Fox criticises media over Brexit reporting

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox attacked the BBC and other media organisations for preferring to see "Britain fail than see Brexit succeed".

Leave-supporting Dr Fox made the comments in response to concerns that negative media coverage was undermining efforts to make trade deals with countries outside the EU.

Conservative Nigel Evans said during the morning questions session that there were good prospects for trade deals, "but every time I open a newspaper or listen to the radio or TV the story is done very negatively".

Mr Evans put it to the international trade secretary that this was "wrong and undermines the work he's doing".

Liam Fox responded: "Some elements of our media would rather see Britain fail than Brexit succeed."

The BBC rarely reports positive economic news without adding "despite Brexit", Dr Fox said.

The House of Commons has now adjourned, and will return on Monday at 2.30pm.

Health Minister Steve Brine says no single preferred option for consultation on Southend Hospital has been arrived at.

He also specifies that under all the different options, emergency services would still be provided there.

The debate finishes and the House of Lords adjourns for the day, and indeed the week.

Peers return at 2.30pm on Monday.

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Minister Lord Bates now concludes the debate for the government.

He says that the government will publish its position on this issue soon, and tells peers that the UK must be aware of the pace of change in technology - which he calls "frenetic".

The minister also mentions new abilities for "peer to peer learning," which he says may need a nuanced definition in this chamber.

Conservative Sir David Amess opens the adjournment debate on the future of Southend Hospital, confessing himself "furious".

"There's no way I'm going to allow Southend Hospital to be downgraded," he declares.

He says the idea people can be transferred to Basildon accident and emergency "is just not on".

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International Trade Minister Greg Hands responds for the front bench, saying the Conservatives "are putting trade at the heart of government - back where it belongs".

He's confident there are many reasons why it is in the EU's interest and other countries' to strike trade deals with the UK, including "access to the largest capital market in the European timezone" through the City of London.

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Shadow minister Lord Stevenson of Balmacara responds to the debate for the opposition.

Speaking of the future, Lord Stevenson says the system of day to day finance is not going to change but the way it happens is going to be "radically different".

"Physical notes and money will probably not survive coming financial revolution," he says, and urges the government to ensure there is a balanced and proportionate legal and regulatory framework in place to deal with this.

He also calls for "high level" broadband to be introduced in the country, saying "if we are going to have this then it has to be done well".

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Winding up for Labour, shadow international trade minister Bill Esterson asserts that "no deal would be the worst possible deal and must be ruled out".

He says that anyone who's run a business knows "you must look after your existing business relationships first" and if you do anything else "you do so at your peril".

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Conservative peer Lord Holmes of Richmond is now leading the last debate of the afternoon on the promotion of financial inclusion through use of innovative financial solutions and new technology.

Home Office minister Baroness Williams responds to the debate for the government.

In terms of the proposed domestic abuse bill, Baroness Williams says that the government is consulting widely on the new legal definition of domestic abuse - including opportunities for parliamentarians to contribute.

She says that the government is also committed to safely reintegrating prisoners back into the community in a controlled and supervising way.

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Labour's Danielle Rowley gives her maiden speech as the first woman to represent Midlothian.

Speaking on the debate, she says that she will defend the rights of EU nationals living in her constituency and in the rest of the UK.

She says that the prevalence of food banks in her area is "an absolute disgrace" and goes on to tell the government to remember that the purpose of benefits is to give a hand up not a handout.

Danielle Rowley says that she is going to follow a message of hope for good jobs and good wages.

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The new Lib Dem MP for Caithness Sutherland and Easter Ross, Jamie Stone, is making his maiden speech.

He speaks of the special demands of his remote constituency, including the need for better maternity services and broadband.

In a pun on his name, he says he hopes this "stone" can play a full part in "the mighty cairn that is democracy".

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Lincoln's new Labour MP Karen Lee regales her new colleagues with stories from her city's historic and more recent past.

She says that from the development of the first tank in World War I "by a determined group of engineers" to the "recent runaway success" of Lincoln City FC when last year they became the first non-league club to reach the FA Cup's quarter finals in 103 years, Lincoln has a "proud history of going the extra mile" she says.

