, it will continue to be bound by rules set in Brussels that are ultimately policed by the European Court of Justice, breaking one of Prime Minister Theresa May’s negotiating red lines.
Jim Harra, the HMRC chief executive, says the intention is to start with a VAT regime mirroring the EU’s after Brexit. But after that things could change, he suggests.
Updated
The five-page letter from Jon Thompson to the Commons Treasury committee sets out in detail how he arrived at the figures he gave the committee two weeks ago for the costs to business of the two customs options being considered by the cabinet - “max fac”, and the new customs partnership.
The letter says the estimate that “max fac” could cost business up to £20bn a year does not include the “costs of delays” at the border.
The letter from Jon Thompson (chief exec, HMRC) to Chair @NickyMorgan01 setting out more detail on a Highly Streamlined Customs Arrangement Facilitations has just been published here: https://t.co/lnfD4xu9M6
— Treasury Committee (@CommonsTreasury) June 5, 2018
Thompson is now being asked about some figures he has provided the committee in a letter which has been published on its website.
A no deal Brexit would cost business around £20bn a year, HMRC boss tells MPs
Thompson says the new customs partnership, the customs option said to be favoured by Theresa May over “max fac”, would not require customs declaration.
He says leaving the EU with no deal would also cost business about £20bn a year, because there would have to be customs declarations, as with “max fac”.
- A no deal Brexit would cost business around £20bn a year, HMRC boss tells MPs.
HMRC boss says Whitehall officials have not challenged his claim 'max fac' would cost business up to £20bn a year
Q: Have you been challenged on your figures by government departments or ministers or Downing Street?
Thompson says there has not been much challenge from officials.
Jim Harra, Thompson’s deputy, says those figures have been shared in Whitehall. He is not aware of any challenge to them in the last two weeks.
- HMRC boss says Whitehall officials have not challenged his claim “max fac” would cost business up to £20bn a year.
Q: Those figures were described as speculative. Do you accept that?
Thompsons says there are speculative in the sense that we do not know how the government’s plans will work.
He says two economists challenged his methodology. (He is referring to this article for Reaction.)
You can try to find a figure for costs by looking at the number of declarations, or by looking at the volume of trade overall (the top down approach).
He says he does not accept the top down approach.
He says trade with the EU is generally lower value, higher volume, than trade with the rest of the world.
Updated
Nicky Morgan, the chair, is asking the questions.
Q: Can you talk us through the sources you used when you told us two weeks ago what the costs of custom declarations would be under the “max fac” option?
Jon Thompson says he was basing his figures on three reports: an Ipsos MORI one, a Dutch government one, and a Nottingham Business School one.
Q: So £32.50 was just an average?
Thompson says it was a weighted average.
Q: Do you take into account the fact that different industries will have different costs?
Not per se, no, says Thompson.
HMRC gives evidence to Commons Treasury committee on Brexit
Jon Thompson, the chief executive and permanent secretary at HM Revenue and Customs, is giving evidence now to the Commons Treasury committee about Brexit.
He appeared two weeks ago, in a dramatic hearing during which he said that the “maximum facilitation” customs plan favoured by cabinet Brexiters would cost business up to £20bn a year.
That was a one-off hearing promoted by a newspaper story about HMRC views on the “max fac” plan.
This will be a more wide-ranging session, covering borders and economic crime.
You can watch the hearing here.
And, since we’re on the subject of Theresa May, these tweets from the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg are worth a read.
They were promoted by this, from HuffPost’s Jess Brammar.
Surely by now the default answer to “could May survive that?” is yes, however extraordinary that has seemed at times over the past year https://t.co/4HXJeCbrWX
— Jess Brammar (@jessbrammar) June 5, 2018
My notebooks from the last year are full of that question... but week after week, Tina saves Theresa - as govt aim, as one Cab minister puts it, is ‘just getting through each day’ https://t.co/VQp99CAZ6E
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) June 5, 2018
2. Tina being Number 10’s true friend - ‘there is no alternative’ - although right now tempers rising, patience fraying, and grumpiness all round
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) June 5, 2018
3. 3 central truths, Minority govt is a nightmare; delays to Brexit decisions driving Ministers and MPs nuts but what saves her again and again is that none of those who might want to take over from May have incentive to do so, or be identified with putsch right now
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) June 5, 2018
4. It could all go v suddenly wrong, next week might be a car crash, but remember May was up not so long ago, with the wind blowing the other way
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) June 5, 2018
And this, from Sky’s Lewis Goodall, is worth noting too.
