Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen, including David Cameron’s speech on tackling extremism and the debate on the welfare bill
David Cameron’s speech on tackling extremism - Summary
Early evening summary
6.00pm BST
Tonight the Guardian is hosting a hustings event for the Labour London mayoral candidates. It starts at 7pm and I will be covering it on a separate live blog. You will be able to find it here from about 6.45pm.
But we haven’t given up on the welfare bill. I’m going to miss the next three hours of the debate, but I will pick up this blog again at about 9pm. At that point I will pick up some of the highlights from the debate. I will then cover the closing part of it live, as well as the vote. The government is almost certain to win, but it will be interesting to see how many Labour MPs defy the whip and vote against it.
5.40pm BST
The debate on the welfare bill, or the welfare reform and work bill, to give it its full title, is just starting.
John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, has announced he will call a vote on the Labour amendment tabled by Harriet Harman. This is what it says.
That this House, whilst affirming its belief that there should be controls on and reforms to the overall costs of social security, that reporting obligations on full employment, apprenticeships and troubled families are welcome, and that a benefits cap and loans for mortgage interest support are necessary changes to the welfare system, declines to give a Second Reading to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill because the Bill will prevent the Government from continuing to pursue an ambition to reduce child poverty in both absolute and relative terms, it effectively repeals the Child Poverty Act 2010 which provides important measures and accountability of government policy in relation to child poverty, and it includes a proposal for the work-related activity component of employment and support allowance which is an unfair approach to people who are sick and disabled.
5.31pm BST
Caroline Lucas, the single Green MP, is voting against the welfare bill. In a statement she said:
The Tories are attempting to dismantle our welfare state, and cut back on support given to those who need it the most.
The bill will slash support for people with ill health including many with mental health problems – new claimants of employment support allowance in the work related activity group, will see payments cut by almost £30 a week. This is very harmful for people with long-term fluctuating mental ill-health. It will lock in child poverty for those born into larger families and it will leave ministers significantly less accountable for their policies by scrapping the current legally binding child poverty targets.
5.28pm BST
And of course the SNP are voting against the welfare bill too. They put out a statement at the weekend in the name of Mhairi Black, who is a member of the Commons work and pensions committee. She said:
This week Labour party have the perfect opportunity to turn over a new leaf and join forces with the SNP to form the strong opposition we badly need. It is not enough for Labour simply to abstain on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill – they must join us in voting against it.
To every Labour MP who has seen the impact of Tory welfare policies on their constituents I say this: your constituents are looking to you to grab this opportunity with both hands.
5.22pm BST
And Plaid Cymru are voting against the welfare bill. They’ve got three MPS. This is from the Plaid MP Hywel Williams.
The welfare reform proposals set out in the Chancellor’s Budget spell very bad news for thousands of working families in Wales.
Around 120,000 households in Wales currently receive tax credits to top up their low wages which simply don’t provide enough for them to get by.
5.20pm BST
The DUP are voting against the welfare bill, a party spokesman tells me. The party is imposing a three-line whip, which is relatively rare for the DUP. All its eight MPs should be in the Commons.
5.17pm BST
Here is the full text of Andy Burnham’s letter to Labour MPs explaining why he is going to follow the whip and abstain on the main vote on the welfare bill.
But he also says that, unless the government makes “major changes” to the bill during its committee stages, Labour will vote against the bill at its third reading if he becomes leader.
Dear Colleague,
I wanted to update you on my position ahead of today’s vote on the welfare reform and work bill.
5.09pm BST
The Lib Dems are voting against the welfare bill. Here is a statement from Tim Farron, the new Lib Dem leader.
The truth is the Tories do not have to cut £12bn from welfare: they are choosing to.
The Liberal Democrats will always stand up for families. We will not let the Conservatives, through choice, and the Labour party, through silence, unpick our welfare system.
4.54pm BST
Here is the Child Poverty Action Group’s briefing on the welfare bill (pdf).It says many of the measures in the bill will “either push more children into poverty or limit the government’s ability to properly monitor levels of child poverty across the UK”.
4.52pm BST
My colleague Patrick Butler has filed a story today on new research from Shelter showing that unemployed families will not be able to afford to live in large parts of England under the new, lower benefit cap in the welfare bill being debated tonight.He explains more here:
The popularity of the principle of the benefit cap is well-known; what is less commonly acknowledged is that the dire impacts of the benefit cap - homelessness, hunger, poverty, children forced to move school - make voters a lot less comfortable.
