Boris Johnson news: Tory minister ridiculed over Brexit claim as senior Labour figure forced to abandon leadership bid

Follow all the latest developments as they happened

Clive Lewis calls for Royal Family referendum

Tory health minister Nadine Dorries has been widely mocked for claiming “Brexit got done” after the Withdrawal Agreement Bill cleared the Commons. The bill still needs approval in the Lords, and a UK-EU trade deal still needs to be forged after 31 January.

It comes as Northern Ireland could see a return to power-sharing arrangements today after the UK and Irish governments published a draft deal, urging the five main parties to get back to work at Stormont.

Meanwhile, Labour leadership candidate Clive Lewis has called for a referendum on the future of the monarchy, saying: “Let the British public decide.” It follows shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner’s decision to rule himself out of the contest.

To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below:

Key Points

• 'It happened - Brexit got done', says Tory MP Nadine Dorries
• Corbyn handed '6 out of 10' rating by Labour candidate
• Clive Lewis suggests referendum on future of royal family
• Sinn Fein backs deal to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland

[10 January 2020 16:22 · Lizzy Buchan]

Female doctors earn £40,000 less than male colleagues due to ‘two-tier’ GP pay gap

Women GPs earn an average of £40,000 a year less than their male colleagues – one of the worst gender pay gaps for any profession.

Researchers largely blame the 35 per cent pay gap on a two-tier system in which more men choose to operate as private contractors with the NHS, running their practice as a business.

The pay disparity can affect GPs of all ages and grades, according to the study by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which was shared with The Independent.

[10 January 2020 16:43 · Lizzy Buchan]

Labour leadership hopeful Clive Lewis calls for Royal Family referendum

[10 January 2020 16:59 · Lizzy Buchan]

Sinn Fein back deal to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald has announced that the party has agreed to back a deal to restore powersharing at Stormont - a move that confirms the return of devolved government in Northern Ireland after a three-year absence. 

With the DUP having already signalled its support for a draft deal proposed by the UK and Irish governments, the republican party's endorsement means the two parties will re-enter a mandatory coalition in Belfast.

Peace process structures mean a ministerial executive can only function with the inclusion of the largest unionist party and largest nationalist party in the region.

Making the announcement on Friday evening, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald said: "We now have the basis to restore power sharing, and we're up for that.

"There's no doubt there are serious challenges ahead; the impact of Brexit, austerity and other pressing issues.

"But the biggest and most significant challenge will be ensuring we have genuine power sharing build on equality, respect and integrity."

[10 January 2020 17:18 · Lizzy Buchan]

Sinn Fein backs powersharing deal which returns Northern Ireland government

More on the breaking news from Belfast this afternoon from our political editor Andrew Woodcock.

[10 January 2020 17:36 · Lizzy Buchan]

Labour demands action over reports of Tory MP’s website promoting sugar daddy service

Labour is demanding immediate action from the Conservatives, after reports that a website run by one of the party’s newly-elected MPs promoted a “sugar daddy” service offering single parents and students financial support from wealthy sponsors.

The Sugar Daddy service was one of four “recommended resources” listed on clean-break.co.uk, a website run by Bridgend MP Jamie Wallis’s company Quickie Divorce Ltd, according to a report by BuzzFeed News.

A link carried on the clean-break site said that Sugar Daddy was “a trusted introduction service” which “can introduce you to your very own sugar daddy and solve your money worries”.

[10 January 2020 17:47 · Lizzy Buchan]

Ex-Labour minister says he is "100% certain" Scotland will become independent.

Ben Bradshaw said it was "completely untenable" for the government to deny a second vote on the matter, adding he had "no doubt" voters north of the border would opt to leave the UK.

The former culture secretary spoke out in an interview with the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.

He said: "I have no doubt at all that Scotland will become independent.

"It is completely untenable that the Government in London is denying Scots the right to self-determination.

"The Scots expressed in the 2016 EU referendum, and in the two subsequent general elections, that they do not want to leave the EU.

"It is important to understand that the United Kingdom is based on the consent of all parts of the country."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson requesting powers to hold a referendum be transferred to Holyrood.

The SNP leader has said previously she wants there to be a vote on independence in the later part of 2020.

Mr Bradshaw, the Labour MP for Exeter, revealed while members of his family had voted against independence in the previous referendum in 2014, they had since changed their stance.

He said: "I am married to a Scotsman. Every member of our family in Scotland voted against independence in the 2014 referendum.

"But in December's general election they all gave their vote to the SNP for the first time in their lives. And they would now vote differently from 2014.

"Scotland will become independent. I'm 100% certain about that."

[10 January 2020 17:59 · Lizzy Buchan]

That's it for The Independent's politics liveblog for the day. Thanks for following!