Politics latest news: MPs debate second lockdown ahead of vote - watch live

MPs who vote against the second lockdown risk reducing compliance with the new set of restrictions, NHS Providers has said, warning "we have lost control". 

A letter signed by Chris Hopson and Saffron Cordery, respectively chief executive and deputy chief executive, urged politicians to vote for the second lockdown measures, saying "a failure to do so will reduce public compliance". 

The group, which represents NHS hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services, said:  "The combination of a tiered approach to local lockdowns and test, trace and isolate has failed to curb the growth in Covid-19 cases. We have lost control.

"Looking forward, there is a clear and present danger that the NHS will not be able to treat all the patients it needs to in the best and most timely way... Trust leaders yet to experience a full second Covid-19 surge are deeply worried that, on current trends, the surge their trusts will experience will coincide with the onset of winter when they are at their most stretched. Urgent action is needed."

A former chief whip, several ministers and veteran backbenchers are among the Conservative MPs expected to rebel against the Government vote on a second national lockdown this afternoon. 

Writing in the Telegraph this morning, former Brexit minister Steve Baker said he planned to vote against Boris Johnson "with a heavy heart". 

Peter Bone and Mark Harper have also joined Esther McVey, Sir Charles Walker and Sir Graham Brady in confirming they will not back Boris Johnson on the new measures, despite assurances by Dominic Raab that the December 2 deadline would be "written in law". 

During a heated Westminster Hall debate yesterday other notable Tories including Richard Drax and Bob Seely made their concerns about the restrictions - which come on the back of contested modelling of up to 4,000 deaths a day. 

Labour has said their MPs will back the Government, however, making any rebellion symbollic. 

Follow the latest updates below.

02:19 PM

Further 302 people die with coronavirus in English hospitals

A further 302 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 33,637.

Patients were aged between 13 and 100 years old. All except 12, aged between 56 and 99 years old, had known underlying health conditions. The date of death ranges from 30 March to 3 November 2020. 

The North West was the worst-affected region, with 93 deaths registered, followed by the North East & Yorkshire (66) and the Midlands (58). 

There were 33 deaths registered in London, 21 in both the East of England and South East and 10 in the South West.

02:16 PM

Munira Wilson urges ministers to 'use lockdown time wisely' to fix Test & Trace

An emotional-sounding Munira Wilson, Lib Dem MP for Twickenham, says she is "horrified" by the regulations, and the rise in infection rates and hospitalisations, and horrified by being put in this position by the "dither and delay" from ministers. 

She says she feels she has "absolutely no option" but to support the lockdown, despite there being "not a shred of evidence that the Government is going to use this lockdown time wisely" by fixing Test and Trace, in particular boosting contact rates. 

Ms Wilson asks Health Secretary to "please listen and act wisely during the next four weeks". She also calls on the Government to publish the impact assessment, saying "both sides of the argument must be shared", so that MPs and the public can know that they are doing the right thing. 

02:09 PM

Have your say on: How will the US election affect the special relationship?

The US presidential election is still too close to call, and could take days to decide, with millions of ballots left to count. 

Donald Trump has called for these legitimate votes to stop being counted, claiming "major fraud" is taking place in bid to "disenfranchise" his supporters - something Joe Biden has hit back at.

"We can know the results as early as tomorrow morning but it may take a little longer," the Democrat candidate said. "As I've said all along, it's not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare who's won this election, that's the decision of the American people."

Dominic Raab refused to be drawn on Mr Trump's claims, and while he stressed the special relationship would remain strong, he conceded the "contours of the opportunities and the risks" would change depending on who won. 

Others including Jeremy Hunt, David Miliband and Lisa Nandy have warned about the wider ramifications to democracy of a contested result. 

So where does all this leave the UK? Have your say in the poll below:

02:06 PM

Iain Duncan Smith confirms he will oppose lockdown vote

Iain Duncan Smith says the decision MPs face now is the second biggest one since World War II - the other decision being the first lockdown in March. 

The former Conservative leader suggests whoever leaked the plan should be "sacked, strung up to dry, brought here to apologise, grovel on their hands and knees and beaten on the way out", because it has "bounced" the Government into bringing plans forward before "investigating the data" that was presented to them. 

He suggests the lockdown is being brought in before the three tiers have had "a chance to bite". 

The data is now "unravelling", he adds, confirming he will oppose the vote tonight. 

01:59 PM

Labour MP Graham Stringer refuses to back lockdown measures

MPs are continuing to debate the second lockdown measures, picking holes in particular areas. 

Theresa May warned that banning communal worship now, even for the right reason, set a dangerous precedent for people to do so for bad intentions in the future. 

Sir Peter Bottomley, the MP for Worthing West, is making the case for tennis and golf to be able to continue through lockdown, although stresses he hopes that the measures will have the desired effect. 

Graham Stringer, Labour's MP for Blackley and Broughton, saying the Government has not provided sufficient information as a basis for the lockdown or that he has faith ministers will use the time to put better measures in at the end of the period. 

01:52 PM

MPs mutter as Boris Johnson walks out on Theresa May's speech

Boris Johnson has walked out of the Commons - just as Theresa May stood up. 