Today’s analysis by Shelter - mapping the UK to show exactly which areas will become no-go areas for jobless families reliant on housing benefit when the cap is lowered to £20,000 (£23k in London) - is designed to remind voters - and MPs voting this evening - that the cap has consequences.
4.17pm BST
Jeremy Corbyn has put out a statement explaining why he is voting against the welfare bill. Here’s an extract.
I am voting against the government on the welfare bill tonight because I believe it will increase child poverty.
We should be proud of the fact the last Labour government took 800,000 children out of poverty – but the approach of this bill goes in the opposite direction. We cannot stay neutral on that.
4.10pm BST
According to the BBC’s Norman Smith, “scores” of Labour MPs are expected to rebel tonight, and vote against the welfare bill.
Trouble ahead for Labour tonight with "scores" of Labour MPs set to rebel over decision to abstain on Govt's Welfare bill
4.02pm BST
LabourList has an extract from the letter Andy Burnham has sent to Labour MPs explaining why he will abstain in the welfare bill vote. He wrote:
The Tories want to use this period to brand us in the way they did in 2010. We must not allow that to happen.
Collective responsibility is important and it is what I would expect as Leader of our Party. It is why I will be voting for our reasoned amendment and, if it is defeated, abstaining on the bill.
3.56pm BST
Yvette Cooper’s office has confirmed that she will also abstain on the welfare bill, assuming that the Labour amendment fails.
Liz Kendall also supports Harriet Harman’s call for the party to abstain. Kendall is more sympathetic than Burnham and Cooper to Harman’s view that it needs to show the public that it accepts the need for some welfare cuts.
3.39pm BST
The Commons debate on the welfare bill was due to start at 3.30pm. But there is an urgent question first on contaminated blood, and then a statement from Michael Fallon on British involvement in the fight against Islamic State (Isis), and so the welfare debate will not get underway until about 5pm.
As Patrick Wintour reported this morning, the debate will expose a Labour split. The party has tabled a reasoned amendment to the bill but, if that fails (as it almost certainly will), Labour MPs have been told to abstain when the main vote on the bill takes place.
Andy Burnham abstaining on welfare bill since Labour has tabled reasoned amendment rejecting bill. Corbyn to oppose. Much noise, no signal.
3.29pm BST
The British Future thinktank has welcomed David Cameron’s speech. Here’s an extract from its response.
The commitment to “empowering moderate voices” among British Muslims, those who speak for the vast majority, is important – as is the acknowledgement that combating extremism is a shared challenge, not one for Muslims alone.
[Cameron] was also right to focus on British values as a key foundation for efforts to build a more inclusive society, one that has no room for violent extremism.
2.53pm BST
The government’s counter-extremism strategy is changing quite drastically, but it is multi-pronged, and it is impossible to sum with a single, headline policy. An extremism bill will be published later this year, although, as Theresa May told the Today programme this morning, the strategy is not just about legislation.
To understand the government’s approach, it is best to start with the speech May gave in March. It was full of proposals, most of which are being taken forward, and there is a summary of them here.
2.02pm BST
Here is some of the more interesting reaction to the speech I’ve seen from commentators and politicians on Twitter.
Generally, the reception seems pretty positive. David Cameron is getting praised from figures across the political spectrum, including from people who you might expect to be quite sceptical.
David Cameron is right at this moment delivering one of the creepiest and most authoritarian speeches you'll ever hear.
Good to hear David Cameron saying the right things about threat posed by Islamism in UK.But he'll be judged on quality of action that ensues
I expected a fuming, furious PM today with the extremism speech.. but he's less angry than when talking about Labour during the Election
The speech is not an attempt to criminalise thought That would contradict the PMs case for British Values -read the speech #freespeech
Cameron's speech on extremism more nuanced and interesting than media briefings suggested. Will make it difficult to oppose, for many.
If Cameron's speech leads to Anjem Choudhary getting less airtime, that will certainly get most British Muslims cheering
David Cameron won't deter some would-be supporters of terrorism if he doesn't try to deter all would-be supporters of terrorism #joinitup
Cameron says "in some communities you can go your whole life & have little to do with people from other faiths". He means his own community
This is the most nuanced speech Cameron has made on extremism. Surprisingly good.
That was quite a speech from David Cameron. Lots of breadth and nuance - but suspect it won't convince his detractors.
1.44pm BST
The Demos thinktank, which has studied radicalisation, has broadly welcomed David Cameron’s speech. Here’s an extract from the response it released.