Talking to Tory MPs on next week’s Brexit votes, consensus v clear: (1) some confusion as to why Downing St is doing it now before they’re sure they have the votes and (2) PM can afford to lose one or a few votes but as one MP said “any more than a couple and it gets dangerous.”
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) June 5, 2018
And, while we’re on the subject of polling, the ConservativeHome survey of Conservative party members for the month of May makes grim reading for the prime minister. Amongst cabinet minister, only Philip Hammond, the chancellor, gets a worse satisfaction rating.
Here is an excerpt from Mark Wallace’s write-up for ConservativeHome.
Readers will remember that March’s Cabinet League Table contained quite a remarkable showing for the Prime Minister. Apparently as a result of her confident response to Russia’s attack on Salisbury, she had gained almost 47 percentage points to leap to a positive rating of +56.4, up from a miserable +9.1 the month before. To paraphrase the investment adverts, reputations can go down as well as up, however – and Theresa May now finds herself with a net negative rating, languishing at -9.5.
Unsurprisingly, this appears to be a reflection of Party members’ frustrations about her Brexit performance.
And here are the March figures.
What a difference a dither makes to Tory party members. Compare and contrast Theresa May's ratings from March (+56%) to June (-9%) (ht @ConHome); pic.twitter.com/fwNAgUoT5u
— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) June 5, 2018
Updated
Disagreement with Britain’s decision to quit the European Union has reached its highest point since the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to a new poll (pdf). As the Press Association reports, the YouGov survey found 47% of voters thought the decision to leave was wrong, against just 40% who said it was the right thing to do - the widest margin since the weekly survey began two years ago. YouGov interviewed 1,670 voters for The Times weekly tracker poll on May 28 and 29.
Here is a What UK Thinks chart showing how the figures have varied over time.
My colleague Lisa O’Carroll has been covering the Treasury committee hearing where bosses from from the ports of Calais and Zeebrugge, and from Getlink (formerly Eurotunnel, have been giving evidence on Brexit. Here are some of her tweets.
TReasury committee quizzing Eurotunnel, Calais and Zeebrugge ports... Benoit Rochet, Deputy CEO, Port of Calais, Joachim Coens, CEO, Port of Zeebrugge, and John Keefe, Director of Public Affairs, Getlink (formerly Groupe Eurotunnel)
— lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) June 5, 2018
NEW DATA: 2.8mn cars pass through Zeebrugge to UK every years. 1m of those are new cars being exported to the UK.
— lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) June 5, 2018
Zeebrugge handles "about 4,000 trucks a day - 80k in a line, quite some hectares to store them" if there were checks, Joachim Coens, head of Zeebrugge tells Treasury select committee
— lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) June 5, 2018
Calais boss says controls of lorries would be "no big deal" on customs checks, but problem would "sanitary inspection" on all lorries carrying meat and fish etc and they would need all the info targetting those lorries
— lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) June 5, 2018
Calais Port deputy CEO Benoit Rochet: “We know there is Brexit but we don’t know exactly what Brexit means”
— lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) June 5, 2018
Tory MP Nicky Morgan: “You are not alone”
Eurotunnel boss tells committee that they have "very clear guidance" on a no deal scenario and are preparing for that. "The real thin we are missing is the detail, what inspections might be required, what volume of inspection required". Only then can we move contingency plans
— lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) June 5, 2018
Charlie Elphicke MP for Dover to Zeebrugge boss - what has HMRC told you:
— lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) June 5, 2018
Joachim Coen: They all say prepare for the worst, but we don't have detail...practical things should be started immediately, but even the transition period is a problem. we don't know if that's going ahead
The Commons culture committee has taken a further step towards getting Dominic Cummings, the former Vote Leave campaign director, found guilty of a contempt of parliament for refusing to give evidence to its fake news inquiry. It has published a report requesting a Commons vote on an “order of the House” telling Cummings he must appear. If Cummings were to ignore that, the committee of privileges would investigate, which could lead to the Commons passing a motion finding him in contempt of parliament.
I went into all this in some detail last month in a post explaining what this procedure means, and why Cummings will be supremely unbothered by the prospect of a parliamentary reprimand.
