Boris Johnson faces MPs after controversially missing Heathrow expansion vote - as it happened
Today's coverage from Westminster - as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson was ridiculed in the Commons after missing a key vote on Heathrow expansion by arranging a whistle-stop trip to Afghanistan.
Answering questions from MPs, the foreign secretary was mocked for his flying visit to Kabul and forced to defend the government's decision to invite Donald Trump to the UK.
Mr Johnson, whose Uxbridge constituency is under the Heathrow flight path, had previously vowed to "lie down in front of the bulldozers" to prevent expansion at the airport. He was widely criticised, including by a number of Tory MPs, for skipping the vote rather than resigning in order to vote against a third runway.
Elsewhere, Sadiq Khan gave evidence to a Commons committee about the need for more devolution London, while Theresa May delivered a speech on the UK economy after Brexit.
As it happened...
Emily Thornberry hits back, saying:
"When we have a president, like Donald Trump, who bans Muslims and supports Nazis, who stokes conflict and fuels climate change, who abuses women and cages children, that is not a record to be admired, that is a record to be abhorred."
She asks Johnson why he thinks "a man like that should have the honour, in two weeks' time, of visiting Chequers, Blenheim Palace and Windsor Castle and shaking hands with Her Majesty the Queen."
The foreign secretary says the UK "is not afraid to say when our views differ" with the US but adds:
"It is right that the United Kingdom should welcome to this country the head of state of our most important and most trusted ally."
Ms Thornberry has previously said the same, he adds.
Theresa May is currently speaking at The Times CEO summit. She is asked about comments made by some of her senior cabinet ministers, including Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, dismissing business leaders' concerns about Brexit.
She distances herself from their comments, saying: "It’s right that we listen to the voice of business. It’s right that business makes its voice heard.”
She adds: “Business is at the heart of how we are going to develop this country”.
May says business leaders have been influential during the Brexit process: “We have listened carefully to the voices of business throughout ... you have helped shape the negotiations”.
Sadiq Khan has warned that thousands of jobs in London will be lost if service industries are allowed to "fall off a cliff edge" after Brexit.
The Mayor of London told MPs he wanted ministers to focus more on protecting services, which make up 90 per cent of the capital's economy, in addition to trying to negotiate a deal with the EU on the movement of goods.
Khan told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee:
"I welcome the government announcing there should be a backstop agreement in relation to frictionless trade for goods. It needs to extend though to frictionless trade for services as well.
"Because if ... we don't reach an agreement on goods and services by end of transition and there is a danger of falling off a cliff edge, it is not simply trades in goods that we should worry about, it's also trades in services.
"And the City of London, who aren't bellicose, who aren't used to hyperbole, they've said they worry about 10,000 jobs being lost.
"That's, I think, a conservative estimate. We can't afford that situation where after transition period we fall off a cliff edge in relation to trades in services."
Chris Grayling has taken the next step towards Heathrow expansion by formally designating the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS).
Opponents now have six weeks to launch a legal bid to stop the third runway being approved.
Four London councils have launched a judicial review of the decision, along with London mayor Sadiq Khan and environmental charity Greenpeace.
Expansion was approved by MPs on Monday night.
Mr Grayling said:
"This marks a critical step towards ensuring future generations have the international connections we need, as well as strengthening the links between all parts of the UK and our global hub.
"I have always been clear that this issue goes beyond party politics and this result demonstrates the clear desire to get on with delivering this vital scheme.
"There is still much to be done, including defending this decision against potential legal challenges, but we are absolutely committed to working closely with local communities and ensuring Heathrow stick to their promises on addressing the local and environmental impacts of expansion."
Answering questions in the Commons earlier, Boris Johnson was asked why he previously said he was "increasingly admiring" of Donald Trump. He listed three main reasons. Full story here:
Theresa May addressed The Times CEO summit earlier today. Here are a few extracts from her speech:
On business...
"You create the wealth and the jobs that provide the backbone of our economy.
Your innovation and creativity are vital ingredients in our success as a nation.
A Conservative government will always listen to your voice and back you every step of the way as you help grow our economy and create more good jobs.
And what’s true for businesses is true for nation states in a globalised economy – to stand still is to fall behind."
On Brexit...
"The United Kingdom is not standing still.
In leaving the EU we are charting a new course in a changing world.
Brexit presents significant opportunities and I am confident that we can build a more prosperous and secure United Kingdom in the years ahead.
To do so, we must achieve the best Brexit deal, pursue our modern Industrial Strategy to deliver jobs and growth, and make sure our economy truly works for everyone in society."
On Brexit negotiations...
"In the Brexit negotiations, we continue to make good progress.
You will each have conducted negotiations yourself, so you will know that they are never straightforward.
They are complex and can generate uncertainty.
But at every stage of the Brexit process we have sought to reduce uncertainty as much as possible."
On Britain's "bright future"...
"The United Kingdom is a great country with a bright future.
After years of hard work and sacrifice from the British people, we can now move forward with our balanced approach to the public finances that gets debt falling while also investing in our public services.
The fruits of that labour have put us in the position to announce a major investment in our NHS – the public service we value most dearly – to secure it for the future.
That will not just deliver better care, it will also ensure that businesses have a healthy and productive workforce to draw from.
We are blessed with tremendous assets.
We speak the global language of business.
The Greenwich meridian puts us in the perfect time-zone for international commerce.
London is the world’s premier financial hub.
We are home to the planet’s finest universities.
We have produced more Nobel Prize winners than any country apart from America.
Our system of representative government is replicated around the globe.
Our courts set the gold standard for incorruptibility.
Our soft power is unrivalled.
Our cultural, intellectual, and technological contributions to the world are without equal.
And our ambition for the future is to be the very best we can be.
To get the best possible Brexit deal.
To build an economy that works for everyone.
There is room at the top of tomorrow’s global economy for a country with our talents and ambition.
You all have a vital role to play in getting Britain there."
A former Tory minister had condemned members of the cabinet for publicly arguing over which departments deserve more funding.
George Freeman, who formerly led Theresa May's policy unit, said there was "chaos" as a result of ministers bickering over finances.
He told BBC Radio 4's World at One:
"We cannot have this process done by Cabinet ministers going to the press and briefing against the Prime Minister, and putting their bids in early.
"Unfortunately, Cabinet responsibility was withdrawn by David Cameron for the Brexit referendum, it's never been restored.
"This is chaos. If we have ministers winning their bids for money on the basis of who has got the biggest headlines we will lose our reputation for financial competence.
"At the moment we look like we are bringing to the public finances the chaos of the Brexit conversation.
"We can't simply tip more money into the old silos."
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