Number 10 lobby briefing - Summary
Lunchtime summary
Frances OGrady TUC conference speech - Summary
5.06pm BST
The alternative to an irreversible separation is a more powerful Scottish Parliament with a timetable for its delivery. Quite simply, Scottish voters deserve to know to the fullest extent possible about how new powers as ambitious as possible will be delivered as soon as possible within the UK.
So, we are demanding a tight timetable with tough deadlines and streamlined procedures. A No vote on September 18 will not be an end point but the starting gun for action on September 19, when straight away we will kick off a plan to deliver the enhanced devolution that we want. On September 19 we will start bringing into law the new, stronger Scottish Parliament, and to secure the change we want we will work with the other parties.
The point I would make even today to the British people is: be in no doubt about the threat that so-called Islamic State poses to us. We have already seen something like six planned attacks in the countries of the European Union from [Isis], including of course that appalling attack in the Brussels Jewish museum, where innocent people were killed. That flows directly from this organisation.
4.52pm BST
Cameron says there have been six attacks planned by Isis in the EU.
4.39pm BST
Sir Bob Russell, a Lib Dem, asks for an assurance that Cameron will not cut the size of the armed forces further.
Cameron says he does not want to see further cuts.
4.37pm BST
Kevin Brennan, the Labour MP, asks for an assurance that Cameron will not cut defence spending below 2% of GDP.
Cameron says all parties will have to set out their defence spending plans before the general election.
4.34pm BST
Cameron says Iraq needs to end the client politics of just looking after the Shia and to form an inclusive government.
4.33pm BST
Conor Burns, a Conservative, says Saudi Arabia is supposed to be our ally. What has Cameron done to ask them if they will be part of the solution in terms of dealing with Isis.
Cameron says he spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia about 10 days ago. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, is in the region. That lobbying will continue.
4.30pm BST
Cameron says it is heartening how many Muslim leaders have come out to condemn Isis.
4.28pm BST
Christopher Chope, a Conservative, asks about reports that Turkey is undermining EU sanctions against Russia.
Cameron says countries like Turkey should recognise the danger Russia poses to them.
4.25pm BST
Labours Barry Sheerman suggests it was strange for President Obama and others to say there would be no boots on the ground in Iraq.
Cameron says there will have to be boots on the ground. But they should be Iraqi boots. The question for Britain is what it can do to help.
4.22pm BST
Cameron says the ceasefire in Ukraine is only the first stage. There now has to be a properly worked-up peace plan.
4.21pm BST
Cameron says Russia is trying to deny the aim of the Ukrainian people to become closer to the EU. He cannot use force to stop people choosing their own future, he says.
4.16pm BST
Mike Gapes, the Labour MP, asks Cameron to confirm what his position is in regard to arming the Kurds.
Cameron says until now we have transported weapons to the Kurds, for example from Albania. But Britain will now be providing them directly with arms, as the Germans and others are doing. And Britain has offered to train the peshmerga too.
4.15pm BST
James Gray, a Conservative, says the Commons has only voted on war twice: on Iraq, and on Syria. Neither vote was an outstanding success, he says.
Cameron says if the government is going to take premeditated action, it is right to consult the Commons. You dont need to write that down in a book of rules for it to be the convention.
4.11pm BST
Martin Horwood, a Lib Dem, asks Cameron if he favours having a proper legislative framework for Britains involvement in military action.
That is a matter for debate, he says. It has not been resolved. He thinks the convention that parliament votes is clear. He thinks that is better than trying to write down a code that tries to cover every conceivable situation.
4.09pm BST
Labours Pat McFadden says President Obama will set out his Isis strategy on Wednesday. Would the Commons have to vote to back a military campaign, even if Britain was just getting involved in air strikes.
Yes, says Cameron, but we are not at that point yet. But he does say a government should reserve the right to act quickly in some circumstances.
4.07pm BST
Cameron says a number of people at the Nato summit raised concerns about the Scottish referendum. They want the UK to stay together.
There are real problems of uncertainty with independence, he says.
4.06pm BST
Keith Vaz, the Labour chair of the home affairs committee, asks what is being done to deal with the border crisis at Calais. Will Britain offer the fence used to protect the Nato summit?
Cameron says Britain has offered that fence to the French.
4.05pm BST
Hugh Bayley, the Labour MP, asks if parliament will get the chance to debate any proposal to give Natos supreme allied commander Europe pre-authorisation to deploy the spearhead force.
Cameron says he does favour this.
4.03pm BST
Nicholas Soames, a Consevative, asks what support Cameron is looking for from Sunni Gulf states.
Cameron says Britain needs the Sunni tribes in Iraq to rise up against the appalling Isis regime.
4.01pm BST
Angus Robertson, the SNP MP, asks what support is being given to the family of David Haines, the Briton being held hostage by Isis.
Cameron says in these circumstances he always tries to ensure the families get the help they need, and that ministers are available to talk to them. He does not believe in paying ransom money. But that does not mean not trying to intervene to help.
3.59pm BST
Labours Gisela Stuart asks if Nato countries spending more than 2% of GDP on defence have agreed to continue to do so.
