Westminster today - as it happened: Ministers questioned over 'civil servant Brexit conspiracy' to keep UK in EU customs union

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Theresa May meets with Chinese president Xi Jinping

Theresa May met Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in Beijing, as she battled to keep her MPs onside at home.

The Prime Minister was hoping to make progress towards a post-Brexit trade deal with China, despite her International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, warning that one might not be possible. Ms May gave Mr Xi a Blue Planet 2 box set, Downing Street said.

It came as Steve Baker, the Brexit minister, floated the claim in the Commons that civil servants may be distorting evidence to “influence” the Government to stay in the EU’s customs union.

The comments blindsided Downing Street, which said it was unaware that the allegation had been aired and declined to immediately comment.

Alongside Mr Baker, his boss – the Brexit Secretary David Davis – visibly winced as the minister confirmed the allegation, raised by his fellow anti-EU Tory, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Key Points

• Ministers asked about 'civil service conspiracy' to influence policy in order to keep UK in customs union
• David Davis admits he knew about 'secret' Brexit assessments but says he told MPs about them last year
• George Osborne warns Theresa May she does not have the power to force through a hard Brexit
• Liam Fox plays down possibility of a full trade deal with China

[1 February 2018 11:09 · Kristin Hugo]

The Government is being grilled over the exposure of the public finances to outsourcing giant Capita, which shocked the City yesterday with a profit warning as well as a plan to sell off parts of its business and raise an extra £700m from investors, says Ben Chapman. 

In response to an urgent question from Labour MP Rachel Reeves about the threat that Capita poses, Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden says Capita is not in a “comparable position” to Carillion, which collapsed two weeks ago.

Capita is primarily a UK-focused services business whereas Carillion’s problems apparently stemmed from construction projects overseas, the minister says. 

He points out that Capita had more cash than Carillion. Capita also announced measures to instigate a plan to strengthen its balance sheet and reduce its pensions deficit, he says.

“Arguably these are the measures that could have prevented Carillion from getting into the difficulties that they did”, Mr Dowden says.

There will be no disruption to public services as a result of Capita’s problems, Mr Dowden says.

[1 February 2018 11:19 · Kristin Hugo]

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, a supporter of the pro-Europe Best for Britain campaign, has hit back at Liam Fox's claims that Britain needs to get away from its "obsession" with Europe.

She said:

"It is utterly bizarre to hear the International Trade Secretary describe the world's most valuable free trade arrangement as an 'obsession' that Britain needs to "get away" from. 

"If his strategy isn't to replicate the type of free trade success that we have seen within the European Single Market, then one needs to ask what exactly it is this hopeless Government wants to achieve."

[1 February 2018 11:21 · Kristin Hugo]

An update on Robingate, which saw a bird flitting around the House of Commons during yesterday's PMQs:

[1 February 2018 11:58 · Kristin Hugo]

Erm.. It appears the Chinese public has given Theresa May a nickname: Auntie May. The bizarre revelation came during a television interview, with the presenter informing the British Prime Minister that "a lot of Chinese people would affectionately call you, in Chinese, ‘Auntie May'" because "you’re one of the members of the family".

Ms May said she was "honoured" by the title. More from Joe Watts here...

[1 February 2018 12:36 · Kristin Hugo]

George Osborne spoke to the BBC Today programme earlier and warned Theresa May she lacks the majority needed to force a hard Brexit through Parliament, as Rob Merrick writes...

[1 February 2018 12:45 · Kristin Hugo]

This is interesting: Charles Grant has accused Jacob-Rees Mogg of misquoting him in the Commons chamber earlier today.

Mr Rees-Mogg had asked his Brexiteer ally, Brexit minister Steve Baker, if he was aware of allegations, which he said had been made by Mr Grant, head of the influential Centre for European Reform think tank, that civil servants had "deliberately developed a model to show that all options other than staying in the customs union were bad, and that officials intended to use this to influence policy".

Mr Baker confirmed the allegation had been put to him but questioned its accuracy.

However, Mr Grant says he never suggested civil servants had attempted to influence policy. He's promised a fuller statement soon. Expect to hear more about this one...

[1 February 2018 12:46 · Ashley Cowburn]

MPs are now debating a backbench motion put forward by the senior Labour MP Harriet Harman and former Conservative minister Maria Miller. 

Under proposals put forward by them MPs would be allowed "baby leave" and to nominate a colleague on their behalf to vote by proxy for them. It will be for both men and women in the Commons. 

Currently, arrangements regarding maternity, paternity, parental, adoption, and caring leave for members are informal and operate at the party level.

The motion for debate is:

• That this House believes that it would be to the benefit of the functioning of parliamentary democracy that hon. Members who have had a baby or adopted a child should for a period of time be entitled, but not required, to discharge their responsibilities to vote in this House by proxy.

[1 February 2018 12:47 · Ashley Cowburn]

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Harriet Harman says: "Today, MPs will have the chance to debate, and vote, to bring in a system for baby leave for women and men in Parliament. We set the rules for maternity pay and leave for people at work. We’ve legislated for paternity leave and pay. But for MPs ourselves, there is no system at all.

"It used to be the case that there were hardly any women MPs (only three per cent when I was first elected) and those women who were in Parliament were older and either didn’t have children, or their children had grown up."

[1 February 2018 13:02 · Ashley Cowburn]

[1 February 2018 13:14 · Ashley Cowburn]

Maria Miller, who has brought the motion forward with Harrier Harman, says some conversations with whips made her "shudder" when she first joined Parliament. 

She says MPs have a duty to keep our democracy healthy - what we can do is modernise the culture of this place to reflect the 21st century not the 18th century. She says today is one small step, to allow new parents time away from the House to spend time with their children. 

"I respectfully disagree with people today who think this motion is wrong," she says.