The Prime Minister had been looking increasingly annoyed by Sir Keir Starmer's statement, shaking his head and rolling his eyes with his arms crossed as he muttered to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. 

But when his successor stood up to have her say, he walked out - to the audible surprise of the other MPs. 

To her credit, she shrugged it off and continued with her critique of the lockdown and her concerns. 

01:42 PM

Sir Keir Starmer tells Boris Johnson 'come up with something better' than three tiers

Sir Keir Starmer argues that idea behind Tier 1 and Tier 2 "simply isn't working", because under the three-tiered system places have gone into higher risk categories, but not lower ones. 

He argues it is not a party political exercise, saying if the idea is to go back to the system people know it won't "keep them safe". 

Sir Keir adds: "It is very hard for the public because they know it isn't going to keep them safe... and they know it means Christmas isn't going to be what it should be."

Leicester's figures have gone "up and down" but the region has never come out of restrictions, he says, and that means they aren't working. 

"For heaven's sake, we have got to use the next four weeks to come up with something better than that... otherwise we will do the usual thing which is to pretend something is going to happen on Dec 2. and then when we get there find out that what was said would happen won't happen. 

"I can predict what is going to happen because it has happened so many time over the last seven months... and its not fair on the British public."

01:35 PM

Sir Keir Starmer calls for 'clear strategy' instead of 'vague' exit plan from lockdown 

Sir Keir Sarmer notes the concerns that the second lockdown will be harder on people's mental health, and offers to work with the Government in dealing with this. 

He suggests similar cross-party action to put together a plan to deal with domestic abuse. 

And the Labour leader says lockdown will have an impact on faith communities, and homelessness which he said is a "moral emergency", requiring urgent action particularly to prevent evictions. 

He also calls for Boris Johnson to bring forward an economic recovery plan and "a clear strategy to make sure we never ever get into this situation again", noting the plan for once lockdown is reviewed on December 2 is "vague" and will leave people "very worried". 

01:29 PM

Sir Keir Starmer: Labour will back lockdown because Government has 'lost control'

Sir Keir Starmer responds by echoing Boris Johnson's view that "frankly I don't want Parliament to be legislating on any of these issues". 

He says MPs should have had more time to scrutinise legislation and "iron out" inconsistencies. 

But while they are "not in any way desirable or perfect" Labour will support them because the Government has "lost control", he says. 

"To anybody who disputes the trajectory of the virus, or what the cost of inaction would be, I would point out that when Sage warned 44 days ago... there were 11 deaths from Covid-19," he says, noting that on Monday 397 people lost their lives. 

"That is not graphs, not projections, that is the grim facts," he adds. "That direction of travel has been clear for some time."

01:23 PM

Boris Johnson says UK 'can and will pull through' pandemic next year

Boris Johnson says the measures before the House are designed to "arrest the virus, to drive it out, once and for all" as he seeks to persuade would-be rebels to back him on the second lockdown vote today. 

He says that the mass testing pilot could enable the authorities to reduce the spread of the virus "and I think if we all play our art in the system it could be a hugely valuable weapon... as an alternative to the blanket restrictions that have been imposed in so many parts of the world". 

The Prime Minister says the aim is to make "massive repeated testing" available to everyone across the country, then points to other breakthroughs - such "lifesaving treatment" and the prospect of a vaccine. 

That gives "every confidence" that the country "can and will pull through" the pandemic, despite the "grave" situation currently. 

01:12 PM

Boris Johnson: MPs must consider 'immediate peril' from coronavirus

Tory MP Huw Merriman asks what evidence the Prime Minister has seen that more lives will be saved through lockdown than the restrictions will cause themselves. 

Boris Johnson says this is "the crux of the debate" but says MPs must "look at the immediate peril we face". 

He says he does not dismiss the problems caused by the lockdown but stressed "the real risk of mortality... on what I think would be a grievous scale which would stem from doing nothing". 

He says doctors and nurses would be forced to make "impossible choices about which patients would live and which would die". 

The "existential threat" to the NHS comes from "not focusing enough" on coronavirus, he adds, which would deprive other patients from the care they need. 

"This fate is not inevitable," he adds. 

01:09 PM

Boris Johnson says lockdown gives 'good prospect' of church services for Christmas 

Jim Shannon intervenes to ask about church services during the lockdown.

Boris Johnson says this is not possible, but "the best I can really say to him in all reality" is that there is a "very good prospect" of communal worship "in time for Christmas ad other celebrations in December. 

The Prime Minister picks up on his speech, warning about the "bleak and uncertain future" the country faces without a lockdown. 

He says he knows there has been some debate about the data being used "but all the scientific experts that I have talked to are unanimous on one point - if we did not act now, the chances of the NHS being in extraordinary trouble in December would be very, very high". 

01:05 PM

Boris Johnson: I am not prepared to risk lives of British people

Boris Johnson has made a quick return to the Commons to introduce the motion for the second lockdown. 

He tells MPs that "no one" wants to tell people to shuter their shops and stop seeing their friends but data showing that deaths could potentially exceed the first, and looking at similar surges in other countries, "I can reach only one conclusion". 