Cameron says, essentially, Stuart is right.
3.56pm BST
Jack Straw, the Labour former foreign secretary, says the Gulf Consultative Council is split because some of its members are funding extremists.
Cameron says this is an important point. He says there has been a problem with Gulf states backing extremists.
3.54pm BST
Richard Ottaway, the Conservative chair of the foreign affairs committee, asks about the reports of Russian activity on the Estonian border. Is Esonia a red line?
Yes, says Cameron. Nato committed itself to collective defence.
3.53pm BST
Cameron welcomes Milibands statement.
He agrees on the need to keep up the pressure on Ukraine. Some countries are supplying Ukraine with equipment, he says.
3.49pm BST
Ed Miliband starts with his own tribute to Jim Dobbin. He was a lifelong public servant, and a proud Scot. He was planning to campaign this week for a no vote, he says.
He also offers his congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
3.42pm BST
He says he spoke to Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, this morning about the need to develop an international strategy to confront Isis (which he describes as Isil - Isis is our house style). He will have more to say when he goes to the UN later this month, he says.
3.40pm BST
He says the new spearhead rapid-reaction force will help Nato fulfil its Article 5 (mutual defence) obligations.
3.39pm BST
Cameron says his announcement about brining the second aircraft carrier into use will transform Britains ability to project power.
3.38pm BST
Turning to the Nato summit, he says it was the largest gathering of world leaders in the UKs history.
He wants to particularly thank the Welsh for their warm welcome.
3.35pm BST
David Cameron starts with a tribute to Jim Dobbin, the Labour MP who died at the weekend. He was an outstanding public servant and he will be missed by all MPs, says Cameron. While they did not agree on everything, they agreed on the importance of faith in politics.
Cameron offers his congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
3.26pm BST
David Cameron will be making a statement on the Nato summit shortly.
Given that he gave a two-hour statement on foreign affairs in the Commons this time last week, a round of media interviews on Thursday morning, and a press conference on Friday afternoon after the summit ended, its hard to imagine he will have anything particularly new to say about Islamic State (Isis), or Russia. Ill cover the statement, but I will try to avoid comments which just repeat what he has said before and instead focus on any new points he makes.
3.20pm BST
Jonathan Powell, Tony Blairs former chief of staff, was giving evidence to the Commons Northern Ireland affairs committee this morning about the letters sent to some IRA fugitives - on-the-runs, as theyre known - telling them they were not wanted by the police.
He said it was most unfortunate that a mistake led to John Downey getting a letter when he was wanted in connection with the Hyde Park bombing, but he said that the controversy about the scheme as a whole was caused by the fact that it had been misreported.
The reason this has caused a stir is really the way, as Lady Justice Hallett has said [in her report], its been misreported and misrepresented, rather than the issue of the administrative scheme itself. Because if you think about the administrative scheme, its allowed people to return who are not wanted, and that should not be something that should disturb relations between parties and governments.
2.18pm BST
You can read the full text of Frances OGradys speech on the TUC website.
Ive already covered the key news line - about the warning about a Downton Abbey-style society. (See 9.19am.) But here are some other interesting points in what she had to say.
And then there was that much hyped government inquiry into trade unions and so-called extreme tactics. You remember, the review that failed even to mention the real scandal of blacklisting.
The brain behind the review was the Cabinet minister, Francis Maude. A man who apparently believed that an inflatable plastic rat posed a threat to public safety. A bigger threat, presumably, than a Conservative minister advising the public to fill up their garages with jerry cans of petrol.
Its time the government came clean. They are deliberately hacking away at the welfare safety net.
Nothing demonstrates this better than the five-week benefit wait under Universal Credit. No matter how long youve worked, or how much youve contributed, if you lose your job you will have to wait five weeks before you get a penny. Its welfare for Wonga a policy guaranteed to line the pockets of loan sharks.
The Conservative partys proposals on industrial action are draconian. They set an arbitrary ballot threshold that no other democratic election in Britain is required to meet. Make no mistake, they intend to ban strikes by the back door. And new rules about ballots will give employers new ways to use the courts.
[Lady Warsi, who resigned as a Foreign Office minister in the summer] accused the Conservatives of having a problem with brown working class women from the north. In my opinion thats a little unfair. They dont seem to much like working class women from the South either.
But it is the sheer snobbery which Baroness Warsi complained of which explains, in part, why the Conservative party has made a fetish of attacking the only institutions established to be run by and for working people trade unions.
1.41pm BST
I believe that we will win this referendum because a majority of people in Scotland do want to ensure that there is a better and stronger future for themselves and the generations to come. Im very confident we will win the day.
For the first time in my political lifetime, there is clear, unwavering unity on this question. Finally, everyone who believes in the United Kingdom believes in more power - more control for Scotland, in Scotland.
Further announcements will be made in the next few days.
Polling suggests that support for independence has surged over the past few months, largely because pro-independence campaigners have managed to reduce the fear factor - that is, concern about the economic risks of going it alone. At this point the outcome looks like a toss-up. Well, I have a message for the Scots: Be afraid, be very afraid. The risks of going it alone are huge.