She uses the history of her town again when drawing comparisons between Henry VIII and the government - comparing the Tudor monarch's looting of Lincoln cathedral with the effects of austerity.

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Shadow minister Baroness Gale addresses the debate from the Labour frontbench and reiterates a point made by many peers on the issue of stalking.

She says there is a need for specialist understanding, training and services to deal with these crimes and to help and protect victims.

Labour welcomes the proposed domestic abuse bill, she says, adding that she hopes it will be a real opportunity to change the way in which we identify and respond to domestic violence and not just a consolidation of current legislation.

Support for victims "must go further than the justice system", she says - saying that there must be support for access to mental health services, bank accounts, and welfare provisions.

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The new MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, Julia Dockerill, makes her maiden speech in the House of Commons, and begins by thanking her Conservative colleagues for "gathering around me like a protective huddle of penguins".

She says that there must be a "realistic, pragmatic, and determined" outlook to approaching the UK's leaving the EU, and says she is concerned that there is a "corrosive pessimism" in some of those opposed to Brexit.

Ms Dockerill praises her constituents for their "aspiration, hardwork, and a deep sense of family, community and nationhood".

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Veteran Labour MP Adrian Bailey says that "mixed messaging and hostile rhetoric" from the government has caused damage in the UK's trade - especially in the car industry.

He also says that he is as in favour of trading with other countries "as anyone else is," but questions the argument that the EU is a barrier for the UK trading with other countries.

Mr Bailey asks why key EU rivals trade more successfully with those other markets than we do - "maybe they are doing something right that we are not doing?"

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Conservative former minister Ed Vaizey takes a positive tone on the government's activity thus far since the referendum; saying ministers have traveled to 50 countries - "the number of air miles accumulated boggles the mind".

He speaks in glowing terms of the International Trade Department's permanent secretary Antonia Romeo, and adds that the 10 trade groups set up, and a minister fluent in German and Russian means "everything is in place for progress to be made".

He says that he is sceptical about the future and that he feels the country is currently in a "confused position" on trade.

Mr Vaizey explains this by saying that after leaving the EU, the UK will trade with the bloc on World Trade Organisation rules, whilst simultaneously negotiating a trade deal with the United States, because we do not want to trade on WTO rules with them.

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Hannah Bardell, the MP who represents the SNP on trade, says trade agreements are about give and take, and the government does not understand that.

Figures suggest Scotland's export figures could be cut by up to £5bn if the UK leaves the single market, she says. "We must, at the end of this process, have clarity on whether there is a deal or not a deal," she says.

She says the loss of EU nationals will harm Scotland's economy; as well as seasonal migrant workers. She adds that the NHS in Scotland employs EU nationals.

Liberal Democrat Baroness Brinton speaks about the need for protecting the identity of victims of domestic and sexual violence, as well as for the need to provide "first-class" support for victims at all stages of the justice process.

She says that currently the level of service and support received is too dependent on where the victim or witness lives in the country; calling it a "postcode lottery in access to justice".

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Conservative Sir Bill Cash says Brexit will give the UK the chance to "unshackle ourselves from the fact the European Commission determines our trade deals".

He refers to the amendment introduced by a Labour backbencher last week on staying in the single market, on which the opposition front bench abstained, claiming: "They don't really know where they stand."

He goes on to approvingly cite comments made by US President Donald Trump in Poland today about "the freedom of sovereign nations to make their own choices", which is what he thinks the UK will achieve through Brexit.

Peers now move on to the second debate this afternoon, which is on the government’s plans to protect and support victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Conservative peer Baroness Manzoor is leading the debate.

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Minister Viscount Younger of Leckie responds to the debate for the government.

He says that the government has a role in fostering innovation, and points to the UK aerospace industry and the proposed space industry bill announced in the Queen's Speech which will allow licensing of commercial space flight - including rockets, space planes, satellites, and space ports.

The minister also says that too many businesses, especially small businesses and the self-employed, lack the skills they need to engage digitally with the marketplace.

This needs to be tackled across the country, he says.