"I am not prepared to take the risk with the lives of the British people," he tells MPs. It is true that the three tiered system has "made a difference", he says, thanking local leaders and residents for "putting up" with those restrictions. 

Despite this, even in the South West, hospital admissions are surging and the R-rate is above one across the country, which will push the NHS "ever closer to the moment where it cannot cope". 

12:50 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson 'amazed' that Labour has not cut ties with Unite over anti-Semitism comments

Karl McCartney, Conservative MP for Lincoln, asks Boris Johnson about the EHRC's report into Labour's handling of anti-Semitism under Jeremy Corbyn. 

The Prime Minister dodges the general question, but says he finds it "absolutely astonishing" that the party did not cut ties with Unite the Union after Len McCluskey said Labour peer Peter Mandelson should go and "count" his "gold".

He also described Mr Corbyn's suspension from the party as a "grave injustice". 

Mr Johnson said: "I was genuinely amazed that the leader of the Unite union made a remark of the kind he did and that the Labour party should remain in receipt of funding from Unite, or take no steps to dissociate themselves from that union after that remark."

12:42 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson challenged over Dominic Cummings' 'continued flouting of the rules'

Mary Kelly Foy, MP for the City of Durham, has called on Boris Johnson to condemn Dominic Cummings for his "continued flouting of the rules". 

The Labour MP says the chief adviser has "fatally undermined public health messaging, has historic planning violations exposed and short-changed us with an unpaid council tax bill of up to £50,000". 

She asked if Mr Johnson has a "blind sport that even a drive to Barnard Castle can't fix". 

But the Prime Minister attacks "constant political point scoring" and says the best thing to do is advise her constituents to follow the rules "and let's all do it together". 

12:37 PM

PMQs: Cheadle MP calls for 'northern economic recovery plan'

Mary Robinson, Conservative MP for Cheadle, asks the Prime Minister if he will "formulate a northern economic recovery plan" alongside business leaders and local MPs so the region can come out of the pandemic "stronger than ever". 

He says the Northern Powerhouse Rail is going ahead, and that Cheadle is benefitting from the Towns Fund which was set up as part of his levelling up agenda. 

However he doesn't respond to her specific request - which is something that the Northern Research Group has been calling for. 

12:30 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson pledges to keep one-to-one tutoring after pandemic

Former chancellor Sajid Javid asks Boris Johnson about the impact of school closures, and an assurance that lost ground will made up and "we will never again contemplating closing schools". 

The Prime Minister says he is right about the importance of keeping schools open, and points to the one-to-one tutoring that has been brought in to help students catch up on lost time, saying after the pandemic this will "make a huge difference to the confidence of children and their academic attainment". 

12:28 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson quizzed over free school meals and domestic abuse

Boris Johnson is asked if he regrets his decision not to extend free school meals and if he will "do the right thing over Christmas". 

He congratulates the organisations that stepped in, noting that the Government has funded much of them as well as Universal Credit, adding that he will ensure "no child goes hungry" through "any inattention or inactivity". 

Chris Elmore, Labour MP for Ogmore, then asks about the impact of the second lockdown on domestic abuse. 

The Prime Minister says they were "unquestionably seeing" repeat abuse and the Government  is committed to tackling it through investment in refuges, as well as dealing with the mental health consequences. 

12:25 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson defends 'vital' UKIM despite Joe Biden's warnings

Stephen Farry, the Alliance MP for North Down, asks if Boris Johnson will remove the controversial clauses from the UK Internal Market Bill if Joe Biden wins the US election, which he says he will "if every vote is counted".

The Prime Minister says the bill has cross-party support and is "a vital part of the armature, the skeletal structure of the whole UK economy, and ensures goods... are available throughout the UK on the same terms". 

He adds it is "absolutely vital for our country". 

12:22 PM

PMQs: Rishi Sunak to give 'general statement' about further economic support tomorrow, says Boris Johnson

Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader, challenges Boris Johnson over the furlough scheme and asks whether Scotland will receive the support if the nation is under lockdown at a different time to England. 

The Prime Minister said on Monday that Scotland would be eligible in this instance, but subsequently Robert Jenrick said it would be decided on by Chancellor Rishi Sunak. 

Mr Johnson says Mr Blackford "heard exactly what I said" earlier this week, adding "I in no way budge from that commitment - furlough is a UK-wide scheme". 

He adds that Mr Sunak will be making a "general statement" about economic support tomorrow and stresses the support that Scotland has received so far. 

12:18 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson says guidance on visiting care homes will be published today

Sir Keir Starmer then turns to care workers and residents, saying it "must be possible to find a way" to allow some safe visits to alleviate "isolation and despair". 

Boris Johnson says this is an "incredibly important point" and says the new guidance on visiting relatives safely will be published today. 

He says he is grateful for the Labour leader's offer to work collaboratively, but then raises comments made by Kate Green several weeks ago (about exploiting the crisis for political gain). 

Mr Johnson tells Sir Keir he should "take a leaf out of Tony Blair's book" and support the Government on its approach. 

12:15 PM

PMQs: Sir Keir Starmer tells Boris Johnson MPs must 'look the public in the eye' over lockdown

Sir Keir Starmer is unconvinced by the Prime Minister's answer, asks again if "come what may" the country will leave lockdown on December 2.

