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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Sparrow

Queen's speech passes as 50 Labour MPs defy Corbyn and back staying in single market - Politics live

The Houses of Parliament.
The Houses of Parliament. Photograph: Niklas Halle'N/AFP/Getty Images

Queen's speech debate - Summary

  • Jeremy Corbyn has asserted his authority over Labour by sacking frontbenchers who were among the 50 MPs who defied the whip and backed the UK staying in the single market. The MPs - who comprise one fifth of Corbyn’s party in the Commons - were voting for an amendment to the Queen’s speech tabled by the Labour MP Chuka Umunna which mostly supported party policy, but said explicitly the UK should remain in the single market and in the customs union. Corbyn adopted a relatively relaxed approach when pro-European shadow ministers rebelled over article 50 earlier this year but, in a sign of how the election result has strengthened his position in the party, tonight he immediately let it be know that rebel frontbenchers would be sacked. Daniel Zeichner, Andy Slaughter, Catherine West and Ruth Cadbury are giving up their shadow ministerial posts as a result. The amendment was defeated by a majority of 221, suggesting that when the Commons gets to vote on Brexit legislation later this year, there may be less support for “soft Brexit” amendments than some pro-Europeans assume. The SNP, the Lib Dems, and Plaid Cymru all solidly backed Umunna, but not a single Conservative supported him in the division.
  • The Queen’s speech passed in the final vote with a majority of 14.

That’s all from me for tonight.

Thanks for the comments.

This is from my colleague Anushka Asthana.

This is from Sky’s Tom Boadle.

Daniel Zeichner says he resigned from the Labour front bench so he could vote for the single market amendment.

Earlier I said the Labour leadership was unlikely to be too worried about the 50 MPs defying the whip, but that was a bit premature. When the Commons voted earlier this year on the bill authorising the government to trigger article 50 (which formally started the Brexit process), Jeremy Corbyn made it clear that shadow cabinet ministers would have to resign if they wanted to defy the whip and vote against, but junior shadow ministers who rebelled were allowed to keep their jobs. Some 47 MPs voted against the bill.

This time, my colleague Anushka Ashana reports, Corbyn will be less tolerant of rebels.

HuffPost’s Paul Waugh says four frontbenchers are been sacked or have resigned after voting for the amendment.

Breakdown by party of 101 MPs who voted for the single market amendment

And here is a breakdown breaking down the 101 MPs who voted for the Chuka Umunna single market amendment by party.

Labour: 49

SNP: 34

Lib Dem: 12

Plaid Cymru: 4

Independent: 1

Green: 1

And the two tellers were Heidi Alexander (Labour) and Marion Fellows (SNP).

Full list of 101 MPs who voted for staying in the single market

Here is the full list of the 101 MPs who voted for the Chuka Umunna amendment saying the UK should stay in the single market.

Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Mr Adrian Bailey (Labour (Co-op) - West Bromwich West)
Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Luciana Berger (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Mhairi Black (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Mr Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Ms Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Sir Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Dr Lisa Cameron (Scottish National Party - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Ann Coffey (Labour - Stockport)
Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Sir Edward Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Emma Dent Coad (Labour - Kensington)
Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Mrs Louise Ellman (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, Riverside)
Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Mike Gapes (Labour (Co-op) - Ilford South)
Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Dame Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Stewart Hosie (Scottish National Party - Dundee East)
Dr Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)
Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Mr David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Mr Chris Leslie (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham East)
David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Angus Brendan MacNeil (Scottish National Party - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Stuart C. McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Mrs Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Brendan O’Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Albert Owen (Labour - Ynys Môn)
Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Mr Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Mr Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Mr Gavin Shuker (Labour (Co-op) - Luton South)
Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Chuka Umunna (Labour - Streatham)
Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Dr Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and North Perthshire)
John Woodcock (Labour (Co-op) - Barrow and Furness)
Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

MPs pass Queen's speech by majority of 14

MPs have voted for the main Queen’s speech motion by 323 votes to 309 - a majority of 14.

Ian Jones from the Press Association says 49 Labour MPs voted for Chuka Umunna’s single market amendment. (One of the tellers for the amendment was a Labour MP, Heidi Alexander, but the other was an SNP MP, Marion Fellows), so there is a one-vote discrepancy between these figures and Labour’s - see 5.41pm.)

51 Labour MPs defied whip and backed single market amendment, Labour says

The Labour whips office say they think 51 Labour MPs voted for the Chuka Umunna single market amendment.

MPs are now voting on the main motion - the “thank you” message to the Queen.

This is what the motion says:

That an humble address be presented to Her Majesty, as follows:

Most Gracious Sovereign,

We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of parliament.

MPs vote down Umunna's single market amendment by majority of 221

MPs have voted down Chuka Umunna’s single market amendment by 322 votes to 101 - a majority of 221.

Officially Labour MPs were under orders to abstain on this vote. SNP and Lib Dem MPs were supporting it, and we will find out soon how many of the 101 MPs in favour were Labour “rebels”.