Building improved trust between government and Britain’s Muslim communities through enhanced collaboration and cooperation will be integral to achieving any progress here – so too will promoting dialogue, understanding and interaction between all parts of society. If the prime minister is truly committed to a one nation government, its counter-extremism policies must be matched by efforts to foster greater cohesion and inclusivity, and policies to tackle issues like unemployment and discrimination – which can so often challenge a sense of belonging in young people. After all, Britain will be a much stronger nation – both socially and economically – if we can improve opportunities for a much larger proportion of young people to participate fully and positively in the labour market and in their communities.
While undoubtedly a difficult balance to manage, the government must ensure that its efforts to address radicalisation do not threaten the pre-eminence of free speech: one of the most critical foundations of the democratic, open and secure society that terrorism seeks to undermine. As previous Demos research – including our report, The Edge of Violence – on the appeal of Islamic extremism to young people has shown, terrorist organisations such as Isis can appear exciting and purpose-giving; without positive and non-violent outlets for dissent, we risk making extremism more exotic, attractive, and difficult to address through early intervention.
1.33pm BST
Q: You talked about enforcing British values. How can you be sure that enforcing values about the role of women, or the rights of homosexuals, won’t alienate the people who are trying to win over?
Cameron says the values of freedom and democracy are stronger than the values of Isis.
1.29pm BST
Q: Would you support air strikes against Isis in Syria? And would you support the use of ground troops?
Cameron says, if there were ever a direct threat to British interests, he would act to neutralise that.
1.24pm BST
Cameron is now taking questions.
Q: The Ramadhan Foundation said today you had failed to engage with the Muslim community. (See 10.53am.)
1.19pm BST
Cameron confirms that Louise Casey will carry out a review of how to promote integration.
And he suggests schools need to be more integrated.
In education, while overall segregation in schooling is declining...
... in our most divided communities, the education that our young people receive is actually even more segregated than the neighbourhoods they live in.
1.16pm BST
Cameron says the fourth part of his strategy involves promoting integration.
He says the government, and the Conservative party, has become more diverse.
When we discussed childcare at Cabinet last week – a Conservative-only Cabinet...
...the item was introduced by a Black British son of a single parent – Sam Gyimah...
1.13pm BST
Cameron says the third plank of his strategy is to “embolden different voices in the Muslim community”.
He says he is going to set up a new community engagement forum.
You are free to put whoever you want on the airwaves.
But there are a huge number of Muslims in our country who have a proper claim to represent liberal values in local communities…
1.09pm BST
Cameron announces that parents will have the power to cancel their children’s passports if they are worried about them travelling to Syria to join Isis.
I know how worried some people are that their children might turn to this ideology – and even seek to travel to Syria or Iraq.
So I can announce today we are going to introduce a new scheme to enable parents to apply directly to get their child’s passport cancelled to prevent travel.
1.07pm BST
Cameron says universities need to do more to stand up against extremists.
When David Irving goes to a university to deny the Holocaust – university leaders rightly come out and condemn him.
They don’t deny his right to speak but they do challenge what he says.
And while I am it, I want to say something to the National Union of Students.
When you choose to ally yourselves with an organisation like CAGE, which called Jihadi John a ‘beautiful young man’ and told people to “support the jihad” in Iraq and Afghanistan...
1.05pm BST
Cameron says the extremism bill will include powers to enable the government to deal with “facilitators and cult leaders” who are peddling hatred.
1.04pm BST
Cameron says the government ordered a review of the role of extremists in schools after the so-called Trojan Horse affair.
But progress has not been fast enough, he says.
1.02pm BST
Cameron turns to the second part of his strategy. He says the government must tackle those who promote non-violent extremism, as well as those who promote violent extremism.
This means confronting groups and organisations that may not advocate violence – but which do promote other parts of the extremist narrative.
We’ve got to show that if you say “yes I condemn terror – but the Kuffar are inferior”…
1.01pm BST
Cameron says government needs to have the confidence to defend British values.
The failure in the past to confront the horrors of forced marriage is a case in point.
12.58pm BST
Cameron says internet companies need to do more to tackle extremism.
And we need our internet companies to go further in helping us identify potential terrorists online.
Many of their commercial models are built around monitoring platforms for personal data, packaging it up and selling it on to third parties.
12.57pm BST
Cameron says he wants to get people who understand the nature of Isis to communicate that to young people.
And he wants to do more to tackle extremism in prisons, he says.
12.56pm BST
Cameron says it is especially important to “de-glamorousise” Isis.
This is a group that throws people off buildings, burns them alive….