He says that "doesn't seem very sensible" if rates are going up at that point.

"I just want some basic honesty. We have got to look the public in the eye. If the infection rate is still going up, it is madness to come out of the system back to the tiered system, when we know the one thing hte tiered system can't cope with is the R-rate above one". 

The Labour leader then turns to Test and Trace, saying they have been "round and round" the issue before. He asks Boris Johnson what he will do to fix the problems in the next four weeks. 

Mr Johnson says "with the greatest respect" that while he accepts the failings of the system, to go from 3,000 tests a day to 500,000 "is quite a feat... and they are helping to drive down the R, and they are doing an absolutely invaluable job". 

He says MPs must "put aside party political wrangling" and support the lockdown. 

12:11 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson does not rule out lockdown rollover

Sir Keir Starmer says he doesn't "buy the argument - I don't think anyone does" that the data has "suddenly changed", saying it was clear that transmission was a problem "for weeks". 

But he says MPs have  "duty to pull together and try to make this lockdown work". 

He asks if the lockdown will end on December 2 "come what may". 

Boris Johnson says he can "answer him very simply... these autumn measures to combat the surge will expire automatically on Dec 2, and then we will then I hope very much be able to get the country going again, to get businesses, to get the shops, in time for Christmas."

But he notes that it will "depend on us all doing our bit now to get the R-rate down". 

Ultimately it will be down to the Commons to decide, he adds. 

12:08 PM

PMQs; Sir Keir Starmer hammers Boris Johnson over impact of longer lockdown

Sir Keir Starmer insists that if Boris Johnson had acted earlier the lockdown would have been shorter and over half-term, instead of during a key pre-Christmas period. 

The Prime Minister says the three tiered system was "the right approach", noting Labour had initially backed i. 

He says that at the point when lockdown is lifted, "we will be rolling out new types of testing on a scale never seen before", following the Liverpool pilot. 

This will enable them to detect asymptomatic transmission "and that will enable us to find new ways at mass scale to break the chains of transmission", he adds. 

12:06 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson defends delay in lockdown

Sir Keir Starmer quickly turns to coronavirus, asking if Boris Johnson "understands the human cost to his delay" in acting. 

The Prime Minister says it is a "difficult decision" being taken by MPs tonight, saying no Parliament would impose these measures "lightly."

It was "always right" to take the regional approach, which was - and "still is" - showing signs of working. 

"But we have to face the reality that in common with many other countries in this part of the wolrd that we are facing a surge in the virus," he adds, stressing the measures will expire in 28 days. 

12:04 PM

PMQs: Boris Johnson thanks Sir Lindsay Hoyle for 'making the Speakership great again'

Boris Johnson says the "whole House is talking about the result of a heavily contested election" before making a gag about it being the anniversary of Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle's election. 

"Thank you for making the Speakership great again," he adds to a cheer. 

But Sir Keir Starmer is in no mood for laughing, asking the Prime Minister to agree that it is not for a candidate to say when votes should stop being counted. 

11:58 AM

Boris Johnson promises to end 'nightmare' lockdown on December 2

Boris Johnson has apologised to businesses for the "nightmare" Covid situation and vowed that England's second national lockdown will end on December 2.

In a pre-recorded speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference, the Prime Minister said: "I wan to apologise to all of you who are experiencing the frustrations and the nightmare of the Covid world.

"I know how tough it has been for you and I'm full of admiration for the determination you've shown in persevering through this crisis.

"I want to thank you for the heroic efforts you've made to look after your employees, to make your premises Covid-secure, putting in Perspex screens, all the trouble you've gone to in complying with the kinds of diktats that I never believed we would have to impose which, I assure you, go completely against every free market instinct I possess.

"And, believe me, we will end these autumn measures on December 2 when they expire."

11:56 AM

NHS prepared 'very carefully' for second wave - but it will still be 'difficult period', warns Sir Simon Stevens

The chief executive of NHS England has said the health service has prepared "very carefully" for the "next phase of coronavirus" - but warned it will still be a "difficult period". 

Sir Simon Stevens said: "We want to try and ensure that the health service is there for everybody, minimising the disruption to the full range of care that we provide, not just Covid but cancer services, routine operations and mental health services.

"And the truth, unfortunately, is that, if coronavirus takes off again, that will disrupt services.

"We are seeing that in parts of the country where hospitals are dealing with more coronavirus patients now than they were in April."

He said that "other lines of defence such as actions individuals are taking to reduce the spread of the virus and the Test and Trace programme" are needed, adding: "The reality is that there is no health service in the world that by itself can cope with coronavirus on the rampage.

"That's why it is so important that we reduce infections across the country."

11:35 AM

'Small chance' that Covid vaccine will be ready by Christmas, says Oxford trial head

The head of Oxford's vaccine trial team has told MPs he is optimistic that the data on safety and efficacy of their vaccine will be available by the end of the year - and that there is "a small chance" it will be ready by Christmas. 

Prof Andrew Pollard told the Science and Technology Committee of MPs: "The data needs to be put together and presented to the regulators both here and in other countries around the world.