(I’ve put “rebels” in inverted commas because the Labour leadership is unlikely to be too worried by this vote. Apart from the references to the single market and the customs union, everything else in the Umunna amendment was firmly in line with Labour policy.)

Updated

Here is Chuka Umunna speaking earlier in favour of his amendment.

Chuka Umunna’s amendment has been signed by 67 MPs. Mostly they are Labour, but some Lib Dem, Plaid Cymru, and SNP MPs have signed it too, as well as the Green’s Caroline Lucas.

MPs are now voting on Chuka Umunna’s single market amendment. (See 4.31pm for the full text of it.)

Stella Creasy withdraws her amendment after gaining concession from government

Stella Creasy is now being asked about her amendment.

She says she is satisfied by the assurances she has had from the government and will withdraw her amendment accordingly.

Updated

MPs vote down Labour amendment by majority of 26

MPs have voted down the Labour amendment to the Queen’s speech (see 9.10am) by 323 votes to 297 - a majority of 26.

Updated

MPs are now voting on the Labour frontbench amendment. (See 9.10am for the text.)

Greg Clark, the business secretary, thanks Stella Creasy for her amendment. She has brought to the house an injustice, and the government will put it right. He says the government does not want to accept it, because of the way it is drafted. He says he hopes Creasy will withdraw it.

On Chuka Umunna’s amendment (see 4.31pm), he says he and Umunna both want a good Brexit deal. But Umunna is calling for the UK to stay in the single market. He seems to have forgotten he ran on a manifesto to leave it, Clark says.

Updated

The Queen’s speech debate is just winding up now. Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, has just finished speaking on behalf of the Labour front bench, and Greg Clark, the business secretary, is wrapping up for the government now.

Meanwhile, here are two journalists making essentially the same point about what today’s abortion climbdown says about the dynamics of the new parliament.

From the BBC’s Nick Robinson

From the Telegraph’s Ben Riley-Smith

Tory MP Heidi Allen says she can 'barely put into words' anger over Tory/DUP deal

In the Queen’s speech debate the Conservative MP Heidi Allen strongly criticised her party’s deal with the DUP.

UPDATE: Here is Allen’s quote on the DUP.

I want an honest, transparent, collaborative, respectful and positive kind of politics - so I can barely put into words my anger at the deal my party has done with the DUP. We didn’t need to do it ...

I must put on record my distaste for the use of public funds to garner political control.

We should have run with a minority government and showed the country what mature, progressive politics looks like.

The only comfort I can take is knowing that people in Northern Ireland will benefit.

But this must never again be how this government prioritises spending. This is not the way to begin that journey of change.

Updated

Chuka Umunna's single market amendment

The Labour MP Chuka Umunna is speaking now in the Queen’s speech debate.

Here is his amendment on Brexit, which calls for the UK to stay in the single market. It will be put to a vote after 5pm.

At end add ‘but respectfully regret that the Gracious Speech does not rule out withdrawal from the EU without a deal, guarantee a Parliamentary vote on any final outcome to negotiations, set out transitional arrangements to maintain jobs, trade and certainty for business, set out proposals to remain within the Customs Union and Single Market, set out clear measures to respect the competencies of the devolved administrations, and include clear protections for EU nationals living in the UK now, including retaining their right to remain in the UK, and reciprocal rights for UK citizens.’.

Umunna says the election result shows that Theresa May does not have public support for the hard Brexit approach she proposed during the campaign.

He says it has been estimated that leaving the single market could cost the country £31bn.

But there is not just an economic case for the single market, he says. He says that the single market also guarantees workers’ rights.

Afternoon summary

  • The deadline for the talks on forming a power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland has been extended until Monday, after today’s 4pm deadline passed without a deal. These are from my colleague Peter Walker, who has just come out of the Number 10 lobby briefing.
  • Jo Johnson, the universities minister, has criticised university leaders for giving themselves above-inflation pay increases. As the Press Association reports, he singled out one leading institution, understood to be Southampton University, which he said has seen a hike of more than £120,000 in its vice-chancellor’s pay packet in recent years. Speaking at the Buckingham University of Festival of Higher Education, Johnson said:

There are legitimate concerns about the rate at which vice-chancellor pay has been growing.I think it is hard for students, at a time when they have concerns over value for money and want to see real evidence of value for money from their tuition fees. They do have concerns about the rate of growth in vice-chancellor pay. I would urge the sector to show leadership in this respect.

  • The House of Lords has set up a committee on political polling and digital media, to investigate “the effects of political polling and digital media on politics”. It will be chaired by the Labour peer Lord Lipsey, who advised the Labour prime minister Jim Callaghan on polling and it will report by the end of March 2018. In the past Lipsey has been a strong critic of the polling industry. This is what he wrote after the 2015 election.

The opinion polls in the 2015 election campaign were not only wrong. They greatly influenced the nature of the campaign and very possibly the result. In a democracy, this is no small matter. You would think that professional pollsters would regard it as part of their duty to assist those who report their work in explaining its limitations. They do not. Rather, they encourage exaggeration (as it is likely to achieve more follow-up publicity for the poll).

  • Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, has been given two weeks to produce a report on Southern Railway or face a judicial review on his handling of the franchise. As the Press Association reports, the high court made the ruling after hearing an application by the association of British commuters for a judicial review into the way Grayling has dealt with Southern. The operator has been hit by a year of disruption because of industrial action taken by unions over driver-only controlled trains, staff shortages and other problems. Mr Justice Ouseley said he was requiring the minister to publish a report within 14 days. The judge was told by James Hodivala, for the ABC group, that there had been an unreasonable delay in the government deciding whether the disruption was caused by so-called force majeure, and so was outside Southern’s control. Grayling had taken 14 months to make a decision, which amounted to an “unreasonable” delay and was at the heart of whether he had complied with his public law duty, the judge was told.
  • John Bercow, the Commons speaker, has said that male MPs will be allowed to speak in the Commons even if they are not wearing a tie. Responding to a point of order from the Conservative Peter Bone, who questioned why the Lib Dem Tom Brake was allowed to ask a question in the chamber on Wednesday without a tie, Bercow said:

I think the general expectation is that members should dress in business-like attire. So far as the chair is concerned - I must say to (Mr Bone) I fear this will gravely disquiet him - it seems to me that as long as a member arrives in the House in what might be thought to be business-like attire, the question of whether that member is wearing a tie is not absolutely front and centre stage.

Am I minded not to call a member simply because that member is not wearing a tie? No. I think there has always been some discretion for the chair to decide what is seemly and proper, and members shouldn’t behave in a way that is disrespectful of their colleagues or of the institution. But do I think it’s essential that a member wears a tie? No.

Perhaps Bercow was influenced by events in the French parliament, where this is also a live issue.

  • The biggest rail workers’ union is to consult its members on whether they want to re-affiliate to the Labour party. As the Press Association reports, the annual conference of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union in Exeter decided to ask branches and regions for their views. A final decision will be made at a special conference. The union, which has over 80,000 members, was expelled from Labour in 2004 after a row over its support for the Scottish Socialist party.

Northern Ireland power sharing talks deadline passes without a deal

The deadline on the talks aimed at bringing back power sharing cross community government has just passed. At 4pm the parties had still failed to reach a deal in their discussions at Stormont Castle in east Belfast.

First to react to the deadline being busted was the nationalist SDLP. Its leader Colum Eastwood said the public would be frustrated and angry that yet another deadline had been missed. Eastwood said:

The public deserve to know that both the DUP and Sinn Féin have so far shown no interest in engaging on these issues - it’s hard to talk to people who don’t want to talk back.

A deal leading to an inclusive executive will require inclusive engagement between parties on these issues.

Today should not be hyped as a collapse of the peace process but there is now a serious threat to any longevity in local people taking local decisions.

All of us must now reflect between a choice between a politics interested in actually wielding the power of government or a politics paralysed by deadlock and division.

Jo Swinson, the new Lib Dem deputy leader, and a former equalities minister, has congratulated Stella Creasy on getting the government to concede on abortions for women from Northern Ireland - and criticised Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, for dragging his feet on this issue. She said:

Congratulations to Stella Creasy - this shows the power of cross-party pressure, which will be even more effective in this balanced Parliament.

I’m glad that Justine Greening has acted on this issue, but it is embarrassing that the health secretary had done nothing on this so far and only the threat of a defeat prompted change.

Women deserve better than having their rights reliant on House of Commons arithmetic.

All government departments should be proactive in correcting injustices and protecting women’s rights, rather than assuming that women’s rights are only a matter for the Government Equalities Office.

Jo Swinson.
Jo Swinson. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

In the Queen speech debate Nicky Morgan, the pro-European Conservative former education secretary, is speaking now. Referring to Chuka Umunna’s amendment on Brexit (see 11.04am), she said that she would not support it, because she had concerns about the way it was drafted, but she said it was important for the government to know that MPs do have concerns about its Brexit strategy, and want clarity on issues like the transitional period as soon as possible.

The leader of the cross community Alliance party Naomi Long welcomed the chancellor’s decision to fund abortions in England for Northern Irish women.

Speaking outside Stormont Castle in a break from the all-party talks aimed at bringing back regional power sharing government, Long said:

I speak only here as one individual. As an elected representative I co-signed the letter from the Family Planning Association here which called on government to allow that access to take place. For many women who go to seek terminations in Britain it can cost up to £2,000 for the medical procedure alone. That is a helpful measure, that they are able to seek that treatment on the NHS.

However, that is not a solution to the problem of abortion in Northern Ireland, by exporting it to England even when the cost to the women is not an issue. We have got to find a solution in Northern Ireland which is respectful of the sensitivities of our society but also respectful of the fact that women be given some degree of control over their own fertility rights.

On BBC News a few minutes ago the Labour MP Stella Creasy hinted that she would withdraw her amendment in the light of the government’s concession. She said she wanted to look at the details of the scheme she was proposing. But she went on:

But I think that the fact that the government has conceded the principle that these women have a right to access abortion services without charges in England and Wales is certainly welcome. But let me see the detail first. Those women from Northern Ireland have not been heard for so long. We need to get this right.