…and as Channel 4’s documentary last week showed...
12.55pm BST
Cameron says it is important to take on the conspiracy theorists.
The world is not conspiring against Islam;...
...the security services aren’t behind terrorist attacks;...
12.54pm BST
Cameron says the government will publish its counter-extremism strategy in the autumn.
He is now setting out the principles behind that strategy.
We must take its component parts to pieces - the cultish worldview, the conspiracy theories, and yes, the so-called glamorous parts of it too.
In doing so, let’s not forget our strongest weapon: our own liberal values.
12.51pm BST
Cameron explains why he does not thing foreign policy or poverty explains Islamist extremism. And he is now on the passage about setting out the four factors that he thinks do explain why people are attracted to Islamist extremism. I quoted this earlier.
12.48pm BST
Cameron says that although he is talking about Islamist extremism, he is not criticising Islam, or Muslims generally.
I know what a profound contribution Muslims from all backgrounds and denominations are making in every sphere of our society...
...proud to be both British and Muslim, without conflict or contradiction.
12.47pm BST
Cameron says the UK has been a beacon for diversity.
Over generations, we have built something extraordinary in Britain...
...a successful multi-racial, multi-faith democracy.
12.43pm BST
David Cameron is speaking now.
He says the school where is is speaking, Ninestiles school, is an example of one where children from different backgrounds and different faiths learn from each other.
12.35pm BST
David Cameron is giving his speech in a school in Birmingham.
12.32pm BST
David Cameron will be giving his speech on tackling extremism shortly.
There will be a live feed here. You may have to refresh the page to get it working.
12.05pm BST
David Cameron’s speech will address the issue of why people are attracted to Islamist extremism, and why young Britons go abroad to fight with Islamic State (Isis). As I said earlier, on the basis of the extracts released overnight, I’m not sure he’s cracked it. (See 9.57am.)
On Twitter, and here, I asked readers to suggest material that does explain the phenomenon. Here are the most helpful responses I’ve had.
@AndrewSparrow Pariah Politics (OUP) by @prof_saggar is vg. Pre-ISIS. https://t.co/6cKCk64Wdz
Pariah Politics breaks new ground in examining the issue of western Islamist extremism from the perspective of government. It links underlying causes to the capacity of governments to respond directly and to influence others. The book contains four main messages.
Focusing on causes, not symptoms. The book identifies four big causal drivers: settled disadvantage, social isolation, grievance and oppositional cultures, and the volatile dynamics of global Islam. Governments can hope to influence the first two, using existing and innovative policy levers. The scope to make big changes in the latter two is severely limited.
@AndrewSparrow Focus is on women but you may find it interesting - http://t.co/0RUcpEcXVW
The major push factors we have tracked that prime Western females to migrate to ISIS-controlled territory are often similar, if not the same, as their male counterparts. These include:
1 Feeling isolated socially and/or culturally, including questioning one’s identity and uncertainty of belonging within a Western culture
@AndrewSparrow read Milestones by Sayeed Qtub
@AndrewSparrow @sundersays The Islamist by Ed Hussain. Stops short of IS (not around at time) but on mind-altering of young Brit Muslms bril
ISIL’s political ideology hasn’t sprung up in a vacuum over the last year, or even in the time since 9/11. It evolved over decades, even centuries, incubated in groups that included HuT and Wahhabi preachers from Saudi Arabia. For this reason, the key to undermining ISIL isn’t to declare them apostates—since the impact of that is clearly negligible—but to challenge the khilafah ideal of most Islamist movements. That ideal has been the rallying cry and driving force behind ISIL and the movements that led to it, and only when it’s successfully challenged will such groups be relegated as truly marginal.
@AndrewSparrow no one explanation. Complex mix, but self-determination, identity & peers are common themes http://t.co/6gR0btKI4m
11.21am BST
In the light of the claim from the Ramadhan Foundation about David Cameron not engaging with Muslims over his speech (see 10.53am), Anthony Breach on Twitter points out that Maajid Nawaz, chair of the Quilliam Foundation, says he was consulted.
I'm a liberal & I'm proud to have helped with UK PM Cameron's speech that names & isolates Islamism. Our work is taking root #Solidarity
11.11am BST
Professor Bill Durodié, chair of international relations at the University of Bath and a specialist in radicalisation, has sent me this comment on David Cameron’s speech.
David Cameron is to announce a five-year plan to address home-grown Islamist extremism today. Part of his challenge, he will suggest, is to confront those who are born and raised in the UK but ‘who don’t really identify with Britain.