"The regulators then have to review all of that, and we absolutely need that to happen so there is very careful scrutiny of everything that has been done in the clinical trials to look at their integrity and the quality of the data, and to verify that the results are correct.

"And then the policy decision about who should get it and the provision and deployment, that would happen after that.

"So I think the answer is that, albeit we're getting closer to (deployment), but we are not there yet."

11:20 AM

Senior Tories call on the US to 'proceed carefully' 

Senior Conservatives have called on figures in the US to consider the country's importance in the balance of global democracy, with Jeremy Hunt urging colleagues in Washington to "please proceed carefully".

Richard Graham, Gloucester MP and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy, echoed this, saying: "The whole democratic world needs to believe in US democracy. Churchill said “you can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else.” May that still be true."

This morning Donald Trump claimed the election was "a major fraud", as he called for states to stop counting ballots, threatening to go to the Supreme Court. 

10:59 AM

Sir Patrick Vallance 'not aware' of transmission risk with children's outdoor sports

The Government's Chief Scientific Adviser has admitted he is "not aware" of any cases of Covid-19 transmission between children playing football outdoors.

All children's grassroots football will be halted in England during the four-week national lockdown from Thursday - something which the Telegraph is currently campaigning to stop.

Asked by Science and Tech Committee chairman Greg Clark MP if he knew of any instance of coronavirus infection taking place between children playing grassroots football, Sir Patrick Vallance said: "Not that I'm aware of. There may be evidence, but I haven't seen it."

Mr Clark said the ban seemed "perverse" given the importance of exercise for children and asked whether it was something Sir Patrick could "further advise" the Government on.

"We've been very clear as to where we think the areas of transmission are most likely to be," the scientific adviser replied. "But we must also be very clear that an entire package must take into account everything, including interactions around events, which become quite important. Then it's for policy makers to decide what policies they want to adopt on the basis of that."

10:49 AM

Theresa May: Future president has 'immense responsibility' to resolve climate change

Whoever wins the US election has "an immense responsibility to help tackle our planet’s greatest challenge", Theresa May has said. 

The former prime minister tweeted that we would "soon know" whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden had secured victory in the presidential race, with results currently too close to call as the challenger has 224 electoral college votes to the incumbent's 213.

But she noted that either way, "sadly, today also marks the US leaving the Paris accord" - a decision taken by Mr Trump - and called on the leader to act on climate change.

10:41 AM

Voting against second lockdown risk public compliance, MPs told 

MPs who vote against the second lockdown risk reducing compliance with the new set of restrictions, NHS Providers has said, as the group warns "we have lost control". 

A letter signed by Chris Hopson and Saffron Cordery, respectively chief executive and deputy chief executive, warned politicians that voting against the second lockdown measures would "reduce public compliance". 

They wrote: 

10:20 AM

Government must condemn 'any attempt to undermine' election result, claim Lib Dems

Any attempts to undermine the democratic process in the US must be condemned by the UK Government, the Liberal Democrats have said.

This morning Dominic Raab declined to comment on Donald Trump's claims that he had won the election, or his accusation that continuing to count legitimate ballots would "disenfranchise" his supporters and was "major fraud". 

The Lib Dem's foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: "We must not come to any premature conclusion about the election result, regardless of what the President or his campaign are saying. 

"Now is the time for peace and patience in the US, and for trust in the democratic process. 

"Any attempt to undermine that must be condemned by the UK Government and the international community in the strongest terms."

10:17 AM

Have your say on: How will the US election affect the special relationship?

The US presidential election is still too close to call, and could take days to decide, with millions of ballots left to count. 

Donald Trump has called for these legitimate votes to stop being counted, claiming "major fraud" is taking place in bid to "disenfranchise" his supporters - something Joe Biden has hit back at.

"We can know the results as early as tomorrow morning but it may take a little longer," the Democrat candidate said. "As I've said all along, it's not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare who's won this election, that's the decision of the American people."

Dominic Raab refused to be drawn on Mr Trump's claims, and while he stressed the special relationship would remain strong, he conceded the "contours of the opportunities and the risks" would change depending on who won. 

Others including Jeremy Hunt, David Miliband and Lisa Nandy have warned about the wider ramifications to democracy of a contested result. 

So where does all this leave the UK? Have your say in the poll below:

09:58 AM

'Shocking but not surprising' that Donald Trump called for votes not to be counted, says Lisa Nandy

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said it is "absolutely essential that every vote" is counted in the US presidential election to ensure a "definitive" result.

The senior Labour politician told LBC radio: "It is shocking but not perhaps that surprising to have a presidential candidate who is currently arguing that votes should not be counted.

"I think America is a very divided country, in some ways like Britain is a very divided country, and that there was always going to be divisions on display in this election. That's why it is absolutely essential that every vote has to be counted.

"What matters most of all for the world is that America gets a definitive result in this election - it is in nobody's interest to have civil unrest and months of ongoing instability in the middle of a global pandemic.

"America has a huge role to play in leadership in the rest of the world and we need to get a definitive and fair result. The American people have got to have the right to decide who represents them."

09:43 AM

Outcome of US election will affect 'opportunities and risks' in US-UK relationship, Dominic Raab says

Dominic Raab has conceded there will be different "contours to the opportunities and the risks" for the UK-US relationship depending on who is in the White House.

