Brexit news: 'Blindingly obvious' - John Bercow vows to stop Tory front-runner suspending parliament to force through no deal
Live updates from Westminster, as they happened
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Your support makes all the difference.John Bercow has insisted it is "so blindingly obvious" that Tory front-runners will not be able to suspend parliament to force through a no deal.
The Speaker weighed into the row over Dominic Raab's suggestion that parliament could be prorogued to ensure Brexit happens on 31 October, saying MPs "will not be evacuated" from the decision-making process.
It comes as Tory leadership rivals tore into each other, with ex-minister Sam Gyimah accusing his rivals of "Trumpian machismo".
Meanwhile, voters have been heading to the polls in Peterborough to replace disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya, with Nigel Farage's Brexit Party hoping to snatch the seat from Labour.
To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below
A former SNP MP, who embezzled more than £25,600 from pro-independence groups, has been jailed for 18 months.
Natalie McGarry, 37, spent the money on rent, a holiday to Spain with her husband, transfers of money to him, and other lifestyle spending, Glasgow Sheriff Court was told.
McGarry pleaded guilty to two charges of embezzlement when she appeared at the court on April 24. Her attempt to withdraw the guilty pleas at a later hearing was refused by Sheriff Paul Crozier.
The acting chairs of the backbench Tory 1922 Committee, who are returning officers for the Tory leadership vote, said the precise date of the final result cannot yet be confirmed and could come earlier than expected.
They revealed that all declared contenders were warned on Wednesday not to drop out if they make it to the shortlist of two from which the 160,000-strong Tory membership will elect their new leader.
The warning is designed to avoid a repeat of Andrea Leadsom's shock withdrawal in 2016, which left the way clear for Theresa May to claim the leadership without a vote by members.
Ms May had come top of the MPs' votes which produced the final shortlist, but her elevation without a members' ballot has come under criticism in recent days for failing to subject her to the kind of intense scrutiny which might have exposed her shortcomings.
Co-chair of the 1922 Charles Walker said: "We made it clear to the candidate briefing that the expectation is that if they are in the final two, they will go forward and put themselves before the membership. They all nodded."
Tom Tugendhat, Tory chair of the foreign affairs committee, gives pretty short shrift to the idea of proroguing parliament to ensure Brexit is delivered.
Matt Hancock, the heath secretary, has ruled out proroguing parliament and urged his fellow contenders to do the same.
Outside of the Westminster bubble, trade union sources say Ford will close its factory in Bridgend in September 2020 with the loss of 1,700 jobs.
The US car maker confirmed that it had started a consultation on the potential closure of its Welsh plant on Thursday.
Read more from our business correspondent Ben Chapman:
Philip Hammond has been accused of trying to block a landmark bid to wipe out UK contributions to global warming by 2050, by claiming the bill will be more than £1 trillion.
Campaigners and opposition politicians protested that the chancellor’s warning – revealed in a leaked letter – ignored the massive cost of failing to act on runaway climate change.
The £1 trillion claim came as Theresa May is expected to attempt to make net greenhouse gas emissions a “legacy” achievement, by introducing legislation as early as next week.
"The outgoing prime minister’s potted history of delicate gestures is far from enough to position herself as a champion of equality – especially as her policies have further woven inequality into the fabric of our society," writes Sophie Levin.
Conservative leadership candidate Sam Gyimah has accused male rivals of "Trumpian machismo" for claiming they can negotiate a better Brexit deal with Brussels than Theresa May.
As the Tory leadership race became increasingly bitter, the former minister, who is standing on a second referendum ticket, added those wanting to pursue a no-deal exit must gain public consent.
His remarks came as Dominic Raab, the ex-Brexit secretary, prompted outrage by suggesting he could temporarily suspend parliament in order to force through a no-deal Brexit if he succeeded Ms May.
The Grenfell Tower area was described as "little Africa" and "full of people from the Tropics" by council officials, an MP has claimed.
Labour's Emma Dent Coad said the attitude from Kensington and Chelsea Council following the fire was either "racism or snobbery, take your pick".
The MP added she is also suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the blaze at the west London tower block on June 14 2017, which left 72 people dead.
The council said it would write to Ms Dent Coad to find out the details of the allegations, adding it would investigate them "urgently" if the claims can be substantiated.
Speaking as MPs criticised the response to the tragedy, Ms Dent Coad told the Commons: "A senior council officer was told to go down to the site but refused. He said, 'It's like little Africa down there'.
"Another said 'the area was full of people from the Tropics'."
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