I also want to make sure that this happens quickly, because there are women now in Northern Ireland who desperately need our support, very vulnerable women, who need us to make sure that now we have got the principle in place, the process is right too.

Stella Creasy.
Stella Creasy. Photograph: BBC

Government's abortion concession - Details

Here are the key points from the Greening letter. (See 2.13pm.)

  • The government will fund abortions for women from Northern Ireland in England, Justine Greening, the equalities minister (and education secretary) has told MPs.
  • NHS England will not face any extra costs as a result of the commitment, Greening says. Instead the money will come from the government equalities office, allowing it the department of health to “commission” abortion services in England for women from Northern Ireland. (It is not clear from this whether the NHS will provide those services too, or whether private clinics will carry out the abortions.)
  • Greening says abortion law has always been a conscience matter for MPs. This implies that, if the Stella Creasy amendment does get put to a vote, government MPs will get a free vote.

And here is the full text of the letter - with the second page.

Here is the letter for Justine Greening to MPs about how the government will fund abortions for women from Northern Ireland.

Hammond says government will give grants to fund abortions for women from Northern Ireland

In the Commons Stella Creasy has just asked Philip Hammond, the chancellor, about the abortion promise. She said it cost women from Northern Ireland £1,400 to get an abortion in England. She said the government’s promise to correct this injustice was “welcome”. But the devil was in the detail, she said. She asked if Hammond would agree to meet her and campaigners to ensure that what the government is offering meets what is required.

Hammond said Creasy needed to read the letter that Justine Greening will be sending out. He said the Treasury will give extra money to the equalities office “so that she can make a grant to the external organisations who will provide these services”.

He said he thought Creasy would be satisfied by this. If she was not, he would be happy to meet her, he said.

Updated

This is from the Labour MP Stella Creasy, who will have to decide whether to push her amendment (see 11.18am) to a vote, or whether to just accept the government’s concession and declare victory.

If the vote does go ahead, it is not clear whether or not Tory MPs will be ordered to vote against it, or whether the government whips will give them a free vote.

Even if there is a vote, Tory MPs who were planning to vote with Creasy will probably take the view that they don’t need to support Creasy now in the light of what the government has announced.

Government agrees to fund abortions in England for Northern Ireland women to avert Commons defeat

In the Commons Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has just announced that the government will fund abortions for women coming to have them in England from Northern Ireland (where access to abortion is highly restricted).

He said the details would be set out in a letter to MPs from Justine Greening, the minister for women and equalities (as well as education secretary).

This should avert the prospect of the government being defeated. The concession may persuade Stella Creasy to withdraw her amendment entirely.

With less than three hours left before the deadline on talks aimed at restoring power sharing government in Northern Ireland Sinn Fein has said it is “make up your mind time” for the Democratic Unionist Party.

Speaking outside Stormont Castle where all-party talks are talking place, Sinn Fein negotiator Conor Murphy claimed the deal in Downing Street on Monday between the DUP and the Tories was colouring the discussions. He said:

The (Conservative) alliance with the DUP has emboldened their anti-rights and anti-equality agenda, has increased their intransigence and that isn’t acceptable or sustainable.

The DUP’s Edwin Poots said “at the time we are not close to an agreement.”

However, Poots suggested that the talks could be extended beyond the 4pm deadline right up until next Monday to allow for discussions leading to an agreement to continue.
There has been no indication from the British government though that there will be an extension of the deadline today - at least so far.

The main bone of contention remains Sinn Fein’s demand for an Irish Language Act which would put gaelic on the same legal par as English throughout Northern Ireland. The DUP opposes a ‘standalone’ Irish Language Act and instead wants legislation that protects the languages and cultures of all communities in the region.

This is from ITV’s Carl Dinnen.

In the Queen’s speech debate Philip Hammond, the chancellor, is speaking now. He says it is self-evidently the case that the vote to leave the EU has created uncertainty which has affected the economy.

Labour MPs will be told to abstain on the Chuka Umunna amendment on Brexit (see 11.04am), PoliticsHome’s Kevin Schofield reports.

That is not a surprise, because the amendment backs staying in the single market, which is against party policy. But a sizeable number of Labour MPs are due to vote for the amendment.

The new SNP leader in Westminster has called for the secretary of state for Scotland to consider his position, claiming that David Mundell has “failed miserably” to look after the country’s interests.

Following widespread outrage at the minority government’s deal with the DUP, Ian Blackford asked whether Mundell was “Scotland’s man in the cabinet or the cabinet’s man in Scotland.”

“I think David has to look at his own position”, he added.

Blackford, who recently took over from the unseated Angus Robertson, also used both of his allocated questions at PMQs yesterday to ask Theresa May if Mundell had made representations regarding the DUP deal.

Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, Blackford said:

I’m not personalising this, it’s about the office. But I think he has to demonstrate that he is standing up for Scotland.