Despite stressing he was "very confident the relationship will go from strength to strength," the Foreign Secretary said: "The contours of the opportunities and the risks always shift a little bit, but that needs to be set against the context of this bedrock and this wider set of interests which are so strong."

He played down the suggestion that a Biden presidency would be bad for a post-Brexit trade deal and saying the relationship "come what may" would be "even stronger going forward".

The Foreign Secretary declined to comment on Donald Trump's claims that he had won the election and that his voters were being "disenfranchised". The US President has said he will go to the Supreme Court to stop legitimately cast votes being counted. 

Mr Raab said: "We respect the values of democracy and checks and balances in the US system, which we are very confident will produce a result." 

09:41 AM

Steve Baker: I cannot support this second lockdown

Ahead of today's key vote on a second national lockdown, former Brexit minister Steve Baker has said he will vote against Boris Johnson. 

Writing in today's Telegraph, the Conservative MP for Wycombe argued that the cost-benefit of shutting the economy down was "a guess".

He added: 

09:35 AM

Former transport minister to back Government on second lockdown vote

Former transport minister George Freeman has said he will vote for the second lockdown - but has said there are some key provisos he wants to see first. 

The MP for Mid Norfolk said it was "clear from the data" that if action wasn't taken now "we will see our local hospitals overwhelmed" by the second wave. 

He added:

09:30 AM

Former chief whip to vote against lockdown today

Former chief whip Mark Harper has said he will vote against the second lockdown today. 

Writing for blog ConHome, the Forest of Dean MP said: “I do not believe that the Govt has made the case for a change away from the tiered system and in favour of an England-wide national lockdown."

He noted that "the published data does not substantiate the Prime Minister’s claim that hospital capacity in the South West would be exceeded in a matter of weeks. Indeed, there is no projection of the usage of regional hospital capacity in the published information at all."

Mr Harper also highlighted his concerns about how the measures give power to use reasonable force to PCSOs "and, most worryingly, any 'person designated by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Regulation'," something he has been a vocal critic of within the Commons. 

09:25 AM

Mansfield MP backs Telegraph's 'Keep Kids Active in Lockdown' campaign

Mansfield MP Ben Bradley is among more than 100 sports personalities, leaders, experts and politicians to endorse the Telegraph’s ‘Keep Kids Active in Lockdown’ campaign, piling pressure on Boris Johnson over his ban on children’s sport.

Lord Coe, Sir Mo Farah, Denise Lewis and Sir Nick Faldo have signed a letter from the Telegraph to Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, urging the Government to exempt under-18s outdoor sport from the second national coronavirus lockdown.

Mr Bradley is seeking a debate on the issue - although it is likely to come up today during the three-hour debate on the second lockdown today. 

 Read the full details of our campaign here.

09:17 AM

Government will lift lockdown to 'less painful' tiers in December, says Dominic Raab

England's second national lockdown has been ordered "reluctantly" and the country will return to the "less painful" three-tiered system on December 2, Dominic Raab has said. 

Speaking ahead of a key Commons vote this afternoon - where several Conservative MPs are expected to rebel - the Foreign Secretary said: "I understand the concern.

Mr Raab acknowledged that ministers "can't just disaggregate the Covid health aspect, the non-Covid health aspects from the economic aspects, the jobs and livelihoods, or indeed from the social aspects.

"They're all part of one integrated picture and so certainly we've been looking at all of those things together," he told LBC Radio. 

"Having to introduce this nationwide approach is certainly economically challenging. We've been honest about that.

"We didn't want to do it, we've reluctantly done it as a last resort, and come December 2 we will revert to the tailored geographically-targeted approach because economically that is less painful."

09:07 AM

Dominic Raab 'not getting sucked into debate' about Donald Trump's fraud claims

The US election has been a "very powerful expression of democracy", Dominic Raab has said, as he sought not to be drawn into the "heated debate" over postal ballots.

Incumbent Donald Trump this morning falsely declared victory, simultaneously claiming "major fraud" was taking place that he wanted "all voting to stop", despite postal ballots in key swing states still being counted.

Asked on Times Radio about Mr Trump's comments about "fraud" in the election, Mr Raab said: "I think different countries have different ways that they approach the voting system.

"I know that there is obviously a heated debate about the balance and the propriety of posted votes versus votes cast in the ballot box in a polling station - I'm just not getting drawn into that.

"We are right in the heated aftermath where both candidates are making statements ... if there are any contentious aspects around it, it is for the courts and the electoral college system to decide that.

"I'm not getting sucked in at all into that debate."

09:05 AM

Labour will back Boris Johnson on second lockdown - but not without making it hard for him 

Labour will back the Government on today's key vote over the second lockdown - but it's clear the opposition are not going to make things easy for him. 

Jon Ashworth, shadow health secretary, said the party would "support Boris Johnson’s lockdown", but added: "This lockdown is longer, harder and more restrictive because Boris Johnson dithered and didn’t take action weeks ago when advised."

08:57 AM

GPs getting 'geared up to start vaccinating country by Christmas', says NHS boss

GPs will be ready to start getting the country vaccinated "by Christmas if the vaccine becomes available", the boss of NHS England has said. 

