Labor said it was ironic that Brexit Minister David Frost urged his colleagues not to take the ‘confrontational route’ over Northern Ireland.

Louise Haigh, the shadow secretary for Northern Ireland, said it was difficult to take his words with a “straight face”, adding that he “deliberately stirred up tension and confrontation causing instability” on the territory.

The government continues to defend the right of MPs to a second job, claiming that they gain “experience” in these positions.

Robert Courts, the aviation minister, said he decided not to continue working as a lawyer when he was elected MP in 2016.

However, he said he was not opposed to others taking supporting roles. “I think the key element that we need to look at here is that there is an experience that is brought to MPs by having jobs, whatever those jobs are,” he said.

“We also have MPs who have all kinds of experiences in other fields, for example doctors and nurses. There are people who serve MPs who practice on the front line in the NHS, and I think the House of Commons is richer for that, ”he added.

Geoffrey Cox’s ability to exercise his profession as an MP has been questioned by one of his constituents.

The 45-year-old, who lives near Tavistock, said it took Mr Cox 80 days to respond to an email query.

“Waiting almost three months for a response to a query is unacceptable,” the anonymous voter told the PA news agency.

“I don’t think Geoffrey Cox is able to fully focus on his role as an MP when he has other roles … he is not committed to his constituency.”

Earlier this week, it emerged that the former attorney general had voted by proxy from the Caribbean while holding a second job. It was later reported that he had broken House of Commons rules by using his parliamentary office to work for the British Virgin Islands government.

Priti Patel will have a “less than 30 per cent chance” of winning a lawsuit against plans to push back migrant boats to the Channel, it has been revealed.

In articles obtained by The Guardian, the Minister of the Interior was also informed that any dispute would “damage the reputation”.

The French government has already expressed its dissatisfaction with the proposed pushback tactics, which it said “risked having a negative impact on our cooperation”.

Sleaze is firmly back on the agenda in Westminster, writes Ashley cowburn.

Labor and Liberal Democrats have called on the government to grant peerages to 15 of the last 16 Conservative Party treasurers. They also increased pressure on Boris Johnson after he tried to spare one of his MPs, Owen Paterson, from being suspended for lobbying.

Opposition parties both sought to capitalize on this vote in the House of Commons last week, targeting Conservative MPs from marginal ridings who voted with the government. “I just voted to save one of his comrades who broke the rules,” reads a Labor ad. “One rule for them, another for everyone else. “

Boris Johnson has failed to clean up his “house” in the face of the sordid government crisis, the deputy leader of the Labor Party has said.

Angela Rayner told broadcasters she wrote to the independent commissioner on Wednesday about Conservative MPs breaking parliamentary rules to “make their own personal gain.”

“This is unacceptable. We are here to represent our constituents, not ourselves, and it stinks of dirt and corruption,” she said.

The Ashton-Under-Lyme MP added: “Boris Johnson can’t seem to tidy his house. It is very clear to me and very frustrating.

“I wrote to the commissioner about Boris Johnson and you know what they’re saying – a rotting fish from the head up, so you can see what’s going on with the Tories right now.

“They really don’t represent the British people, they represent themselves and make a ton of money from it.”

Politics Alex wickham describes the many sleazy scandals that Boris Johnson’s government faces – and will continue to face “well into” next year.

Following my previous post (12:40), here is our deputy political editor Rob merrickwith more details on Lord Frost’s Brexit update today.

The UK appears to have pulled out of an early suspension of the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland – and a trade war with the EU – arguing that further negotiations can still avert the crisis.

Boris Johnson is moving closer to triggering Article 16 of the protocol, accusing the EU of not respecting the deal he negotiated.

In a statement to his peers today, Brexit Minister David Frost reiterated his threat – first made in July – to trigger Article 16 if necessary. But he said, of his weekly talks with the European Commission: “This negotiating process has not come to an end.”

He added: “Section 16 is not inevitable. I want to be clear on this. “

An update from Lord Frost, the Brexit Minister, now. Brussels should “stay calm and keep things in proportion,” the Conservative leader told his peers today amid a lingering dispute between London and the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol.

Lord Frost said there was “a real opportunity to turn away from the confrontation, to move beyond our current difficulties and to strike a new and better balance”.

Behind the scenes, however, the EU is reportedly preparing to take retaliatory action if the UK suspends post-Brexit deals covering Irish Sea trade by triggering Article 16.

It comes after the UK minister traveled to Brussels last week to meet with European Commission Vice-President MaroÅ¡ Å efčovič, with talks described by No 10 as making “limited progress”.

However, Lord Frost told the House of Lords that the talks had “not reached” their end.

He said: “There is more to do and I certainly will not abandon this process unless and until it is perfectly clear that nothing more can be done. We are certainly not there yet. If, however, we reach this point in time, the guarantees of Article 16 will be our only option. “

The Conservative MP whose work for a tax haven sparked a sordid scandal has spoken out in Parliament against measures to eliminate money laundering loopholes, it can be revealed.

Geoffrey Cox has earned nearly £ 1million from his second post as representative of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in a corruption and money laundering investigation set up by his own Conservative colleagues from the British government, writes our political correspondent. Jon stone.

But during a 2018 parliamentary debate on the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, Sir Geoffrey said it was “below the dignity of this parliament” to try to fill in the gaps exploited by territories like the BVI.