If you go back to the Conservative government after 1979, I think its fair to say that many people recognised that the then secretary of state, George Younger, was effective - to an extent - in standing up for Scotland. David has to do the same.

Blackford’s criticisms hinge on the £1bn worth of state funding given to Northern Ireland - widely characterised as a bung to the DUP - not being reciprocated in other regions of the UK, in accordance with the Barnett formula.

Asked if it was legitimate that Barnett was deemed not to apply in this case, he said:

Of course it’s not. It’s an outrage.

The secretary of state made it clear that he was going to demand that Scotland got its fair share as a consequence of any deal for Northern Ireland. So the fact is that the secretary of state has failed miserably to stand up for the people of Scotland.

Ian Blackford.
Ian Blackford. Photograph: PA

Ministers plan to offer concession on abortion and Northern Ireland ahead of vote, Leadsom suggests

During business questions in the Commons earlier Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House, said the government was trying to put together a proposal that would address concerns about women from Northern Ireland not being able to get abortions in England on the NHS. Maria Miller, the Conservative former culture secretary and chair of women and equalities committee in the last parliament, asked her:

When will the government be making a statement on access to abortion in Northern Ireland? It’s wrong that women in Northern Ireland don’t have the same access to abortion as women in England, Wales and Scotland, and the high court has ruled this law contravenes human rights law - which is a responsibility of the UK government, not a devolved matter. When will the government be making a statement to say how this wrong will be put right?

Leadsom replied:

This is an incredibly sensitive and important issue, and to be very clear it’s my personal view that every woman should have the right to decide what happens to her own body. That is very clear.

The question of women from Northern Ireland accessing abortions in England is not one of whether they should have that access, it’s a question of devolution and the fact that health is devolved to Northern Ireland and therefore it’s the question of who should pay for it.

What I can tell honourable members is the department for equalities and the Department of Health are discussing and looking very closely at this issue today.

Here is the Guardian’s latest story on this.

Here is the Evening Standard’s splash on tonight’s abortion vote. It is edited, as you all know, by George Osborne, Conservative chancellor until he was sacked by Theresa May.

Queen's speech debate resumes

The Queen’s speech is now resuming.

John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, is opening the debate. He says in all his time as an MP, he has never seen such a threadbare Queen’s speech.

Bercow says MPs don't have to wear ties in the chamber

John Bercow, the Speaker, is really stirring things up today. Having chosen two amendments likely to cause problems for the government and the opposition respectively, he has just said during points of order that he is not bothered about whether MPs wear ties in the chamber.

Significant progress has been made in power sharing talks in Northern Ireland and a deal is “possible and achievable” on restoring devolution, the British and Irish governments have said. As the Press Association reports, in a statement as the 4pm deadline for the talks looms, James Brokenshire, the Northern Ireland secretary, and Dublin’s foreign affairs minister, Simon Coveney, gave no indication that they would give the parties more time or that there would be a return to direct rule from London. Brokenshire said a number of issues remain outstanding.

I believe a resolution can be found. And I’m urging the parties to continue focusing all of their efforts on achieving this. The UK Government will work with the parties toward their critical objective of forming an executive.

But I’ve made clear to party leaders that it is for them to reach agreement.”

That prize remains achievable and remains my focus.

Turning back to abortion, three appeal court judges in Belfast have refused to change the law in Northern Ireland to allow for abortion in cases where a woman is pregnant through rape or where the pregnancy is doomed due to fatal foetal abnormality.

The court said abortion reform should be left to Stormont’s assembly as it ruled that the law was compatible with existing provision.

In effect the court of appeal judgement has asked the still non-existent Northern Ireland assembly to legislate for abortion reform instead.

Why Karen Bradley is referring Murdoch's bid for Sky to the CMA

Here is the key passage from Karen Bradley’s statement, explaining why she is referring Rupert Murdoch’s bid for full control of Sky to the Competition and Markets Authority.

On the question of whether the merger gives rise to public interest concerns in relation to media plurality, Ofcom’s report is unambiguous.

It concludes, “The transaction raises public interest concerns as a result of the risk of increased influence by members of the Murdoch family trust over the UK news agenda and the political process, with its unique presence on radio, television, in print and online. We consider that the plurality concerns may justify the secretary of state making a reference to the Competition and Markets Authority”.

On the basis of Ofcom’s assessment, I confirm that I am minded-to refer to a Phase 2 investigation on the grounds of media plurality.

The reasoning and evidence on which Ofcom’s recommendation is based are persuasive. The proposed entity would have the third largest total reach of any news provider - lower only than the BBC and ITN - and would, uniquely, span news coverage on television, radio, in newspapers and online.

Ofcom’s report states that the proposed transaction would give the Murdoch family trust material influence over news providers with a significant presence across all key platforms

This potentially raises public interest concerns because, in Ofcom’s view, the transaction may increase members of the Murdoch family trust’s ability to influence the overall news agenda and their ability to influence the political process and it may also result in the perception of increased influence.

These are clear grounds whereby a referral to a phase 2 investigation is warranted - so that is what I am minded-to do.

Here is the full text of Karen Bradley’s statement.

