Summary

  • MPs debated the EU Referendum Bill after ministers offered concessions to rebels over timing and campaign rules

  • A rebel amendment was defeated, with 27 Conservatives voting against the government

  • US First Lady Michelle Obama is on a two day visit to the UK to promote her charity work

  • The latest UK inflation figures show prices rose by 0.1% in May

  • The Electoral Commission publishes details of last month's donations to political parties

  • Labour's six candidates vying be the next London mayor take part in a hustings

  1. Labour hopefuls debate Heathrowpublished at 22:55

    Labour hustings

    The candidates to become Labour's nomination for London mayor have clashed over airport expansion in their first hustings debate.

    Tooting MP Sadiq Khan defended his opposition to a third runway at Heathrow, saying London's air quality was already breaching EU regulations.

    He said Gatwick Airport should be expanded, with "high speed links" between the two and a single check-in.

    But rival David Lammy accused him of "the same Ed Miliband politics".

    Read the full story

  2. Parliamentary growing painspublished at 21:30

    James Landale
    Deputy political editor

    So, in the end, only 27 Conservative MPs rebelled over plans to give the government a free hand in the final weeks of the forthcoming EU referendum campaign.

    Not much to see here, you might think, time to move along. And yet what we saw today at Westminster was fascinating, the growing pains of a new parliament on show for all to see.

    You had a prime minister, flush with victory, insisting he should have the freedom to campaign in the referendum on the EU in a way that he did not have in last year's vote on Scottish independence.

    Even loyal Tory MPs told me that Mr Cameron should have realised that scrapping purdah outright would provoke opposition and an unnecessary battle with his backbenches.

    Read the blog in full

  3. Tuesday summarypublished at 18:32

    FlagsImage source, Reuters

    The EU referendum has taken centre stage in Westminster today.

    In the Commons, the government moved to try and head off rebellions by Conservative MPs over the timing of an EU referendum and the rules for a future campaign. 

    Elsewhere, the latest figures showed that inflation, as measured by Consumer Prices Index (CPI), rose to 0.1% in May, up from -0.1% in April.

    A senior UKIP figure who was forced to resign after infighting in the party following the general election returned to his job as party secretary.

    Michelle ObamaImage source, Getty Images

    US First Lady Michelle Obama has met David Cameron, Prince Harry and given a speech at a London school, telling pupils the "ultimate key" to their success. She also launched the Let Girls Learn initiative, external to boost education globally for adolescent girls.

    Meanwhile in the US, property billionaire Donald Trump has announced he will run for the White House in the 2016 presidential election.

  4. Rebels defeatedpublished at 18:30
    Breaking

    The government has seen off a rebellion on government "purdah" in the run-up to the EU referendum by 288 votes to 97. That's a government majority of 191. The vote was an amendment put forward by Sir Bill Cash, and other Conservative Eurosceptics.

  5. EU Commons votepublished at 18:01

    BBC deputy political editor...

  6. Driving votes to UKIP?published at 18:00 BST 16 June 2015

    Former UKIP MP tweets...

  7. SNP bid on EU rejectedpublished at 17:36

    FlagsImage source, Getty Images

    A bid by the SNP to make sure Britain's exit from the EU was dependent on all four nations voting for it in the referendum has been rejected.

    Foreign Office Minister David Lidington said the amendment did "not make sense."

    Read more here.

  8. Purdah rowpublished at 17:30

    Vicky Young
    Chief Political Correspondent

    Some of this is about party management - how David Cameron deals with his party with just a majority of 12.

    We know that Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, has been meeting with MPs, they are clearly trying to minimise this rebellion, they don't want to be in a position where they could potentially have to rely on Labour votes.

  9. Labour to abstain?published at 17:20

    The BBC's Ross Hawkins is reporting that Labour MPs will abstain in the vote later on an amendment put forward by Eurosceptic Tory MP Sir Bill Cash.

  10. Pictures: First Lady in Downing Streetpublished at 17:15

    Obama arriving at Downing Street
    Obama arriving at Downing Street
    Obama arriving at Downing Street
    Obama arriving at Downing Street
    Obama arriving at Downing Street
  11. First Lady arrives at No 10published at 17:05

    Michelle Obama arriving at Downing StreetImage source, @Number10gov

    The First Lady, Michelle Obama, has arrived in Downing Street to meet David and Samantha Cameron. Slightly grainy images of her arrival were broadcast live on the prime minister's twitter account, via Periscope. 

  12. The prince and the First Ladypublished at 16:59

    Prince Harry and Michelle ObamaImage source, Kensington Palace

    Kensington Palace has just released a photograph of Prince Harry's meeting with Michelle Obama earlier today.

