UK politics - as it happened: Presidents Club to close after widespread criticism in wake of sexual harassment claims

Pressure mounts on government figures who attended controversial all-male event

David Davis grilled by Jacob Rees-Mogg at Brexit committee

Politicians lined up to condemn alleged inappropriate behaviour at the Presidents Club dinner after claims that a number of women were sexually harassed at the male-only event.

Trustees of the charity have announced it is to close with no further fundraising events planned and the remaining funds shared among charities.

Pressure is mounting on government minister Nadhim Zahawi, who attended the event. There have been calls for the education minister to resign, but Theresa May's spokesman said the Prime Minister had no plans to talk to him about his attendance at the dinner.

Mr Zahawi said he felt uncomfortable at the dinner and left early. He will not be attending male-only events in future, he added.

Earlier in the day, David Davis was grilled by MPs as he gave evidence to the Brexit Select Committee.

The Brexit Secretary was asked about the next round of negotiations with EU leaders, which begin in March, and the Government's plan for a transitional period before Britain leaves the EU.

He confirmed that the UK would remain in the single market "in operational terms" during the transitional period, the details of which he said would be agreed by the end of March. In a move likely to anger many Tory MPs, he also confirmed that Britain would have to abide by the rulings of European courts during that time.

This afternoon, Labour will try to force the Government to release the risk assessments it carried out before granting major public contracts to the construction firm Carillion, which collapsed earlier this month.

The tactic proved successful in forcing the Government to give MPs access to its Brexit impact assessments late last year.

Key Points

Presidents Club says it will stop running fundraisers and will close

[24 January 2018 10:13 · Kristin Hugo]

[24 January 2018 10:16 · Kristin Hugo]

David Davis says he sees the rights of EU citizens in the UK after Brexit as a "moral issue".

"There is never, ever going to be a situation where we are deporting people, unless they have committed serious crimes or become a threat to the state," he says.

"One way or another we will resolve this issue. I'd say to anyone who is worried about this issue: don't be."

[24 January 2018 10:23 · Kristin Hugo]

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Tony Blair has said he believes Jeremy Corbyn is "pro-European" - as Jon Stone reports...

[24 January 2018 10:29 · Kristin Hugo]

David Davis's phone has just gone off while he is giving evidence to MPs.

There is a pause while he tries to silence it. "Excuse me, let me just switch that off," he says...

[24 January 2018 10:51 · Kristin Hugo]

David Davis is currently clashing with arch Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg. The latter has taken issue with the Brexit Secretary's confirmation that the UK will remain under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice during the transitional period.

He says: "It's hard to think of any precedent in the world where a nation has taken the judgements of a foreign court as its superior and immediate law without having any judge on that at at all."

Mr Davis says this will not be true "in perpetuity' and dismisses the idea that the UK will be subordinate to the EU.

"Then in what sense have we left the European Union?", Mr Rees-Mogg fires back.

[24 January 2018 10:55 · Kristin Hugo]

Mr Davis says the question of whether the UK will have to abide by rules passed by the EU during a transitional period is "a matter of some interest".  

Mr Rees-Mogg criticises this as a "weak answer" and claims the UK will become a "vassal state". He says the EU has 21 months to implement new rules that the UK may have to follow including, he suggests, a possible financial transaction tax.

Mr Davis says this is subject to negotiation with the European Commission but tells Mr Rees-Mogg: "I do not think what you are describing will happen."

[24 January 2018 11:03 · Kristin Hugo]

Jacob Rees-Mogg suggests the UK should, in effect, start breaking EU laws by negotiating new trade deals before it has left the single market.

He says: "Can't we be a bit insincere now and get on with it? Who's going to punish us? Aren't we just still acting as if we're still in the European Union, we're bound by the European Union, we're lackeys of the European Union? Can't we be a bit bolder?"

"We're leaving - we don't need to behave as if we are a permanent member".

David Davis responds: "We're acting as a law-abiding country. We are not going to break those undertakings, laws, commitments."

[24 January 2018 11:06 · Kristin Hugo]

[24 January 2018 11:11 · Kristin Hugo]

Labour's Seema Malhotra is now asking questions. She asks whether David Davis is worried about the high turnover of staff in his department.

The Secretary of State, unsurprisingly, says he is not.

"My department are very committed people...they're very good, ambitious young civil servants", he says.

The average age in the department is around 29, he adds.

[24 January 2018 11:20 · Kristin Hugo]

David Davis's evidence to the Brexit Committee has now finished. To recap the key points, he said:

• Britain will remain in the single market "in operational terms" during the transitional period.
• The UK will stay be under the jurisdication of European courts during this time.
• He hopes the details of the transitional period will be agreed by the end of March.
• The UK will not continue to make payments to the EU after Brexit.