Here is the report from the Competition and Markets Authority (pdf) on the bid.

Here is the Ofcom report (pdf) on whether the bid passes the public interest test

And here are details of the consultation being opened on the decision announced by Bradley today.

Tom Watson, the Labour deputy leader and shadow culture secretary, is responding.

He says he thinks Bradley will be written up as a “tough operator” on the basis of this. But Rupert Murdoch will then come up with fresh undertakings in lieu, that were in his back pocket. Bradley will then allow the bid, he predicts.

He says the Murdoch empire has never honoured the undertakings in lieu it has given.

He says this company has been found guilty of significant corporate failure.

Over the next 12 months Labour will be reviewing media ownership rules, he says.

He says the days when foreign owners can dominate the UK media are over.

The Tories have given Murdoch what he wanted, he says.

But he says Murdoch did not deliver his side of the bargain; he did not produce a landslide for the Tories. The Sun told Britain: “Don’t chuck Britain in the Cor-bin.” But the country binned the Tory manifesto instead, he says.

He says the Tories are “free” from the Murdochs. They should welcome that, and order part two of the Leveson inquiry.

He says James Murdoch is facing a new trial over phone hacking at the Sun in the autumn.

He ends by asking what Theresa May discussed with Rupert Murdoch when they met in New York last autumn.

Bradley says Ofcom will publish its report later today as to whether the Murdochs are “fit and proper” people to own a TV licence.

She has seen the report. But she will not comment on it, because of her obligations to act in a quasi-judicial role.

She says it is for Ofcom to decide if broadcasters are “fit and proper”.

Bradley stresses these are not her final decisions.

Bradley says she had given the parties 10 days to make representations on her “minded to” decisions.

Bradley says Fox can offer undertakings in lieu to try to avoid a reference to the CMA.

She says Fox proposed some undertakings to Ofcom. They proposed setting up a separate editorial board for Sky News. And they committed to keeping Sky New with current funding levels for five years.

Ofcom decided that these remedies would mitigate the plurality risk, she says.

Bradley says she has written to the parties saying she is minded not to accept these remedies.

Bradley says Ofcom decided the company created by the Fox/Sky merger would meet broadcasting standards.

She will not refer the inquiry to the CMA on these grounds, she says.

But she says people can make representations on this issue.

Bradley turns to standards.

She says Ofcom does not think there are broadcasting standards concerns that would justify a reference to the CMA.

She says Ofcom found Fox’s compliance with standards was in line with other broadcasters’.

Bradley says she is minded to refer Murdoch bid for Sky to CMA for full investigation

Karen Bradley is making her statement now.

She explains the background to the decision.

She is setting out her “minded to” decision, she says.

She is publishing the documents she got from Ofcom and from the Competition and Markets Authority.

She says she has to take this decision on a quasi-judicial basis. She is bound by the evidence. Her decision cannot be based on her opinions, or on wider political considerations. The decision must be fair and impartial.

She says Ofcom says the bid raises public interest concerns because of the prospect of the Murdoch family having increased influence over the British media. This justifies a further investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority, she says. She is minded to order that.

  • Bradley says she is minded to refer Murdoch bid for Sky to CMA for full investigation.

Here is some more on the vote later on Stella Creasy’s amendment on abortion rights for women from Northern Ireland.

From the Guardian’s Jessica Elgot

From Sky’s Faisal Islam

From HuffPost’s Paul Waugh

From Sky’s Adam Boulton

From the Guardian’s Matthew d’Ancona

And here is the Guardian’s story on the vote.

Updated

Karen Bradley's Commons statement on Rupert Murdoch's bid for Sky

Karen Bradley, the culture secretary, is about to make a Common statement about the bid by Rupert Murodch’s 21st Century Fox that would give the media tycoon full control of Sky.

For background, here is a Commons library briefing paper (pdf) on the issue.

And here is the press notice from the culture department last week saying Bradley would be making her “minded to” decision today. She said at the time.

The decision before me now, which I am required to take acting in a quasi-judicial capacity, is whether - taking account of the specified public interest grounds - it is, or may be the case, that the merger operates, or may be expected to operate, against the public interest and therefore whether or not to refer for a fuller phase 2 investigation by the CMA. I will consider these reports in detail before coming to an initial view on whether or not I am minded to refer the merger.

I will aim to make my initial ‘minded to’ decision, publish the CMA and Ofcom public interest reports - in line with the requirements under the Enterprise Act 2002 - and return to Parliament to make an oral statement by Thursday 29th June. There will then be an opportunity for representations to be made before I take a final decision.

There are precedents for governments accepting amendments to the Queen’s speech. In 2016 David Cameron accepted an amendment to the Queen’s speech backed by the opposition and Eurosceptic Tories criticising the speech for not including a bill to protect the NHS from the proposed EU/US free trade deal.

The government argued it could accept the amendment because the trade deal (TTIP - the transatlantic trade and investment partnership) did not pose a threat to the NHS anyway.