NSir Simon Stevens said the health service has been preparing to administer any potential Covid-19 vaccine, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There are over 200 vaccines in development and we believe that we should hopefully get one or more of those available from the first part of next year.

"In anticipation of that we're also gearing the NHS up to be ready to make a start on administering Covid vaccines before Christmas, if they become available.

"We reached an agreement with GPs to ensure they will be doing that, and we'll be writing to GP practices this week to get them geared up to start by Christmas if the vaccine becomes available."

08:55 AM

Lockdown deadline 'written into law', says Dominic Raab

Dominic Raab has stressed the December 2 date for lifting the four-week lockdown is "written into law", ahead of a key Commons vote on the measures today.

Asked whether people in England could mark the date of the end of the second national lockdown on their calendars, he said: "Put it in your diary, it is written into law.

The Foreign Secretary denied that the Government had used a "doomsday scenario" and "highly selective" data in its modelling of the second wave's impact when justifying the second lockdown on Saturday.

Mr Raab told LBC Radio: "I don't think that's right. In fairness to the science, the data is fluid, it is being updated all the time - what was being presented was a model, not a forecast.

"We introduce restrictions, we adapt them the best we can to the information we have got."

08:44 AM

Claims of 'stolen election' will test democracy's global reputation, says Jeremy Hunt

Claims of a "stolen election" will only make totalitarian leaders like Vladimir Putin happy, Jeremy Hunt has said. 

The former foreign secretary told Radio 4's Today programme the US election was a "total nail-biter" but that he was concerned about the role it would play in global democracy. 

"My biggest worry is that we forget US is the leading democracy in the world. 

"If we end up with a huge argument about process, and people talking about a stolen election right, left and centre, we are only going to put a smile on the face of people like Vladimir Putin and President Xi...

That would be an absolute disaster," he added. "We must remember that the reputation of democracy across the world is at stake here".

08:21 AM

Coming days 'crucial for integrity of US democracy', says Nicola Sturgeon

The hours and days ahead are "crucial... for the integrity of US democracy", Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Donald Trump this morning said he was going to the Supreme Court to stop votes being counted as he claimed his voters were being "disenfranchised" and that "major fraud" was being committed. 

"Let’s hope we start to hear the voices of Republicans who understand the importance of that," the First Minister has tweeted. 

08:18 AM

Tory MP mocks lack of staying power as states delay vote count overnight

It's not just the tight presidential election result that UK politicians are debating - it's the lack of staying power by those who are counting the votes. 

West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP & Vice Chair of the Conservative Party Andrew Bowie is less than impressed. 

08:10 AM

Peter Bone confirms he will vote against Government on second lockdown today

It is not all about the US election of course. 

Back here in Westminster, the Prime Minister is gearing up for another Tory rebellion as MPs vote for the second lockdown.

It is thought up to 80 Tories could go against Boris Johnson, although 1922 vice chairman Charles Walker - who is himself planning to rebel - said he believes it could be as few as 20. Either way, Labour has already said they will support it, making any vote against a symbollic act. 

Conservative MP Peter Bone this morning made it clear what side he has come down on, tweeting: "The government's case is based on dubious modelling. It seems to me there are lies, damn lies and Covid statistics!!"

08:06 AM

Dominic Raab 'confident US system will produce definitive result'

Dominic Raab has avoided a question about Donald Trump's call to stop counting the votes. 

The Foreign Secretary declined to comment on whether this was an appropriate position for the leader of the free world, telling Sky News: "We respect the values of democracy and checks and balances in the US system, which we are very confident will produce a result."

He said it was not "a good move for the UK Foreign Secretary" to comment on the ongoing race. 

Challenged again on Mr Trump's statement, he added: "There are checks and balances in the US system, they have contested seats before. 

"We are very confident in the US system producing a definitive result according to the rules."

Mr Raab said he was "keeping a close eye" on the results as they came in, but noted it could be "days, not hours" before a final decision was made clear. 

"It is too close to call at this point," he added. 

07:58 AM

Dominic Raab: The 'bedrock' of ties between UK and US will continue regardless of election result

Dominic Raab has said he is confident the "bedrock" of ties between the UK and the US will continue regardless of who has won the presidential election.

"I am very confident the relationship will go from strength to strength," the Foreign Secretary told Sky News, emphasising the "shared values" as well as the "mutual interests" in security and the economy. 

He played down the suggestion that a Biden presidency would be bad for a post-Brexit trade deal and saying the relationship "come what may" would be "even stronger going forward"

Mr Raab stressed there was a "deep well of shared interest" between the two countries. 

07:51 AM

Unclear US election result 'damaging and dangerous' for global democracy, says David Miliband

A contested US presidential election will be "very damaging and dangerous" to the rest of the world, former foreign secretary David Miliband has said. 

The Labour politician-turned head of the International Rescue Committee told the BBC that the "resounding defeat [of Donald Trump] would have sent an important signal" to populist leaders in other countries, but over the next 10-20 years, the world would have to "bake in the prospect of unpredictability" if he went onto win.  

"There isn't going to be a return to the status quo... you are baking in unpredictability and that has quite severe consequences for the way the world looks over the next generation". 