Labour's Lord Tunnicliffe concludes the debate for the opposition, saying that the impact of technology is transforming industries and the nature of work itself.

He warns that some of the new jobs in technology are failing to provide basic employment rights, and asks the government to ensure fair treatment of workers and fair competition.

Responding to criticisms of pessimism, the shadow minister replies saying "I don't think the country is in a very good way".

He finishes by saying he wishes to make it "absolutely clear" the Labour party sees responsible business in partnership with government as central to a positive future.

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Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, says it's not normal practice for trade ministers to hasten to the despatch box, when the country has just posted one of the worst sets of balance of payment figures.

ONS figures, released last week, show that in Q1, the UK's current-account deficit was£16.9bn, due to the widening of the trade deficit.

He goes on to say the chancellor has demanded the international trade secretary "prove the case" that our ability to strike trade deals after Brexit will make up for losing tariff-free access to the EU.

"In other words, to justify his job as international trade secretary," he says.

Britain will not put itself at the low-cost, low quality end of the spectrum, Liam Fox tells MPs. "I believe there is no place for bargain basement Britain."

The key to our long term prosperity lies not in abaonding our standards and values but in reinforcing them, he says.

"We do not pretend that the era of globalisation is without its challenges," he says, but says the government wants to address the negative aspects of globalisation and make sure no-one is left behind by the changes.

Prosperity, stability and security are the prizes, he says.

Liam Fox says the case for free trade is for prosperity, which underpins social and political stability - and thereby security.

"You cannot disrupt one element without disrupting the whole," he says. "It's a truth we need to understand in this interdependent, globalised era."

The international trade secretary says if we as a country can speak with a strong voice about the benefits of free trade, we make a moral as well as an economic case for what we are setting out.

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The Commons now turns to a debate on Brexit and global trade.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is opening the debate at the despatch box and says he believes there is a great future for the UK outside the EU.

"Figures published this morning show record foreign direct investment into the UK in 2016/17," he says.

Free trade increases choice and increases standards of living, he tells MPs, and that "history is on our side" with the UK the trade capital of the world.

Free trade is in need a champion in the world, he tells MPs, but global trade is under threat and protectionism is on the rise.

"Some of the worst culprits in this are the G7 adn the G20," he says - the UK is included in this and is in "danger of forgetting" what made the country successful.

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Crossbench peer and co-founder of Lastminute.com Baroness Fox of Soho speaks about the digital and technology sector in the UK - calling it a "democratising and equalising" power.

But she says "we have only just begun the job and now must finish it" as this will enable the benefits of technology to reach the whole country.

Baroness Fox says that by the end of this three hour debate, three new technology businesses will have started in London alone.

She goes on to says that the technology and digital sector needs to make more links in communities - "ask not what technology can do for you but ask what technology can do for your country, perhaps".

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The style police will not be patrolling the Commons debating chamber after the Speaker, John Bercow, defended the right of male MPs not to wear ties.

Last week, Mr Bercow upset some traditionalists when he announced that members should be dressed in "businesslike attire" but stressed that that didn't have to include a tie.

The ruling came after a Conservative MP complained that a Liberal Democrat Tom Brake had been allowed to speak in spite of not wearing a tie.

The ranks of the old guard, unhappy at the change, include the Transport Minister, John Hayes, who declared he wouldn't take interventions from "sartorially challenged" MPs who weren't wearing ties.

Today, Tom Brake told John Bercow there was a risk of a "slippery slope" which might lead the minister to, "refuse to take interventions from members who were sartorially challenged in other ways such as wearing a gaudy tie or a garish waistcoat".

The Speaker said rulings on the dress code for MPs were a matter "exclusively" for him.

And he said Mr Hayes' application to be a "style policeman" had been filed "in the appropriate place".

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SNP spokesman Pete Wishart dubs this the "zombie apocalypse Parliament" with ministers "wandering the streets looking for brains".

In particular, he highlights that there have been no votes this week and it's unlikely there will be any next week.

Andrea Leadsom responds that she thinks she's made a "strong case for measures we're taking to take steps forward for the country".

She says she thinks the lack of votes signals "agreement across the House that what we're doing is the right thing".