Brexit second referendum – as it happened: Nigel Farage and Arron Banks make surprise call for another vote

Senior figures in Leave campaign say another Brexit poll might be needed to 'settle issue for a generation'

Theresa May: 'In the UK alone, the amount of single-use plastic wasted every year would fill 1,000 Royal Albert Halls'

Theresa May has delivered a landmark speech on the environment in which she laid out the Government's 25-year plan for reducing waste and tackling climate change.

The Prime Minister pledged to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042, alongside a range of other measures, but environmental groups said the plan lacks "urgency, detail and bite".

Also included in the Government's strategy are a £7bn fund for "plastics innovation" and plans to encourage supermarkets to set up plastic-free aisles.

Elsewhere, Boris Johnson will use a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to raise the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The British mother has been imprisoned in Iran since April 2016. And new analysis commissioned by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, showed a no deal Brexit could cost the UK economy up to £50bn.

Key Points

• Theresa May announces Government's 25-year environmental plan, including vow to eliminate plastic waste by 2042
• Nigel Farage in surprise call for a second Brexit poll
• Leave campaign chief Arron Banks joins calls for second referendum
• No deal Brexit could cost UK economy up to £50bn, new analysis commissioned by Sadiq Khan shows
• International students benefit the UK ten times more than they cost, study finds
• Boris Johnson to raise Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe case with Iranian foreign ministe

[11 January 2018 08:48 · Kristin Hugo]

Welcome to The Independent's Westminster live blog - we'll be bringing you all the latest updates as Theresa May unveils the Government's 25-year environment strategy.

[11 January 2018 08:51 · Kristin Hugo]

Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, has just been on BBC Radio 4's Today programme defending the Government's environmental policies. Quotes coming up shortly...

[11 January 2018 09:03 · Kristin Hugo]

Mr Gove said suggestions of a 25p levy on disposable coffee cups was an "exciting idea" that his department was "reflecting on'". The Environmental Audit Committee proposed the tax earlier this month - a proposal supported by The Independent.

The Environmental Secretary said he had "taken action in a wide variety of areas", pointing out that the Government has already banned microbeards and is consulting on introducing a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles as ministers attempt to cut down the amount of waste the UK produces.

[11 January 2018 09:04 · Kristin Hugo]

[11 January 2018 09:08 · Kristin Hugo]

More from Mr Gove on whether he supports calls for a 25p "latte levy" on disposable coffee cups:

"We will think about how we can make sure that the current way in which coffee cups, which in many respects can't be effectively recycled and are an integral part of our throwaway-takeaway culture - what we can do in order to deal with it.

"It's already the case that we have introduced a very successful charge, which is the 5p charge on plastic bags. The critical thing is that when a recommendation like this is made, we need to make sure that it will work. We need to test the policy."

[11 January 2018 09:13 · Kristin Hugo]

In a bizarre exchange that had just the slightest similarity to Donald Trump - or, some suggested, The Office's David Brent - the Environment Secretary referred to himself in the third person as "Govey".

Taking issue with Today presenter Nick Robinson's questioning, Mr Gove said: "Your premise is 'Eh, Govey, you haven't done enough' but we've already legislated in a number of areas."

Mr Robinson, in response, said he would never dream of calling the cabinet minister "Govey".

[11 January 2018 09:17 · Kristin Hugo]

[11 January 2018 09:27 · Kristin Hugo]

Peter Riddell, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, has announced he is looking into the appointment of Toby Young to the Office for Students board.

Mr Young stepped down earlier this week after facing an angry backlash over numerous homophobic and misogynistic tweets he had posted.

In a letter to The Times, Mr Riddell accused the Department for Education of a "serious, and avoidable, failure of due diligence".

He added: "A simple Google search would immediately have identified his comments".

[11 January 2018 09:27 · Kristin Hugo]

[11 January 2018 09:31 · Kristin Hugo]