Speaking from New York, Mr Miliband said people should still "hope for a clear result because obviously for the small-d democratic world the prospect of a contested American election is really very damaging and dangerous.

"At a time when democracy is in retreat around t he world, the danger of the world's strongest democracy, the biggest economy that is a liberal democracy, in balk would be extremely worrying."

07:44 AM

Donald Trump's claims to have won election 'wishful thinking', says Liam Fox

Liam Fox has said Donald Trump's claims to have won the election were "wishful thinking".

The former international trade secretary stressed "you can't claim you've won until all the votes have been counted" - saying Mr Trump should "have patience". 

But the MP said he was confidence that "ultimately democracy triumphs" and it was "incumbent on us all to have the humility to wait until the voters' voices are heard before our own voices are heard."

Either way, the UK Government will be "close to whatever" party wins, he added.

"The lesson of history is the UK Government and US Government have to work together whatever the political make up because it is in our interest to do so," he added. "We are going to have to wait until these final states have finished counting." 

07:32 AM

Donald Trump calls election 'a major fraud on our nation' as he pledged to go to US Supreme Court

Donald Trump has said he will go to the Supreme Court to call for "all voting to stop", claiming that the election is "a fraud on the American public". 

The 45th President told his supporters that the race was "an embarrassment", adding: "We were getting ready to win this election, frankly we did win this election.

"Our goal now is to ensure the integrity of the election for the good of the people," he added, repeating "this is a major fraud on our nation."

He told those gathered in the White House he was "going to the US Supreme Court" because "we want all voting to stop."

07:25 AM

Donald Trump claims supporters are being 'disenfranchised"

Donald Trump has claimed that his supporters are being "disenfranchised", during a speech in the White House. 

The US President said the results so far had been "phenomenal" and he had been ready to call a victory, but was unable to because a "very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group pf people [his supporters]". 

He said it was "very clear we have won Georgia", and "clearly won North Carolina." 

There is also "a lot of life left" in Arizona, saying that the call for Joe Biden could be "overturned". 

But "we don't even need it - that is a state we could have got and it would have been nice, but we don't need it."

07:09 AM

Donald Trump to speak shortly - to packed room, with very few face masks

Donald Trump is expected to speak shortly from the White House - here is the scene in the room, where people appear chipper (and very unsocially distant).

07:04 AM

US-born MP warns of 'civil rest regardless of result' 

American-born MP Joy Morrissey has warned of "civil unrest regardless of result", as the presidential race continues to be too close to call. 

Currently Joe Biden has 220 electoral college votes, while Donald Trump has 213. The candidates need 270 to win. 

The Conservative MP for Beaconsfield, who is a dual citizen, tweeted earlier: "I predict civil unrest regardless of result: if Biden wins the right will be encouraged by Trump to think they’ve been cheated.  If Trump wins the radical left will not accept it."

06:55 AM

Second term Trump will have 'the straight-jacket removed', says Nigel Farage

If Donald Trump wins the 2020 presidential election he will rule with "the straight-jacket removed", Nigel Farage has said. 

The Brexit Party leader told ITV that "heads will roll inside the Washington swamp, inside the Government agencies with term two, because he will have nothing to fear".

Mr Farage - a long-time ally of Mr Trump - said that if the President were re-elected he would be "able to keep the promises he has made... and really take on the swamp.

A second term would yield a "much more radical president, unconstrained in every way and maybe, just maybe, he can make Americans believe Washington isn't any longer working against them."

06:49 AM

Unrest at the White House as America tensely awaits result

More than 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump converged on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Tuesday night, just a block from the White House, while hundreds more marched through parts of downtown Washington, sometimes blocking traffic and setting off fireworks.

Scattered protests also took place from Seattle to New York City, but across the U.S. there were no signs of serious violence or widespread unrest in the hours immediately after the polls closed, with the outcome still unknown.

The demonstrations in Washington were largely peaceful, with people shouting, "Whose streets? Our streets!" and "If we don't get no justice, they don't get no peace!"

Groups of teenagers danced in the street as onlookers cheered. Large banners, including one reading "Trump lies all the time," were unfurled.

06:48 AM

Twitter labels Donald Trump's 'stealing election' tweet misleading

Twitter has labelled Donald Trump's tweet, accusing the Democratic party of "trying to steal the election", as misleading.

A warning now appears next to the tweet saying: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."

Mr Trump originally tweeted: "We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!", adding: "I will be making a statement tonight. A big WIN!"

06:26 AM

Tory MPs angry as veterans must stand outside on Remembrance Sunday

War heroes will be forced to stand outside in the cold on Remembrance Sunday rather than attend traditional church services, under the new national lockdown rules.

A draft law enforcing the lockdown, which is set to be approved by MPs Wednesday afternoon and comes into force just after midnight, makes it illegal for veterans to attend Remembrance Sunday services in churches and instead requires them to stand outside to pay their respects. 

Any veteran who tries to go into a church on Remembrance Sunday risks a £200 fine, which can increase up to £6,000 for every repeat offence.  

Conservative MPs who served in the Armed Forces have already condemned the move, saying that an exception had to be made on Remembrance Sunday, which falls on November 8, this coming weekend.