UK politics - as it happened: Senior Tories tell Theresa May to listen to business as Jaguar Land Rover issues Brexit warning
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May is facing pressure to heed warnings from business leaders on Brexit ahead of a crunch cabinet meeting where she will try to unite her warning ministers on EU exit terms.
More than 40 Tory MPs have written to the prime minister, urging her dismiss any potential Brexit deal "without our trading, enterprising and innovative businesses and their employees at its heart".
It comes as car giant Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said a hard Brexit would hit its profits by £1.2bn, and insisted that it needs "greater certainty" to continue to invest and support more than 40,000 British jobs.
The warning follows similar statements from Airbus and BMW, and a wider sense of discomfort among among firms after Boris Johnson reportedly declared "f*** business".
Owen Paterson, a former Conservative minister, also told the Today programme that firms would be "better off" if the UK leaves the customs union as they will "have access to cheaper parts and components all around the world and European suppliers will be forced to compete".
See below for live updates
Andrea Leadsom confirms that the two key Brexit bills will return to the Commons on July 16-17, where we can expect further parliamentary clashes.
The Taxation (Cross Border Trade) Bill - also known as the customs bill - will have its remaining stages on July 16, while the Trade Bill will appear on July 17.
Our political editor Joe Watts has written a handy explainer piece on Theresa May's new customs plan, which will be discussed at a crunch cabinet meeting at her Chequers retreat tomorrow.
Jeremy Corbyn has warned to his centre-left counterparts on the continent that they must turn against austerity and rigged capitalism or risk being wiped off the political map by the extreme right.
On a visit to the Netherlands on Thursday the Labour leader said socialists and social democrats risked looking like another part of the establishment by “supporting a failed economic system rigged for the wealthy”.
Story here from Europe correspondent Jon Stone:
Ex-senior Treasury official here, casting a critical eye on Theresa May's new customs plans.
Labour's ruling body has approved a new code of conduct on antisemitism, in the wake of major controversy over allegations of anti-Jewish sentiment in its ranks.
The document states explicitly that "anti-Semitism is racism. It is unacceptable in our party and in wider society".
However it also makes clear that criticism of Israel and its policies should not automatically be regarded as antisemitic
"The party will encourage considered and respectful debate on these difficult topics, but will not tolerate name-calling and abuse," the code says.
Labour's new rules endorse the code drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which covers antisemitic acts such as calling for the killing of Jews, making allegations about a Jewish conspiracy or control of the media and economy, Holocaust denial or the "blood libel".
But the Labour list is likely to spark further controversy, as it omits four behaviours identified as anti-Semitic by the IHRA, including:
- Accusing Jewish people of being more loyal to Israel than their home country;
- Claiming that Israel's existence as a state is a racist endeavour;
- Requiring higher standards of behaviour from Israel than other nations; and
- Comparing contemporary Israeli policies to those of the Nazis.
The prime minister's official spokesman has praised the "tremendous fortitude" of the people of Wiltshire after the attempted poisoning in Amesbury.
The spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "All of my thoughts today are with the victims and with the people of Amesbury and Salisbury.
"After the brazen and reckless attempt to murder the Skripals with Novichok in March, the community showed tremendous fortitude, patience and resilience.
"Once again, the public is having to contend with the consequences of two people being exposed to a nerve agent, and I would like to personally thank local businesses and residents for their co-operation. We once again also sincerely thank our brave emergency services for their response.
"The message from Salisbury is clear: it is very much open for business. The government will continue to provide every support to the local community."
The incident has been reported to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Sajid Javid, the home secretary, is giving a statement to MPs on the Amesbury poisoning.
Follow our dedicated liveblog (here).
Sajid Javid says Russian disinformation has already begun on the issue, with efforts to spread doubt on social media.
He says its vital that the UK can join with allies to counter the threat, and urged the Russian state to explain itself.
He told MPs: "The eyes of the world are currently on Russia, not least because of the World Cup.
"It is now time that the Russian state comes forward and explains exactly what has gone on."
He accused Moscow of working to undermine UK and international security, saying "we will stand up to the actions that threaten our security".
He added: "It is completely unacceptable for our people to be either deliberate or accidental targets, or for our streets, our parks, our towns, to be dumping grounds for poison."
Mr Javid tells Labour's Yvette Cooper that the government has had no cooperation from the Russian government.
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