Tory chief whip facing calls to resign over claims he told Conservative MPs to ignore 'pairing' agreement - as it happened

Perhaps even more interestingly, Tory MP Andrew Bridgen has also said he does not believe the breaking of the pairing arrangement was a mistake. 

He told the BBC's Daily Politics:

"I think the fact that Brandon Lewis abstained on six votes and then just mysteriously voted on the vital two - I think it tells you all you need to know."

Full story: Theresa May backs her chief whip despite claims he told Tory MPs to ignore pairing arrangements

DUP MP Ian Paisley has apologised to his constituents after he was banned from the Commons for 30 for failing to declare two family holidays gifted to him by the Sri Lankan government. 

The North Antrim MP expressed "profound personal regret and deep personal embarrassment" but said there was no "ulterior motive for that genuine mistake".

A tearful Paisley told the Commons: "I say sorry and apologise for the failings that were identified in the Standards Committee report."

He said his constituents have given him "unwavering support" since 2010, adding: "I hope they will continue to have that confidence in me in the future."

The head of HM Revenue and Customs has said the government's plan for managing customs after Brexit would cost businesses £700m.

Jim Harra said the Facilitated Customs Arrangement, which is at the heart of the Chequers plan agreed by ministers, would impose extra administrative costs on companies because they would have to work out which tariffs should be imposed.

The figure is significantly less than the £17-20bn estimated cost of introducing a customs controls with the EU.

Harra told a Lords select committee:

"If we were to introduce customs controls between the UK and the EU, clearly there would be a very substantial new admin burden because all those UK-EU traders would have to comply with customs obligations that they don't comply with today.

"The FCA avoids that, but at the cost of adding a small additional admin burden to UK-rest of the world importers because they will now have to, instead of just pay a tariff, decide which of two tariffs is the correct tariff to pay.

"Based on a static view of trade in 2017 we believe that the additional burden would be around £700m a year for UK traders."

Anna Soubry becomes the first Tory MP to suggest Julian Smith and Brandon Lewis should resign if is proved that they knowingly breached pairing arrangements....

The government has launched a consultation on its compensation scheme for victims of the Windrush scandal.

It will run for 12 weeks and will consider who should be eligible for compensation, what costs should be compensated and how the process should work. 

However, opposition parties have already said the compensation scheme is taking too long to set up, and are likely to raise further questions about the three-month consultation.

Announcing the consultation, Sajid Javid, the home secretary, said: 

“Today marks an important milestone in our efforts to right the wrongs experienced by the Windrush generation – who have made such a massive contribution to the UK.

“Along with the other measures I have announced, the compensation scheme will help rectify the injustices of the past. I want a scheme that is fair, comprehensive and accessible – but we must listen to those affected and ensure we get it right. 

“That is why we have launched the consultation – and I encourage anyone who has been affected to have their say on how it should work.”

The Commons has agreed that MPs who are accused of harassment should remain anonymous.

They voted down an amendment, tabled by Labour MP Sir Kevin Barron, that would have meant details of allegations were published. Sir Kevin said failure to pass his amendment would be seen as Parliament seeking to avoid transparency. 

He said:

"We perfectly agree the issue about sexual harassment and bullying and harassment needs confidentiality to make sure that people will come forward and will speak out so that actions can be taken.

"We have considered carefully the Leader's argument for making this change and we understand why she has put them forward, but we do not think that they outweigh the reputational damage that may arise if we go ahead with this proposal as it is stated.

"It will be presented as MPs trying to cover up their misdoings."

However, Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, praised the new complaints and grievance procedure drawn up by a cross-party committee of MPs and staff representatives.

She said:

"Today gives us a new start. Westminster has been rocked by allegations of bullying and harassment since last November, but today we can demonstrate our determination to put our House in order and to ensure that in the future everyone will be treated with dignity and respect."

Labour has re-iterated its calls for Julian Smith to resign over the Brexit vote pairing row.

Ian Lavery, chair of the Labour Party, said: 

"The Tories' story is changing by the minute as they desperately scramble to cover up their appalling actions. This Government is rotten to its core. Julian Smith and Brandon Lewis must now resign or be sacked, and Theresa May must apologise for misleading the House."