Jeremy Corbyn ignores universal credit row to charge May with neglecting bus services - as it happened

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Marsha de Cordova challenges Theresa May over Esther McVey Universal credit accusations

Theresa May faced Jeremy Corbyn for their weekly Prime Minister's Questions clash as divisions among senior Tories deepened ahead of crunch Brexit talks on Friday.

The "away day" at Chequers will see ministers attempt to thrash out an agreement on the government's Brexit plan, but the cabinet remains split on the UK's future customs relationship with the EU.

Despite Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, having earlier been accused of misleading Parliament over universal credit, Mr Corbyn stuck to his script and used all six of his questions to ask the prime minister about bus services.

Labour MP Marsha de Cordova was left to press the prime minister on whether Ms McVey should resign, after the work and pensions secretary was accused of wrongly claiming an independent watchdog had suggested thegovernment's flagship welfare reforms were working well.

Ms McVey later apologised for "inadvertently" misleading MPs over the social security reform.

As it happened...

Key Points

• Esther McVey forced to make an apology for 'inadvertently' misleading parliament over universal credit
• Jeremy Corbyn attacks prime minister for 'putting profits before passengers' on struggling buses
• Official Brexit campaign 'broke electoral law' by coordinating with another group to bust spending limit
• Jacob Rees-Mogg denies claims he is 'plotting a coup' against Theresa May

[4 July 2018 12:33 · Kristin Hugo]

[4 July 2018 12:41 · Kristin Hugo]

Leading Tory Brexiteer Owen Patterson says French President Emmanuel Macron has introduced performance reviews for his cabinet ministers. He says Theresa May should do the same, judging ministers on whether they are committing to the Tory manifesto pledge to pursue a Brexit that removes the UK from the single market, customs union and jurisdiction of European courts.

May says the Brexit the government is seeking will achieve all of this, as well as extracting Britain from the Common Fisheries Policy, the Common Agricultural Policy and allowing the UK to take control of its borders and negotiate new, independent trade deals. 

[4 July 2018 12:45 · Kristin Hugo]

Here's the video of the SNP's Ian Blackford asking Theresa May about the Vote Leave spending allegations

[4 July 2018 12:46 · Kristin Hugo]

And here's Marsha de Cordova asking about Esther McVey's apparently misleading statements to Parliament

[4 July 2018 12:58 · Kristin Hugo]

Here we go. PMQs has finished and Esther McVey is using a point of order to apologise for making misleading statements to Parliament. 

She says that, while addressing MPs, she "mistakenly said the National Audit Office had asked for the roll-out of universal credit to be speeded up".

She accepts the NAO did not say this, and apologises to the Speaker and the House for "inadvertendly misleading you"

What she meant to say, she says, was that the NAO had concluded there was "no practical alternative" to continuing with universal credit. 

However, she stands by her claim that the NAO hadn't taken into account recent benefits changes when publishing its report.

[4 July 2018 13:07 · Lizzy Buchan]

Here's the latest:

[4 July 2018 13:11 · Lizzy Buchan]

[4 July 2018 13:16 · Kristin Hugo]

Theresa May didn't watch last night's penalty shootout between England and Colombia because she found it too nerve-wracking, a No 10 spokesperson says.

Asked whether Jeremy Corbyn watched the whole match - including the penalties - the Labour leader's spokesperson said: "He certainly did."

[4 July 2018 13:23 · Kristin Hugo]

Jeremy Corbyn has called for a national Bank Holiday if England win the World Cup...

[4 July 2018 13:28 · Kristin Hugo]

Matt Hancock has dismissed the suggestion that tech giants such as Facebook and Google are too powerful to regulate.

Speaking at an event in Westminster, the Culture Secretary said:

"There was an attitude that pervaded for a generation that these companies are global and therefore you can't regulate them. Not true.

"That the technology changes fast and therefore you can't regulate it. Not true.

"That people don't understand and therefore we can't regulate it. Also not true."