PMQs: Jeremy Corbyn calls on Amber Rudd to resign over Windrush scandal
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn clash over Windrush
Windrush: PM vows to leave 'no stone unturned' to help
Corbyn calls on Amber Rudd to quit over scandal
SNP: Government 'bereft of ideas' on Irish border issue
Corbyn under pressure after crunch meeting with Jewish leaders
Labour leader accused of 'shrugging his shoulders' over issue
Jeremy Corbyn has called on Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, to resign over her handling of the Windrush scandal.
The Labour leader said it was time Ms Rudd "took responsibility" for the Government's treatment of Windrush generation citizens who have been threatened with deportation.
Mr Corbyn made the call during Prime Minister's Questions as Theresa May warned against conflating the two separate issues of tackling illegal immigration and the plight of the Windrush generation who are British citizens.
Mr Corbyn said: "Last week the current Home Secretary admitted the Home Office sometimes loses sight of the individual, yet we now know that when she took over from her predecessor her intent was to harden this cruel and misdirected policy, pledging to do so ruthlessly.
"A report last month by immigration officials stated the hostile environment measures were not even having the desired effect.
"The current Home Secretary inherited a failing policy and made it worse. Isn't it time she took responsibility and resigned?"
Mrs May replied: "Up and down this country people want to ensure that the Government is taking action against those people who are here in this country illegally, those people who are here illegally.
"Because it isn't fair that people who work hard day in and day out, who contribute to this country, who put into the life of this country, are seeing people who are here illegally accessing services in the same way.
"We are acting to ensure that those people who are here legally are given the support that they need."
She said the Windrush generation "are British, they are part of us and we are ensuring that they remain here and are able to continue to live their lives here".
"But it is also right that this Government takes action against those people who are accessing services despite being here illegally and not putting in and not contributing to this country," she added.
Yvette Cooper warns Theresa May against trying to 'hide behind civil servants' over Windrush
The Labour chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee tells the Prime Minister "do not try to hide behind me or the Labour Party" on the Windrush issue.
She says the Prime Minister's "obsession" with hitting the Government's net migration target had caused "damage".
She also warns the PM against trying to "hide behind civil servants when she instilled the policy".
Labour MPs yell "shame on you" and there are calls of "resign".
Yvette Cooper (quoted by the PM earlier) swoops in with fire and fury, telling May to stop blaming civil servants, her Cabinet, and the Labour Party. Roars in the chamber as May attempts the utmost calm to reply: "Nobody is trying to blame anybody". #PMQs
— Dan Bloom (@danbloom1) April 25, 2018
But Mrs May responds: "Nobody is trying to blame anybody else."
"I have apologised to the Windrush generation and I do so again," she adds.
Theresa May takes aim at Jeremy Corbyn over action against anti-Semitism
Theresa Villiers, the Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary, claims Labour is not taking the issue of anti-Semitism seriously enough.
Mrs May mentions Jeremy Corbyn and tells the Commons: "It is important that everybody across this House takes action to stamp out racism in all its forms, and that includes anti-Semitism."
Theresa May on Labour's anti-Semitism row: "It is important that everybody across this House takes action to stamp out racism in all it's forms and include in that antisemitism". #PMQs
— Dan Bloom (@danbloom1) April 25, 2018
SNP accuse Government of being 'bereft of ideas' on post-Brexit Irish border issue
Ian Blackford, the SNP's leader in Westminster, asks the Prime Minister about whether the UK could stay in a customs union with the European Union after Brexit.
He claims that talks are "effectively at a standstill" and that the Government is "bereft of ideas" on how to solve the Irish border issue.
He asks Mrs May: "Will the Prime Minister confirm that if this place votes in favour of a customs union that will be the negotiating position of the Government?"
Mrs May dismisses Mr Blackford's question and insists "this Government is not bereft of ideas".
Blackford: The customs union and the single market were not on the ballot paper. Jobs, living standards, Good Friday Agreement secondary concerns for this government.
— Nick Eardley (@nickeardleybbc) April 25, 2018
The issue of the customs union/a customs union is picked up by Tory MP Richard Drax who seeks assurances from Mrs May about the Government's stance on the issue.
MPs are due to vote on a Tory rebel-lead bid to keep the UK in a customs union with the EU after Brexit next month.