Workers in our country are today facing the longest drop in their living standards since the 1870s when Disraeli was prime minister.
But to be fair to him he saw the class divisions in Britain as a problem to be solved. His Conservative successor in Number 10 seems to rejoice in them.
12.34pm BST
Here are the main points from the Number 10 lobby briefing.
I doubt there are many in the UK who are unaware of the prime ministers approach and the strength of his views.
The government is entirely focused on making the case for the UK staying together.
11.59am BST
Im just back from the Number 10 lobby briefing. It was mostly about Scotland, but not hugely revelatory. Here are the main points.
10.57am BST
You can read all todays Guardian political stories here. And all the political stories filed yesterday, including some in todays paper, are here.
As for the rest of the papers, here is the PoliticsHome round-up of the top 10 politics articles, and here is the ConservativeHome round-up of todays politics stories.
Some Tory MPs say that Mr Camerons fate could be taken out of his hands by a leadership challenge from disgruntled backbenchers if the UK is broken up after 307 years.
Over the weekend, officers of the influential 1922 Committee representing backbench Conservative MPs contacted members to ask whether Mr Cameron might lose the confidence of the parliamentary party if there is a Yes vote.
The YouGov poll, which will alarm monarchists on both sides of the independence divide, found that 46 per cent of supporters of separation now believe that an independent Scotland should break its links with the UK royal family.
It came as the monarch risked being drawn into the referendum campaign amid reports there was a great deal of concern among the royal family at the prospect of a win for the Yes campaign. The report, which coincided with David Camerons annual visit to Balmoral, prompted a spokesman to stress that the Queen was strictly neutral.
Scottish Nationalist strategists have taken discreet advice from veterans of the 1995 Quebec campaign. They say they have taken two distinct messages from its events that they need plenty of time to get impetus, and they have to be able to offer a positive upbeat vision to counter the doom-mongers.
A final message is that they probably need to build a distinct lead on 18 September as insurance against last-minute switchers to the status quo.
We are told that if Scotland votes to cut its ties with England, that will be a disaster on a par with the loss of the American colonies in 1776; but it is far worse than that. Scotland isnt a colony, for heavens sake. Its a part of our being, of what makes us us. This vote isnt just about saying yes to Scotland as the ballot paper seductively and misleadingly implies. Under any circumstances, Scotland will exist and prosper. Under any circumstances people will wave blue and white Scottish flags and take pride in their Scottish nation and its success. Alex Salmond and his crew arent really asking people to say yes to Scotlands success; they are asking them to say no to one of the oldest and most successful political unions in history. The Salmond campaign is not a manifesto for creation, but for destruction.
What we are fighting to protect is not so much the Act of Union of 1707, or even the United Kingdom. The Government has decided that in the event of the Scots voting to break away, the UK will simply refer in future to England, Wales and Northern Ireland; though no one seems to have a clue exactly what this truncated state will be called. No: the entity under mortal threat next week is Britain itself. You cannot refer to a state called Britain unless you include Scotland, because it is a basic fact of geography that Britain comprises everything from Lands End to John oGroats.
JOCKY HORROR SHOW - Battle to keep Scotland in Britain sinks into chaos... http://t.co/nms8VQfBxr pic.twitter.com/RfWQGtGa4R
10.33am BST
Prince William and his wife Kate have announced that they are expecting another baby. David Cameron has offered his congratulations.
Many congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I'm delighted by the happy news that they're expecting another baby.
10.27am BST
Frances OGrady, the TUC general secretary, is addressing the TUC conference now.
10.16am BST
Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary, has been speaking at the TUC conference.
Len McCluskey, gen sec Unite, tells TUC that the "trickle down has dried up" and that so far this recovery has been "only for the rich.."
Len McCluskey speaking on collective bargaining at #TUC14 pic.twitter.com/i3V5HxwmwB
9.19am BST
The TUC has released some extracts from Frances OGradys speech in advance and, in them, the TUC general secretary warns that Britain is reverting to a Downton Abbey-style society.
Are we going to settle for a nastier and poorer Britain? A Downton Abbey-style society, in which the living standards of the vast majority are sacrificed to protect the high living of the well-to-do?
We are piling yet more riches onto a privileged few. Economic growth is back but theres no sign of it in most workers pay packets. In fact, the gap has got worse. Top chief executives now earn 175 times the wages of the average worker.
No, its the politics of justice. I think there is real anger about greed in the boardroom, but its even more important than just people getting fair pay. This is about building a sustainable economy based on good, skilled jobs and decent pay.
9.08am BST
Nothing else matters now in British politics apart from the Scottish independence referendum, is the headline above Martin Kettles front-page column in todays Guardian. Hes right, of course, and shortly Ill be heading for Scotland to blog from there. For the moment Ben Quinn is writing our Scottish independence live blog from Edinburgh. But I will be covering everything being said at Westminster, including at the Number 10 lobby briefing and by David Cameron when he addresses MPs this afternoon.
But theres a fair amount of non-Scotland politics around too. Heres the agenda for the day.
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