Westminster today - LIVE: Theresa May condemns Russia for 'brazen and reckless' attack as she arrives at EU Council summit

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Russia 'staged a brazen and reckless attack' on UK, says Theresa May

Theresa May has condemned Russia for the "brazen and reckless" nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal as she arrived in Brussels for a crucial European summit.

The Prime Minister will urge EU leaders to unite against the "pattern of Russian aggression" at the two-day meeting, where the heads of the 28-nation bloc will also vote on the terms of the Brexit transition deal.

Brexit Secretary David Davis hailed the draft deal as a "significant step" earlier this week, but plans for the two-year transition period still need to be rubber-stamped by EU leaders

Meanwhile, the Government has been told to explain to UK workers why new British passports to be introduced after Brexit will be made in France.

The passports had become a totemic issue for Brexiteers, who celebrated the Government's decision to bring back the traditional blue covers.

See below for live updates

Key Points

• Theresa May urges EU leaders to unite against "reckless and brazen" attack by Russia
• Government criticised after awarding contract for making new British passports to Franco-Dutch company
• Russian ambassador condemns Boris Johnson for Putin-Hitler comparison
• Sajid Javid admits some Grenfell families will not have been rehoused one year on from disaster
• Jeremy Corbyn launches Labour local election campaign

[22 March 2018 12:22 · Kristin Hugo]

Theresa May's spokesman has said the Prime Minister is unlikely to intervene in the row over where the new British passports will be made.

He said the bidding process for the contract was "fair and open" and must be allowed to conclude without interference:

"We are still in the process of running a fair and open competition to ensure that the new contract delivers a high-quality product which offers the best value for money for the taxpayer.

"Our passports are routinely redesigned every five years and the terms of that have been transparent."

Asked if the comments by a British firm criticising the decision meant the Prime Minister might personally intervene, he said:

"No, what it simply means is they have made comments this morning but I, at the moment, am restricted from commenting in detail on that.

"We are in the process of running a fair and open competition and that process is formally continuing."

[22 March 2018 12:28 · Kristin Hugo]

The Government will consider introducing an EU-wide "music passport" to help travelling musicians after Brexit, a minister has said. 

Margot James, the culture minister, told MPs her department would look into the idea after Labour's Rupa Huq raised concerns about the impact of Brexit on the music industry.

Ms Huq, the Ealing Central and Acton MP, said:

"Ealing uniquely boasts a plaque on the spot where the Rolling Stones played their first ever gig in 1962.

"But the international success they went on to is in peril by the fact that when we leave the EU we will leave behind restriction-free movement for musicians with gear, often at short notice.

"Would the Government consider UK Music's proposal for an EU-wide music passport covering crews and haulage so that bands can continue enjoying the £1 billion they bring to the economy?"

Ms James said she was working with the Brexit department to "ensure the best possible outcome for touring musicians".

She added: "I can assure her nothing would have stopped the success of the Rolling Stones.

"She raises a good idea, we will look into all of those things. We are determined to enable musicians to tour effectively across Europe after Brexit."

[22 March 2018 12:42 · Lizzy Buchan]

Moscow's London ambassador Alexander Yakovenko has condemned Boris Johnson's comparison of Russia hosting the World Cup to Hitler's 1936 Olympics, saying: "Nobody has the right to insult the Russian people, who defeated the Nazis."

Here is our story from yesterday:

[22 March 2018 13:00 · Kristin Hugo]

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Here's the full story, from Rob Merrick, on Theresa May's refusal to intervene in the row over where the new British passports will be made.

[22 March 2018 13:09 · Lizzy Buchan]

EU leaders are starting to arrive at the European Council summit in Brussels.

[22 March 2018 13:12 · Lizzy Buchan]

Britain is set to be pulled into talks with Spain and the EU about the status of Gibraltar after Brexit, under a roadmap for future negotiations set to be agreed by EU leaders on Friday.

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Spain threatened to block progress in Brexit talks this week after David Davis said in passing that the Brexit withdrawal agreement would apply to the British tax haven – reigniting long-held anxieties in Madrid about the British presence there.

More here: 

[22 March 2018 13:20 · Lizzy Buchan]

At a press conference at the London embassy, Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko repeated his dismissal of British claims that his country was behind the nerve agent attack in Salisbury.

He said Theresa May had "provided no proof " and the UK Government had "built its official position on pure assumptions".

He also claimed that the embassy had learned about the death of Russian citizen Nikolay Glushkov from the media and that the "British side is deliberately ignoring our requests" for information about the case.

[22 March 2018 13:31 · Lizzy Buchan]

A World Cup victory for England would be the best response to Russia hosting the football tournament, Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

There will be no official UK Government representation at the event as a result of the Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury and Boris Johnson has warned that Vladimir Putin could use the tournament for propaganda purposes in the same way Adolf Hitler exploited the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Mr Johnson's comments were branded "utterly disgusting" and "unworthy" of a foreign minister by Russian president Mr Putin's spokesman.

But Downing Street insisted Theresa May had "full confidence" in her Foreign Secretary - and said the Prime Minister wanted England to win the World Cup.

Mr Hancock used an appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain to suggest an England win would be a fitting response to Russia.

He said: "Actually the best response, frankly, to all of this would be for England to go to the World Cup in Russia and win it."

[22 March 2018 13:40 · Kristin Hugo]

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Labour has prompted anger after suggesting an party activist should be questioned by the MP she is accusing of sexually harassing her.

Story here:

[22 March 2018 13:55 · Kristin Hugo]

Conservative MP Bob Seely, a member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee who writes on Russian warfare as an academic, rejected suggestions that England should boycott the World Cup in response to the Salisbury attack.

Mr Seely said:

"There's an idea floating around that England should boycott the World Cup. This is silly gesture politics.

The only reason England should boycott the World Cup is if the Government believes there is likely to be serious harm or violence aimed at English fans, and that the Russian authorities would be unwilling or unable to stop it.

We need to stop dealing in knee-jerk politics. As the PM says, the Kremlin presents a long-term, international threat.

Sadly they have become adversaries in the past few years. We need to accept this, we need to understand the Russian threat, methodically expose Kremlin subversion and take sensible long-term actions to deter Russian malign activity."