Theresa May has delivered a landmark speech on the environment in which she laid out the Government's 25-year plan for reducing waste and tackling climate change.
The Prime Minister pledged to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042, alongside a range of other measures, but environmental groups said the plan lacks "urgency, detail and bite".
Also included in the Government's strategy are a £7bn fund for "plastics innovation" and plans to encourage supermarkets to set up plastic-free aisles.
Elsewhere, Boris Johnson will use a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to raise the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The British mother has been imprisoned in Iran since April 2016.
And new analysis commissioned by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, showed a no deal Brexit could cost the UK economy up to £50bn.
Live Updates
Welcome to The Independent's Westminster live blog - we'll be bringing you all the latest updates as Theresa May unveils the Government's 25-year environment strategy.
Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, has just been on BBC Radio 4's Today programme defending the Government's environmental policies. Quotes coming up shortly...
Mr Gove said suggestions of a 25p levy on disposable coffee cups was an "exciting idea" that his department was "reflecting on'". The Environmental Audit Committee proposed the tax earlier this month - a proposal supported by The Independent.
The Environmental Secretary said he had "taken action in a wide variety of areas", pointing out that the Government has already banned microbeards and is consulting on introducing a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles as ministers attempt to cut down the amount of waste the UK produces.
More from Mr Gove on whether he supports calls for a 25p "latte levy" on disposable coffee cups:
"We will think about how we can make sure that the current way in which coffee cups, which in many respects can't be effectively recycled and are an integral part of our throwaway-takeaway culture - what we can do in order to deal with it."It's already the case that we have introduced a very successful charge, which is the 5p charge on plastic bags. The critical thing is that when a recommendation like this is made, we need to make sure that it will work. We need to test the policy."
In a bizarre exchange that had just the slightest similarity to Donald Trump - or, some suggested, The Office's David Brent - the Environment Secretary referred to himself in the third person as "Govey".
Taking issue with Today presenter Nick Robinson's questioning, Mr Gove said: "Your premise is 'Eh, Govey, you haven't done enough' but we've already legislated in a number of areas."
Mr Robinson, in response, said he would never dream of calling the cabinet minister "Govey".
Peter Riddell, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, has announced he is looking into the appointment of Toby Young to the Office for Students board.
Mr Young stepped down earlier this week after facing an angry backlash over numerous homophobic and misogynistic tweets he had posted.
In a letter to The Times, Mr Riddell accused the Department for Education of a "serious, and avoidable, failure of due diligence".
He added: "A simple Google search would immediately have identified his comments".
Justine Greening, the Education Secretary until earlier this week, "blocked" proposals to cut tuition fees, according to one of Theresa May's former chiefs of staff.
Nick Timothy claimed Ms Greening had "put the brakes on policies that work", as Lizzy Buchan reports...
Justine Greening 'blocked' attempts to cut university tuition fees, says Theresa May's former aide
Justine Greening blocked proposals to cut tuition fees, according to one of Theresa May’s former chiefs of staff. The ex-education secretary dramatically resigned from the Government after refusing an offer from the Prime Minister to move to the Department for Work and Pensions in this week’s Cabinet reshuffle.Meanwhile Damian Hinds, Ms Greening's successor, has this morning been tipped as a future Tory leader. Both Michael Gove and Nick Timothy said they thought he had the qualities to lead the party. More from Joe Watts here:
New Education Secretary Damian Hinds twice tipped as a future leader by May allies
New Education Secretary Damian Hinds was twice tipped as a future leader on Thursday by key allies of the Prime Minister. Mr Hinds was touted both by fellow Cabinet minister Michael Gove and by Theresa May’s former chief-of-staff Nick Timothy.Breaking...
Here are ten words I never thought I'd write: Nigel Farage has backed calls for a second EU referendum.
Yes you read that right.
The former Ukip leader and arch Brexiteer told Channel 5's The Wright Stuff: "Maybe, just maybe, I'm reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership.
"I think if we had a second referendum on EU membership we'd kill it off for a generation. The percentage that would vote to leave next time would be very much bigger than it was last time round."
An unexpected intervention, to say the least...
Theresa May's landmark speech on the environment is about to get underway in West London. The Prime Minister is speaking at the London Wetlands Centre, where she'll be laying out the Government's 25-year environment strategy...
Theresa May says the Conservatives are committed to making ours "the first generation to leave the natural environment in a better state than we found it".
She adds: "Our mission is to build a country where the next generation can enjoy a better life than the one that went before it."
Continuing her theme of protecting the planet for the next generation, Ms May says: "Making good on the promise that each new generation should be able to build a better future is a fundamental Conservative princple.
"Conservativism and conservation are natural allies."
The Prime Minister is arguing that the state must play a key role in protecting the environment and developing new, green technologies:
"Where Government needs to intervene to ensure high standards are met, we will not hesitate to do so."
"We will use the opportunity Brexit provides to strengthen and enhance our environmental protections - not to weaken them."
Ms May has spent the first 20 minutes of her speech explaining what the Government is already doing on environmental issues, including banning microbeads, clamping down on chemicals that harm bees and working with other countries to stop the ivory trade.
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