In a subsequent post on his blog Cummings rather conveniently stood up my analysis, telling the committee (among other things): “You seem unaware that most of the country feels contempt for parliament and this contempt is growing.”
Met police chief says it would be 'naive' to think police cuts haven't contributed to rising violent crime
This is what Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan police commissioner, told Yvette Cooper a few moments ago about how police cuts have contributed to the increase in violent crime. (See 9.49am.) Dick said:
A whole series of social issues will have contributed to the changes and the increases [in violent crime]. I answered a radio interview in which I said, in effect, of course austerity has probably had something to do with it, by which I mean, of course, the other services as well as the police.
But I would be naive to suggest that reduced numbers of officers on the street, for a whole variety of reasons, including - and I’m talking across the country here - reduced officer numbers overall, have had no impact. I’m sure it’s had an impact, together with a whole series of other things.
But government ministers have consistently played down the link between police cuts and the increase in violent crime. For example, Jeremy Corbyn asked Theresa May at PMQs in February if she regretted cutting police numbers in the light of rising crime. In her replies, May insisted that overall crime figures are low (generally she is right, but violent crime is an exception), that the police were better now at recording crime and that police budgets have been protected.
Cooper asks Thornton about police funding.
Thornton says the settlement in December 2017 was better than expected.
She says, as the next spending review approaches, the Home Office needs to make a coherent case on police spending.
At the home affairs committee Yvette Cooper, the committee chair, asks why violent crime in London is getting worse.
Cressida Dick says it is hard to tell.
She says it is important to have some context. This is a problem affecting some communities. It is not making the whole of London unsafe.
But she has hundreds of officers out addressing the problem.
She says, in a radio interview, she said austerity had something to do with this. She was referring to the cuts to services generally.
And she says it would be wrong to pretend that police cuts have not been a factor.
Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, has just started giving evidence to the Commons home affairs committee about the future of policing. She is appearing alongside Lynne Owens, director general of the National Crime Agency, and Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
You can watch the hearing here.
I will be keeping an eye on it and posting any highlights.
Corbyn backs calls for inquiry into Islamophobia in Conservative party
Jeremy Corbyn has faced persistent criticism for allegedly refusing to do enough to tackle antisemitism in the Labour party. His supporters argue that the media should be focusing as much on allegations of Islamphobia in the Conservative party, and last week the Muslim Council of Britain put this story in the news by calling for an independent inquiry into the problem. Sajid Javid, the home secretary, responded at the weekend by claiming that the MCB does not represent Muslims - prompting Mishal Husain to post what for a BBC presenter amounted to an unusually pointed tweet suggesting Javid was talking nonsense.
It is no surprise that Corbyn would want to comment on this, and last night he did. Speaking at the speaking at the Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in Westbourne Park, after an evening meal for Muslims to end their daily Ramadan fast, he said there should be an inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative party. He said:
I think if there are allegations made then an inquiry should be held and it should be addressed and it should be dealt with.
Islamophobia, as with antisemitism, as with any other form of racism, has no place whatsoever in our society or in any of our political parties. Nobody should be condoning it, nobody should be hiding it, everybody should be exposing it.
Today he is speaking to the GMB conference in Brighton.
But there is a lot else around. Here is the agenda for the day.
8.30am: A cabinet sub committee meets to confirm the decision to go ahead with the third runway at Heathrow.
9.30am: Theresa May chairs cabinet.
9.30am: Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, gives evidence to the Commons home affairs committee.
10am: Executives from the ports of Calais and Zeebrugge, and from Getlink (formerly Eurotunnel) give evidence to the Commons Treasury committee on Brexit. At 11am Jon Thompson, the HM Revenue and Customs chief executive and permanent secretary, gives evidence.
10am: Former international development secretaries Clare Short and Andrew Mitchell give evidence to the international development committee on sexual abuse in the aid sector.
10am: The police and CPS give evidence to the Commons justice committee on the disclosure of evidence in criminal cases.
Around 12.45pm: Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, is expected to make a Commons statement on plans for the third runway at Heathrow.
Around 2pm: MPs begin an emergency debate requested by the Labour MP Stella Creasy on the abortion law in Northern Ireland.
Afternoon: Jeremy Corbyn gives a speech to the GMB conference in Brighton.
As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary at lunchtime and another at the end of the day.
You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.
Here is the Politico Europe round-up of this morning’s political news from Jack Blanchard. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’ top 10 must reads.
If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or don’t have time.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.
Updated