At #PMQs, Richard Drax asks for assurance UK will not remain in "any form of customs union". TMay ignores that part of his question in her reply. #Brexit
— Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) April 25, 2018
Jeremy Corbyn calls on Amber Rudd to resign over Windrush scandal
Mr Corbyn says Amber Rudd "inherited a failing policy and made it worse".
The Labour leader then claims it is time the Home Secretary "took responsibility and resigned".
But Mrs May hits back and says of the Windrush generation: "They are British, they are part of us and we are ensuring they remain here."
"It is also right that the Government takes action against people who are accessing services despite being here illegally," she adds.
Corbyn calls for @AmberRuddHR to resign as Home Secretary, telling #PMQs she "inherited a failing policy and made it worse" #Windrush
— Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) April 25, 2018
“We’re talking about the problems created when she was the Home Secretary, when she knew full well the impact” says Corbyn to PM - “isn’t it time she took the responsibility and resigned?”
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) April 25, 2018
Theresa May vows to leave 'no stone unturned' to help Windrush generation
Mrs May warns against conflating the two issues of the Windrush generation and illegal immigration.
She says that action against illegal immigrants "has been taken by successive governments"
She adds: "It is not fair to people who work hard and have a right to be here if they see people who are here illegally being given the same rights and access to services."
Theresa May mounting a strong defence of cracking down on illegal immigrants. Says many policies came into force under Labour and it is not fair for illegal immigrants to get access to public services under by taxpayers
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) April 25, 2018
But Mr Corbyn urges the Prime Minister to review legislation to make sure there is never a repeat of the Windrush scandal.
Mrs May says the Government is not "ignoring the problems that some members of this generation are facing".
She says: "The problem was prior to 1973 they were not given documents... we are now putting that right."
"We will leave no stone unturned in putting that right," she adds.
Mr Corbyn says the Windrush generation has faced "immense suffering" as he calls on the Prime Minister to "tell us the hostile environment is over" and that the Government's "bogus" immigration target will be scrapped.
Mrs May again reiterates the Government's desire to crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Corbyn calls on TMay to end "hostile environment" policy and scrap "bogus" targets on immigration numbers #PMQs
— Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) April 25, 2018
Theresa May says details of Windrush compensation scheme to be set out 'in due course'
Jeremy Corbyn uses his first question to the Prime Minister to ask about the Windrush scandal.
He says that Labour "recognise that the Home Secretary has rightly apologiosed to the Windrush generation" for the treatment they have received.
He welcomes the promise of compensation but questions when the Government will set out how the scheme will work.
He asks the Prime Minister to confirm that British citizens will be "fully compensated".
Mrs May says that Windrush citizens will not have to complete a language test and any citizenship application fee will be waived.
She then says that details of the compensation scheme will be set out by Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, "in due course".
"The Windrush generation are British, they are part of us," she says.
Theresa May: Stephen Lawrence 'will never be forgotten'
The Prime Minister is now on her feet in the House of Commons. She begins by offering "our warmest of congratulations" to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their son.
She also marks the anniversary of the death of Stephen Lawrence and insists his death "will never be forgotten".
PM offers warmest congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their son #PMQs
— PARLY (@ParlyApp) April 25, 2018
David Davis insists Government is not 'winging it' on Brexit
The Brexit Secretary faced a grilling in front of the Brexit Select Committee on Wednesday morning and some of the things he said are likely to get a mention at PMQs.
Firstly, Mr Davis denied suggestions that the Government is "winging it" on Brexit.
He told MPs: "No, we are not winging it but we are having to accommodate different changes as we go along."
He also said there would not be a repeat of the Windrush scandal with the children of EU citizens living in Britain.
"At the risk of being mildly self-righteous I'll point you to my own speeches early on in this process where I said our treatment of the European citizens in the UK would be a moral issue, it was a moral imperative and that is how we will treat it," he said.
Mr Davis also dismissed reports that the European Council had set a June deadline for a final decision to be made on the thorny issue of the Irish border.
The Brexit Secretary has previously suggested he was looking to October for an agreement.
He told the committee: "In negotiations, people try to set up deadlines - sometimes artificial deadlines - to put pressure on an element of the negotiation which they think is in their favour."
Mr Davis said he agreed with Irish Taioseach Leo Varadkar that a good agreement in October was better than any agreement in March.
Full list of MPs chosen to ask a question at PMQs
Here's the list of MPs chosen to ask questions at PMQs today. pic.twitter.com/w9EQPpJdMd
— Jack Maidment (@jrmaidment) April 25, 2018