But, rather than assume a mystical lure of attraction from elsewhere, he first ought to clarify exactly what it is that people should identify with in Britain. The evidence points to how the young reject the West prior to looking for something else to believe in. Islam is their motif not their motive.
10.53am BST
The Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim group promoting interfaith dialogue, has criticised David Cameron for not consulting Muslims ahead of his speech this afternoon. It also said that Cameron is wrong to ignore the influence of British foreign policy on young Muslims in danger of radicalisation. (See 9.57am.) This is from Mohammed Shafiq, its chief executive.
The prime minister’s speech today has once again failed to engage the Muslim community and he has peddled the same lines which we have seen from politicians since 2001. He has claimed it is not just about legislation but successive governments have passed over ten terrorism related bills since 9/11; and we are about to see another terrorism related bill.
In terms of Isis we are in total agreement with the prime minister, they are a barbaric and evil entity and their ideology of violence is what we must confront. They have distorted Islamic teaching to suit their agenda and we as Muslims must be doing more to confront them. That work is already happening and until we can defeat the ideology we must all do more.
10.29am BST
Labour MP Helen Goodman used a Today interview this morning to defend an article she wrote for Huffington Post earlier this month which announced she would be giving her backing to Yvette Cooper because she was a working mum.
The article triggered a small row – quickly dubbed ‘parent-gate’ by people on Twitter – with supporters of Liz Kendall interpreting it as a veiled dig at their candidate because she doesn’t have children.
10.24am BST
Yesterday Julian Lewis, the Conservative chair of the Commons defence committee, said that the government’s strategy for countering Islamic State (Isis) was being made up “on the hoof”.
In her Today interview Theresa May, the home secretary, rejected this claim.
We’ve not been making things up on the hoof. What we have been doing is, of course, ensuring that we consider every situation as it comes up. I don’t accept that it hasn’t been coherent enough. We’ve had a strategy, we’ve had an approach as to the action we were going to take.
9.57am BST
Here are some more extracts from David Cameron’s speech that were released to the media overnight.
Sometimes Number 10 only releases a paragraph or two from a speech in advance, but yesterday they put out some very lengthy chunks. They show Cameron addressing the issue of why people were attracted to Islamist extremism.
Like so many ideologies that have existed before – whether fascist or communist – many people, especially young people, are being drawn to it.
We need to understand why it is proving so attractive.
Others might say: it’s because terrorists are driven to their actions by poverty.
But that ignores the fact that many of these terrorists have had the full advantages of prosperous families and a Western university education.
One – like any extreme doctrine, it can seem energising, especially to young people.
They are watching videos that eulogise ISIL as a pioneering state taking on the world, that makes celebrities of violent murderers ...
9.29am BST
Over the weekend unnamed supporters of Boris Johnson have been quoted in the papers saying that the London mayor was furious about the way Theresa May used a statement in the Commons last week to humiliate him over the application for the Metropolitan police to be allowed to use water cannon. She said she was refusing to authorise their use, even though Johnson has spent £218,000 on three second hand-machines from Germany. For good measure, she also revealed that the vehicles he bought were riddled with defects.
Here’s an extract from the Mail on Sunday’s story about this yesterday.
Shortly after leaving the debating chamber, Mr Johnson complained bitterly to a friend: ‘Why would you do that? There was no need to make a song and dance about it.
‘Why make a statement now on a hypothetical policing situation? It was so discourteous’ ...
This was a very important decision ... The use of water cannon, I believe, could have changed the face of British policing, it would have made a huge difference to British policing and it was therefore a significant announcement. I felt it was appropriate that that was made in an oral statement in the House of Commons and, as is always the case with oral statements, every effort is made to ensure that Parliament are the first to hear the announcement.
9.29am BST
David Cameron will today deliver what is being billed as the most significant speech on tackling extremism that he has ever given. As Frances Perraudin writes in our preview story, he will condemn what he calls “grievance justification”.
People must challenge the view that people become radicalised because of historic injustices, recent wars, poverty or hardship, David Cameron will say, describing such arguments as “grievance justification”.
In a keynote speech in Birmingham on Monday, the prime minister will set out the government’s five-year strategy for tackling extremist ideology, describing it as “struggle of our generation”.
We recognise free speech is one of our values and that’s an important value that we have but what we are saying is we have to look at the impact some people have in terms of the poisonous ideology that they are trying to implant in people’s minds that will lead them to challenge, lead them to undermine the values we share as a country.
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