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PMQ’s live: Theresa May refuses to say whether Saudi Arabia will have British backing on United Nations membership

Labour leader likens Government's plan to those formulated by Blackadder character Baldrick

Ashley Cowburn
Political Correspondent
Wednesday 26 October 2016 13:38 BST
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Theresa May refuses to say whether Saudi Arabia will have British backing on UN membership

Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's Prime Minister's Questions.

Here are the latest updates:

It is possible Mr Corbyn will press Theresa May on her decision on Tuesday to give the green light to airport expansion at Heathrow. Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, also dismissed Ms May’s plan for a third runway at the airport “undeliverable".

However, Labour itself is divided on the issue. The party, officially, supports the move on the basis of it meeting pollution and other environmental targets. But John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, whose constituency Hayes and Harlington is near the airport is one of the schemes vocal opponents.

It also comes as recordings of the Prime Minister warning of the economic peril of leaving the EU to investment bankers at Goldman Sachs was leaked to the Guardian. But what is interesting is not that Ms May was advocating a pro-EU stance – as that was her official position throughout the referendum – but that she decided to press for membership in a private capacity.

“I think the economic arguments are clear,” she said in audio. “I think being part of a 500-million population trading bloc is significant for us. I think, as I was saying to you a little earlier, that one of the issues is that a lot of people will invest here in the UK because it is the UK in Europe.

“If we were not in Europe, I think there would be firms and companies who would be looking to say, do they need to develop a mainland Europe presence rather than a UK presence? So I think there are definite benefits for us in economic terms."

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