Westminster today: Government announces pay rise for NHS staff after seven year cap - as it happened

All the live updates from Westminster

Bizarre exchange between Tom Pursglove and Theresa May at PMQs

The Government has announced a pay rise for NHS staff, seven years after the 1 per cent pay cap was introduced.

Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, told MPs that staff will see their salaries increase by between 6.5 per cent and 29 per cent, with the lowest paid workers benefiting most.

Earlier, Theresa May clashed with Jeremy Corbyn at the penultimate session of Prime Minister's Questions before Parliament's Easter recess.

The issue of council funding was at the centre of the heated exchange, with Mr Corbyn challenging the Prime Minister to explain the collapse of the Conservative-run Northamptonshire County Council.

As it happened...

Key Points

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn clash over local government funding

[21 March 2018 08:36 · Kristin Hugo]

Welcome to The Independent's live coverage from Westminster.

[21 March 2018 09:16 · Kristin Hugo]

How else to kick off a Wednesday morning than by, er, throwing fish into a river?

A group of pro-Brexit MPs are staging a somewhat bizarre protest aboard a boat on the Thames in opposition to a proposed Brexit deal that would give EU countries access to the UK's fishing waters until at least 2020.

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg is present but has told accompanying journalists he will certainly not be throwing any fish. He'll be hoping the protest doesn't flounder.

[21 March 2018 09:18 · Kristin Hugo]

Update on the fish protest courtesy of Tom Peck, who is at the scene:

[21 March 2018 09:26 · Kristin Hugo]

MPs have warned that the UK risks "sleepwalking into a crisis" unless it "urgently" begins trying to negotiate a security and policing deal with the EU.

[21 March 2018 09:49 · Kristin Hugo]

Here's the full story on reports the Government has agreed a deal to give NHS staff a 6.5 per cent pay rise over three years:

[21 March 2018 10:08 · Kristin Hugo]

The Government has underpaid 70,000 sick and disabled people as a result of "shoddy administration", according to a report by the National Audit Office.

[21 March 2018 10:42 · Kristin Hugo]

Here's the list of MPs with questions at today's PMQs:

[21 March 2018 10:48 · Kristin Hugo]

NEW: 13 Tory MPs have written to Theresa May warning that they could vote down a future Brexit deal because of "unacceptable" proposals on fishing rights after.

Under plans agreed between the UK and the Brussels, European countries will retain access to British fishing waters for almost two years after Brexit.

The MPs, including leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, said:

"These demands are completely unacceptable and would be rejected by the House of Commons.

It is understandable that our EU neighbours will attempt to frustrate our desire to control our fisheries and will seek to add it to the negotiations. It is therefore important that all UK politicians support the UK negotiating team and you as Prime Minister as you deliver on the referendum vote.

[21 March 2018 11:07 · Kristin Hugo]

Anti-Brexit campaigners have described today's fish protest, which saw Nigel Farage, dump a tray of haddock into the Thames, "embarrassing"

Paul Butters, a spokesman for the Best for Britain group, said:

"The Brexiteers are lost at sea with a stupid stunt like this. Today's comedy of errors is a metaphor for their Brexit plans. 

This was most embarrassing event to grace Westminster since the Leadsom for Leader march.

The people who wanted Brexit are literally polluting the place with their never-ending complaint that it wasn't exactly what they wanted. They have had years to plan and the combined brain power of Rees Mogg and his motley crew came up with the idea of this stunt, circling round in the Thames unable to pick people up because they didn't have the necessary permissions.

Taking back control from faceless bureaucrats maybe needs to start with Transport for London who run the pier they tried to dock at. All in all this was a fishing farce that made them all look ridiculous."

[21 March 2018 11:35 · Kristin Hugo]

Baroness Hale, president of the Supreme Court, has warned that the Government’s Brexit legislation could leave the judiciary at risk of “appearing to make a political decision”.

She said she was concerned the the current legislation would force judges to decide if it was "appropriate"  for rulings by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to be considered after Brexit.

Giving evidence to the Constitution Committee, Lady Hale said:

"The current draft we find very unhelpful because in the first place it says we don't have to take account of Luxembourg jurisprudence, and then it says we may do so if we think it appropriate.

We don't think 'appropriate' is the right sort of word to address to judges.

We don't do things because they are appropriate, we look at things because they are relevant and helpful.

But we don't want to be put in the position of appearing to make a political decision about what is and is not appropriate.

"That's the concern that has been voiced."