PMQs and MPs debate EU withdrawal bill – as it happened

15 Nov 201717.59 EST

Evening summary

Patrick Greenfield

• The government has seen off a number of amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill on the post- Brexit protection of rights and environmental regulations.
• Labour MP Ivan Lewis has been put under formal investigation following a complaint about his conduct, but the former minister has not been suspended by the party.
• Priti Patel has used her first speech in the Commons since she resigned as international development secretary to urge the government to ignore MPs who are sceptical about Brexit.
• Manfred Weber, a key ally of Angela Merkel’s, has said that the UK must “clarify” what it will pay the EU when it leaves if it wants Brussels to open trade talks after December. Weber, a German MEP who leads the centre-right European People’s party (EPP) group in the European parliament, was speaking after he met Theresa May in Downing Street. He said:

When somebody is leaving the club then such a person or such a member state has to pay the open bill. That is what we are asking for - simply fairness, simply to do what you promised to do.

For the so-called sufficient progress question for the December council, the most important thing is not the figure. The most important thing is to clarify the commitments - the areas where Great Britain has to see its commitments.

Downing Street said May’s talks with Weber had been “constructive”.

• The Conservative MP Anna Soubry has told MPs that she has received threats which she has reported to the police after being labelled a “Brexit mutineer” with other pro-European Tory colleagues in a Daily Telegraph splash. (See 1.59am.)

• A Lincolnshire property company has defended threatening all of its tenants with eviction if they fail to pay their rent because of delays in receiving universal credit payments, sending all tenants pre-emptive notices ahead of the rollout of the welfare reform.

• Jeremy Corbyn has used prime minister’s questions a week before the budget to pressure Theresa May over cuts to public services and benefits, highlighting what he said was a crisis for emergency services, schools and the NHS.

• The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has described a meeting with Boris Johnson as “positive and constructive” but faced a new setback on Wednesday as the Foreign Office questioned the usefulness of granting her diplomatic protection.

• The UK supreme court has backed the Scottish government’s plans to introduce a minimum price for all alcoholic drinks, in a decisive victory for Nicola Sturgeon.

• Signs that Britain’s long employment boom has come to an end emerged on Wednesday as official figures showed a drop in the number of people in work, a fall in full-time employment and a decline in the number of job vacancies.

• The government is preparing to confirm that it will cut the six-week waiting time for universal credit, caving in to Conservative backbench rebels.

• Scottish Labour’s interim leader has stepped aside after his former partner made a series of claims about his behaviour during and after their relationship.

That is all from us tonight.

Have a peaceful evening.

Another win for the government. The amendment sought to incorporate the principles of the Good Friday Agreement in the EU withdrawal bill. 313 against, 48 in favour.

That’s the end of the voting tonight.

The house has rejected Labour’s new clause 67 with a majority of 16, which aimed to ensure that environmental principles of EU law remain part of UK law after Brexit. 297 in favour, 313 against.

MPs are now voting on amendment 70.

Results are coming thick and fast now.

The House of Commons has rejected Caroline Lucas’s new clause 30 with an 18 majority for the government. 313 against, 295 in favour.

The chamber is now voting on Labour’s new clause 67, which would ensure that environmental principles of EU law remain part of UK law after Brexit. It applies to the principles in article 191 of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union.

While we wait on the result of the vote, here’s some more news from parliament.

This evening, it emerged Labour MP Ivan Lewis is under formal investigation following a complaint about his conduct, but the former minister has not been suspended by the party.

Read more here:

Action in the chamber.

New clause 30 would transfer the EU Protocol on animal sentience set into UK law, so that animals continue to be recognised as sentient beings under UK law.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell is calling on Philip Hammond to end seven years of austerity with an “emergency Budget” for public services, the Associate Press reports.

Mr McDonnell will say the chancellor needs to set out a “genuine and decisive change of course” when he lays out his Budget plans in the Commons next week.

In a speech setting out Labour’s fiscal priorities, he will call on the government to lift the public sector pay cap, “properly” fund public services - including health and education - and “pause and fix” universal credit.

He will also urge ministers to embark on a large-scale public house-building programme as well as providing additional investment for infrastructure across the whole country.

Mr McDonnell is expected to say:

In his first year as chancellor, Philip Hammond has demonstrated that he completely fails to understand how working people are struggling after seven years of Tory austerity.

Next week the country needs an ‘emergency budget’ for our public services that are in crisis, not a budget desperately designed to save the jobs of a weak prime minister and her embattled chancellor.

There has to be a genuine and decisive change of course.

The government is not expected to lose tonight, but there is interest in the voting as it will reveal if some Tories are voting with the opposition.

As the Independent’s John Rentoul notes, it’s tight.

MPs are still debating EU withdrawal bill amendments, but we are expecting a vote shortly.

So far, the government has seen off the attempts to amend key Brexit legislation despite tighter votes and fresh Tory angst.

Away from Brexit, British politicians are continuing to react to Australia’s historic vote for same-sex marriage equality.

Strong support for Caroline Lucas’s amendment.

The chamber has now moved on to an amendment which aims to keep existing environmental principles from A191 of Treaty on Functioning of the EU put forward by Matthew Pennycook, the shadow Brexit minister.

It’s all getting a bit cosy in the chamber as MPs continue to discuss Caroline Lucas’s new clause 30...

The closest vote so far, but it’s another tight win for the government.

MPs have voted against discussing Labour’s new clause 58, which would have ensured that rights derived from EU law covering employment rights, environmental protection, standards of equalities, health and safety standards and consumer standards get enhanced protection after Brexit.

The chamber is now debating Caroline Lucas’s new clause 30, which would transfer the EU Protocol on animal sentience set into UK law, so that animals continue to be recognised as sentient beings under UK law.

MPs have voted against discussing new clause 25 with a majority of just 16.

Some Labour reaction:

The chamber will now vote on whether to debate Labour’s new clause 58, which would ensure that rights derived from EU law covering employment rights, environmental protection, standards of equalities, health and safety standards and consumer standards get enhanced protection after Brexit. It would do that by saying they could only be changed by primary legislation, or legislation under this bill.