  13. Towering Trump?published at 16:49

    Brian Wheeler

    Donald TrumpImage source, Reuters

    Away from British politics, Donald Trump has shaken up the race for the Republican nomination to be US president in 2016.

    The flamboyant property magnate - probably best known in the UK for his controversial battle to build a golf course in Scotland - has flirted with a presidential run before but this time it's for real.

    "I am officially running for president of the United States and we are going to make our country great again," he said in a speech delivered from Trump Tower on New York's Fifth Avenue.

    In a lengthy address touching on unemployment, Obamacare, foreign policy and the perceived weakness of the US in the eyes of its "enemies", he told the audience of whooping supporters: "We need a great leader."

    It turned out the tycoon, who is the US equivalent of Lord Sugar on their version of The Apprentice, was referring to himself.

    There is a long tradition in US politics of maverick outsiders from the world of business bidding to be president - but they generally end up being beaten to the nomination by professional politicians.

    Trump joins a crowded field of 16 contenders. Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and Ben Carson are seen as the current frontrunners, with libertarian Rand Paul also picking up support.

  14. First Lady due at Downing Streetpublished at 16:40

    Michelle ObamaImage source, Getty Images

    We are waiting for Michelle Obama to arrive at Downing Street at some stage, where she will meet David Cameron. She has already chatted with Prince Harry and addressed students at a school in Tower Hamlets, in east London. See our story here.

  15. Amendment votepublished at 16:47 BST 16 June 2015

    Sky News political editor tweets...

  16. Labour MPs launch Eurosceptic grouppublished at 16:30

    Norman Smith
    Assistant political editor

    A group of Labour MPs has launched a new Eurosceptic group within the party to challenge the pro-EU stance of the party leadership. 

    The group, called Labour for Britain, will press for the party to back a "trade and cooperation" relationship with Europe.

    They are opposed to the decision of the party leadership to press for a Yes vote in the EU referendum, regardless of the outcome of the prime minister's re-negotiation with Brussels.

    In a statement they say: "Supporters of the group believe that Labour must advocate changes to the UK's terms of EU membership which are more radical, reflecting what the vast majority of voters want from the renegotiation process."

    Privately, they expect to have the backing of around 20 Labour MPs but claim their views are much more representative of those of Labour supporters. 

    They have the support of the leading Labour donor John Mills. He said he did not believe the party should be scared to campaign to leave the EU. 

    The key figures in the new group are Graham Stringer, Kate Hoey and Kelvin Hopkins. 

  17. Trump for president?published at 16:25

    Trump

    Across the pond, Donald Trump, the American businessman has just announced he is running to become US president.

  18. Cooper in negative briefing vowpublished at 16:15

    Yvette CooperImage source, PA

    Labour's Shabana Mahmood - who is chairing Yvette Cooper's leadership bid - says there will be no "in-fighting, squabbles and rows" in the campaign. 

    Writing for the Huffington Post, external, she promised - on behalf of Ms Cooper's campaign - that there would be "no unattributed negative briefings about other candidates". She called on the other three candidates to "join me in making that pledge": 

    Quote Message

    What we mustn't do is get drawn into unpleasant anonymous briefing and counter-briefing."

    It comes after reports Liz Kendall’s backers had been dubbed the “New Labour Taliban”. 

    The chair of her campaign, Toby Perkins, wrote to Andy Burnham and Ms Cooper on Monday calling for an end to anonymous briefings.

  19. Lidington's EU proposalpublished at 16:05

    So to recap, Europe Minister David Lidington has told MPs he would consult both MPs and peers before bringing purdah changes, when the EU Referendum Bill reaches report stage in the Commons in the autumn.

    The government would ensure there was a "clear mechanism" during the four weeks before polling day to ensure the government did not undertake campaigning activities, such as issuing mail shots, running commercial advertising campaigns and emailing voters in one way or another.

    "There are various ways in which this could be done. Some colleagues have talked about a code of conduct," the minister said.

    Quote Message

    We could alternatively to a code of conduct provide for language on the face of the bill to restrict government activity to particular named forms of publication, or to prohibit the government from taking part in specific forms of communication."

    MPs debated a cross-party amendment to the bill which would reinstate the purdah provisions.

    But despite the minister's assurances, the amendment will be put to a vote after 19:00 BST.

  20. Confusion in the Commonspublished at 15:50

    Slight confusion in the Commons as this part of the EU debate finishes - but without a vote on one of the amendments. MPs will not actually vote on Sir Bill Cash’s amendment until later. We expect it to be at some point between 19:00 and 20:00 BST.