Renditions urgent question - as it happened: Government faces angry backlash over 'abhorrent and shameful' failure to object to death penalty
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The government is facing an angry backlash over the "abhorrent and shameful" decision to drop its blanket opposition to the death penalty in the case of two Isis fighters.
In a significant shift, Sajid Javid, the home secretary, told the US attorney general Jeff Sessions that he would not seek "death penalty assurance" for Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, two British members of the brutal "Beatles" set of executioners.
The move prompted an outcry from senior Tories and opposition MPs, with shadow home secretary Diane Abbott describing the decision as "abhorrent and shameful".
Elsewhere, Theresa May insisted responses to her new Brexit vision have been "constructive" as she took part in a rare town hall-style session with workers in Newcastle.
The prime minister took the whole cabinet to Gateshead on Monday, as part of efforts to bolster support for her Chequers proposals at home and abroad.
In a slightly awkward exchange, Ms May also revealed that she likes walking, cooking and watching the American procedural TV show, NCIS, when pressed by the audience on how she liked to unwind.
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Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray has said the government's "chaos" over Brexit is as big a risk to the unity of the United Kingdom as the SNP's campaign for Scottish independence.
Mr Murray said a hard Brexit would "destabilise" the union and "plays directly into the hands of the SNP, who will use it to pursue a divisive second independence referendum".
Speaking ahead of a Commons debate on strengthening the union, he said:
"This shambolic Tory government is hurtling towards a hard Brexit that will decimate jobs, devastate our economy and destabilise the United Kingdom.
"As a result of the reckless referendum on EU membership, and the chaos engulfing the prime minister, the Tories are now as big a threat to the union as the SNP.
"Theresa May can no longer be trusted with what she once called the 'precious union', and Ruth Davidson's Scottish Tory MPs are providing nothing but lobby fodder for the prime minister's hard Brexit.
"This plays directly into the hands of the SNP who will use it to pursue a divisive second independence referendum with the aim of compounding Brexit by breaking-up Britain, hurting the poorest the hardest.
"Scotland deserves better than two nationalist governments which put ideology ahead of the public interest."
Lib Dem chief whip Alistair Carmichael has called on the Tories to "urgently" provide "answers to specific questions" relating to last week's pairing row, after he was granted an Urgent Question on the issue this afternoon.
Speaking after his request for the question was granted by Commons speaker John Bercow, Mr Carmichael said:
"My colleague Jo Swinson was robbed of the opportunity to represent her constituents as the Conservatives broke her pair for two crucial votes last week.
"It seems that the government chief whip may not appear at the Despatch Box. This is a huge mistake, and brings the Conservative Whips Office into further disrepute.
"We urgently need answers to specific questions on the pairing collapse and a proper proxy voting system so that we do not get in this mess again."
Jeremy Corbyn has defended his party's response to antisemitism, ahead of an emergency meeting of Labour MPs and peers this evening.
The Parliamentary Labour Party will attempt to overturn the decision of the party's National Executive Committee to adopt a new definition of antisemitism that does not replicate in full the examples listed by the widely-used International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition.
Defending the decision, Mr Corbyn told Sky News:
"What's been done is an honest attempt to make sure that we do make it clear that we will not tolerate antisemitism in any form, and we will allow legitimate debate on issues facing Israel and Palestine, but it cannot ever be conducted in any kind of antisemitic form."
It looks like security minister Ben Wallace will answer the urgent question on rendition of UK citizens who may be subject to capital punishment.
David Lidington, the cabinet office minister, will respond on pairing.
Tory MP Shailesh Vara has been promoted to become minister of state for Northern Ireland, Downing Street has confirmed. He was previously a parliamentary private secretary in the Northern Ireland Office.
Theresa May is now doing a very rare Q&A with workers in Gateshead.
The first person asks her how confident she is that she can sell the plan to Europe, as it 'looks like having our cake and eating it'.
May says a good deal for the UK will also be good for the EU. She says she has had 'some constructive responses so far'.
Second question is about what she will do in the event of a no deal.
May says she is preparing for every eventuality.
Another person asks about the divorce bill.
May says it is a lot lower than the EU wanted, they started at 60-70 even 100bn euros. It's now around £39bn.
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