An amendment to the Queen’s speech does not have the force of law. The main vote on the Queen’s speech is just an agreement to send a “humble address” to the Queen thanking her for turning up next week.

But Stella Creasy’s amendment says the government should legislate if necessary to ensure women from Northern Ireland can get abortions in England on the NHS, and in practice ministers would find it hard to ignore this demand (assuming it gets through) when legislating in the future.

At the Number 10 lobby briefing Downing Street said it would announce later whether or not government MPs will be whipped to vote against the Stella Creasy amendment on abortion and Northern Ireland.

Asked whether the government would accept the Stella Creasy amendment, Theresa May’s spokesman told journalists:

I saw on the way in that the amendment has been accepted [for a vote]. The government will respond later today. I don’t have anything more to add.

Updated

Pro-choice MPs hoping to force May into embarrassing concession over Northern Ireland

Here is the full text of the Stella Creasy amendment on abortion.

At end add ‘but respectfully regret that measures to address the inequality in treatment of women from Northern Ireland with regard to healthcare provision were not included in the Gracious Speech; recognise that the UK currently provides funding for access to healthcare services including abortion to residents of other nations as part of its international development work; note that women from Northern Ireland have no choice but to travel to England for abortion services and face serious difficulties in doing so, and as such the current position risks the continuation of an unwanted pregnancy which may cause distress or illness to the patient concerned purely on the basis of her place of residence within the UK rather than any medical requirements; therefore call on the Government to clarify, if necessary by legislating, that under section 1(1)(a) of the National Health Service Act 2006 it is a requirement on the Secretary of State for Health to prevent illness among those who wish to end an unwanted pregnancy, who are UK taxpayers, by providing such services; and call on the Government to ensure the provision of adequate funding and guidance so that all UK citizens including those from Northern Ireland may access medical services including abortion procedures in England if they so wish without charge, and that such provision does not interfere with decisions made by the Northern Ireland Assembly with regard to the provision of such services in Northern Ireland.’.

It is very likely to go through. On a free vote, MPs would probably back it overwhelming.

What we don’t know yet is whether or not the government will whip its MPs to vote against. A government with a large majority would feel comfortable doing so, arguing that parliament could address the matter on another day. But a government with a working majority of just 13 - vulnerable to a rebellion by just seven Tory backbenchers - does not have the same latitude.

It is quite likely, particularly in the light of what Amber Rudd said about this yesterday, that the government will decide to accept the amendment.

This would still amount to an embarrassing concession.

Updated

Speaker gives MPs a vote on letting Northern Ireland women have NHS abortions in England

John Bercow has just announced his selection of amendments for the Queen’s speech votes this evening.

As expected, he will put the official Labour amendment (see 9.10am) to a vote.

But he is not putting the official SNP or Lib Dem amendments to a vote. Instead he has chosen Stella Creasy’s amendment on the abortion rights of Northern Ireland women, and Chuka Umunna’s amendment on Brexit.

Bercow’s decision will annoy both front benches.

The Creasy amendment says the government should allow women from Northern Ireland to get an abortion in England on the NHS. This would involve legislating to overturn a supreme court decision. Officially the government is pro choice, and the home secretary, Amber Rudd, spoke in favour of this yesterday, but Tory whips may worry that legislating on this will upset the DUP (even though, as my colleague Jessica Elgot reports, some DUP sources are briefing that they are not trying to block legislation).

And the Umunna amendment will cause problems for Labour. It criticises the Queen’s speech for not featuring various commitments on Brexit, including “proposals to remain within the customs union and the single market”. Official Labour policy is opposed to staying in the single market, and ambivalent on the customs union. (Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, wants to keep the option of remaining in the customs union on the table.) The vote is likely to see a sizeable number of Labour MPs, and perhaps a handful of Tories too, vote against their leadership.

Updated

Nearly one in 10 people living in the UK last year were foreign citizens, according to a major international report, the Press Association reports. Numbers rose by 6.4% to reach 5.95m between 2015 and 2016, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found. It means 9.2% of the population are from overseas, the think tank’s International Migration Outlook report showed.

May says Grenfell Tower inquiry judge is 'highly respected and hugely experienced'

Theresa May has now published a written ministerial statement confirming that Sir Martin Moore-Bick will chair the Grenfell Tower inquiry.

Here it is in full.

I am announcing today the appointment of Sir Martin Moore-Bick to head the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire. The inquiry will be established under the 2005 Inquiries Act, with full powers, including the power to compel the production of documents, and to summon witnesses to give evidence on oath. The Inquiry will be held in public.

In relation to the appointment of the chair, the lord chancellor [David Lidington] asked the lord chief justice [Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd] for the name of a judge who, in his view, would be best suited to the task and available to start work immediately so that we can get answers to what happened as quickly as possible. The lord chief justice recommended Sir Martin Moore-Bick: a highly respected and hugely experienced former court of appeal judge. I have accepted the lord chief justice’s recommendation.

I am determined that there will be justice for all the victims of this terrible tragedy and for their families who have suffered so terribly.

The immediate priority is to establish the facts of what happened at Grenfell Tower in order to take the necessary action to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. But beyond that immediate focus it is also important that all the wider lessons from both this catastrophe, and the inspections of other buildings around the country that followed it, are identified and learnt.

Before the inquiry starts Sir Martin will consult all those with an interest, including survivors and victims’ families, about the terms of reference. Following that consultation he will make a recommendation to me. I will return to parliament with the final terms of reference once this process has taken place. Then the inquiry will begin its work.

We must get to the truth about what happened. No stone will be left unturned by this Inquiry, but I have also been clear that we cannot wait for ages to learn the immediate lessons and so I expect the chair will want to produce an interim report as early as possible.

And here is the Guardian’s story on Moore-Bick’s appointment.

Here is more on the issue of which amendments the speaker is going to put to the vote this afternoon.

This is from Paul Waugh’s HuffPost morning briefing.

The real time for Tory backbenchers to cheer will be about 5.45pm tonight, when the final vote on the Queen’s Speech will be held (will Ken Clarke abstain?). At 9.15am we find out which amendments the Speaker has selected. It looks like he will choose Corbyn’s ‘alternative Queen’s Speech’ amendment, the SNP one, plus the Lib Dem one on a softer Brexit. Sadly, he may not pick Stella Creasy’s amendment given Northern Ireland women free abortion access in England. That looks like it has more than enough Tory rebels to defeat the Government and DUP. Will Bercow surprise us all?

The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg says the Tory whips are worried that the speaker will chose the amendment on abortion rights from women from Northern Ireland.

And these are from Sky’s Beth Rigby.

Updated

The Labour MP Chris Bryant has come top in the ballot for private members’ bills. Twenty MPs were selected in the ballot, but only the top seven can be assured that their bill will get to go first when private members’ bills are debated on a Friday (meaning only their bills will have a decent chance of getting passed second reading).

The full list of MPs selected, in order, is here.

Bryant and the other MPs chosen will now have to decide what subject their bills will address. MPs do not have to decide before they enter the ballot.

Karen Bradley, the culture secretary, will make a Commons statement about her decision on the 21st Century Fox bid for Sky. She is also taking culture questions first, but presumably she will dodge any questions she gets about the bid during that session and tell MPs to wait for her statement.

The Bradley statement will come after business questions, so it will start at about 11.30am.

The Queen’s speech debate finally ends today. Last night the Labour amendment opposing the public sector pay cap was defeated by 14 votes. In an unusual move, MPs will vote on another frontbench Labour amendment today. It essentially summarises the Labour manifesto. It says:

At end add ‘but respectfully regret that the Gracious Speech fails to end austerity in public services, to reverse falling living standards and to make society more equal; further regret that it contains no reference to an energy price cap and call on the government to legislate for such a cap at the earliest opportunity; call on the government to commit to a properly resourced industrial strategy to increase infrastructure investment in every nation and region of the UK; recognise that no deal on Brexit is the very worst outcome and therefore call on the government to negotiate an outcome that prioritises jobs and the economy, delivers the exact same benefits the UK has as a member of the single market and the customs union, ensures that there is no weakening of cooperation in security and policing, and maintains the existing rights of EU nationals living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU; believe that those who are richest and large corporations, those with the broadest shoulders, should pay more tax, while more is done to clamp down on tax avoidance and evasion; call for increased funding in public services to expand childcare, scrap tuition fees at universities and colleges and restore education maintenance allowance, maintenance grants and nurses’ bursaries; regret that with inflation rising, living standards are again falling; and call on the government to end the public sector pay cap and increase the minimum wage to a real living wage of £10 per hour by 2020.’.

There is no reason to believe that this amendment will attract any more votes than last night’s. But MPs are also expected to vote on two other amendments to the Queen’s speech, and John Bercow, the speaker, may decided to accept a backbench one on Brexit, or a backbench one on abortion rights for women from Northern Ireland. We will find out what is getting called at the start of the debate, and the vote on a backbench amendment could turn out to be the most interesting of the day.

Here is the agenda.

9am: Ballot to see which MPs will get a private member’s bill slot.

9.30am: Karen Bradley, the culture secretary, takes questions in the Commons. She is due today to announce her preliminary decision on Rupert Murdoch’s bid for full control of Sky.

Around 11.30am: MPs resume their debate on the Queen’s speech, with Philip Hammond, the chancellor, and John McDonnell, his Labour shadow, speaking.

4pm: Deadline for the talks on restoring power sharing in Northern Ireland to end. As Henry McDonald reports, if there is no agreement, the UK government could impose direct rules, order fresh elections, or let civil servants run the Northern Ireland executive on a temporary basis.

5pm: MPs vote at the end of the Queen’s speech debate.

At some point today Number 10 is also due to use a written ministerial statement to confirm that Sir Martin Moore-Bick, a retired court of appeal judge, will head the Grenfell Tower inquiry.

And Theresa May will be in Berlin, for a meeting of EU leaders ahead of the G20 summit in Germany.

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 in the afternoon.

You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.

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. Alternatively you could post a question to me on Twitter.

Updated

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