Lisa Nandy has sought to reassure MPs that the creative industries will not be impacted negatively by a potential trade deal with the US, as tariff negotiations with Donald Trump loom.

Speaking in the House of Common on Thursday morning, the culture secretary was questioned by Conservative former minister Sir John Whittingdale on reports that the government may offer concessions around AI regulation in a deal to reduce US tariffs.

Whittingdale asked: “Can she assure the creative and the news media sectors that any negotiations will not include an offer to weaken our copyright framework, which would be opposed by creative industries both in the UK and in the US?”

Nandy responded: “Our creatives are second to none in the world.

“Our copyright framework is an essential part of their success. We’ve been clear, if it doesn’t work for creatives, then it doesn’t work for us, and we won’t do it.

“The prime minister has been clear in terms of negotiations with the United States that this is the start of the process, but we will always work in the national interest and we’re considering all steps as we look to the future.”

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A senior Conservative MP has suggested that Donald Trump’s diplomacy as it relates to Russia and Ukraine mirrors the plot of the novel The Manchurian Candidate.

First published in 1959, The Manchurian Candidate is a thriller about the son of a prominent US political family who is brainwashed into being an unwitting collaborator in a Soviet/Chinese conspiracy.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Sir Julian Lewis, former chair of the defence select committee, remarked that the plot of The Manchurian Candidate “appears more like a documentary on US politics than a work of fiction.”

The Tory MP asked of the defence secretary: “Has the government received any indication that its efforts militarily to support Ukraine would be actively opposed or blocked by the Trump administration?”

John Healey responded: “The prime minister has made clear that the security arrangements or guarantees in Ukraine in the context of a negotiated peace will need US support.

“I’ve made the same point strongly in my discussions with [US defence] secretary Hegseth.”

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A Labour MP has said governments have given “too much power away” to unelected bodies in recent years.

Jonathan Hinder, the Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, said he was “shocked” by the tone of the letter released by the Sentencing Council on Monday evening, which hit back against the justice secretary’s criticism of the body’s new guidelines.

Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, last week wrote to the council urging it to rethink guidance directing judges to review the lives of offenders from ethnic minority and other backgrounds before deciding on a punishment.

Hinder said: “I was shocked to read the Sentencing Council’s response to the secretary of state last night and its arrogant tone.

“As the secretary of state has said, this parliament is sovereign, and the fact is, we’ve given too much power away to these unelected bodies in recent years.

“Can I reassure her of my support and can she reassure me, that she will not rest until we do retain equality before the law?”

Answering for the government at justice questions in the House of Commons, Mahmood replied: “I am very much looking forward to my meeting with the Sentencing Council later this week.

“And as I’ve made clear, I am looking into the roles and powers of the council and I will not hesitate to legislate if I need to do so.”

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Rishi Sunak has urged the government to go further and seize Russian assets to benefit Ukraine.

The former prime minister said the decision by the United States to pause and review its military assistance to Ukraine highlighted the need for Europe to find “considerably more resources”.

Speaking at Treasury questions on Tuesday morning, Sunak told the House of Commons: “Events overnight make it even clearer that Europe must find considerably more resources for Ukraine.

“The chancellor has rightly continued our policy of using the interest on frozen Russian state assets to benefit Ukraine, but I believe now is the moment to go further and to actually seize those assets.

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine violates the principle of sovereign equality providing a basis in international law for this and by acting in concert with our allies we can ensure there are no risks to financial stability.”

He added: “So can I urge the chancellor to push for co-ordinated action to seize those frozen Russian state assets, give that money to the Ukrainians so that they can defend their country and rebuild it too?”

Rachel Reeves responded that it is “incredibly complicated” to take further action in line with international law but added Russia should “pay for the damage that Russia has caused”.

The chancellor said: “As the prime minister said yesterday, we would look at going further but as [he] knows it is incredibly complicated to do that in line with international law, but we keep all options on the table because [he] is absolutely right, Russia should pay for the damage that Russia has caused.”

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Europe should “move” from freezing Russian assets to seizing them, David Lammy has said.

The foreign secretary was urged to introduce legislation to “repurpose” Russian assets for the Ukrainian war effort by Liberal Democrat MP Alison Bennett.

Bennett asked: “Will the government bring forward emergency legislation to seize frozen Russian assets and ensure they are repurposed to support Ukraine in the wake of [Donald] Trump’s talks with [Vladimir] Putin?

“And if not, could the foreign secretary explain why not?”

Speaking at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office questions, Lammy responded that this is not an issue on which any government can act alone.

“We must act with European allies”, he said.

The foreign secretary added: “It was a topic of conversation at the G7. It was a topic of conversation at the Weimar group. And of course, Europe has to act quickly.

“And I believe we should move from freezing assets to seizing assets.”

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Expansion of Heathrow Airport will only take place if it is within climate targets, Ed Miliband has said.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday morning, the energy secretary said the extension of any airport would have to meet existing carbon budgets and environmental restrictions.

Miliband’s remarks came as he was questioned by Carla Denyer, the co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.

Denyer said: “Experts are clear the savings from the government’s clean power action plan will be wiped out by 2050 if airport expansion at Heathrow Gatwick in Luton goes ahead, and relying on so-called sustainable aviation fuels would use up to half of the UK’s agricultural land.”

The energy secretary responded: “Any aviation expansion — this is the point the chancellor made last week — has to take place within carbon budgets and within environmental limits.

“But what I would just say to her is that in six months, this government has achieved certainly more than the last government did in 14 years.”

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Dame Emily Thornberry has asked that Lord Mandelson appear before her select committee to explain his “unusual” appointment as US ambassador.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee said: “Lord Mandelson’s appointment is unusual because it is not often that circumstances demand that the UK appoints someone who is not a career diplomat to be our ambassador to such a key NATO ally.

“So, to silence critics and to show respect to parliament and its committees, would the Foreign Office agree that we should return to the policy of the previous Labour government and allow Lord Mandelson the time before he leaves for the United States to come before my committee?”

Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty responded: “We are absolutely convinced that Lord Mandelson will do an excellent job as our representative in Washington. It was a pleasure to meet with him last week and discuss his plans as he is preparing to go out on his post.

“I’m sure that we can consider any request that the honourable lady makes in due course.”

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Jess Phillips has said the implementation of recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) will be completed “as quickly as can possibly be done”.

Speaking at Home Office questions in response to Liberal Democrat MP Dr Danny Chambers, Phillips said she had spent the weekend dealing with cases in her Birmingham Yardley constituency linked to grooming of boys and girls by “organised groups of varying different sorts”.

The safeguarding minister added: “We will work absolutely at pace with the stakeholders, including the victims and also [former inquiry chair] professor Alexis Jay, to make sure that what was intended by those recommendations can happen.

“I will do it as quickly as can possibly be done, but I will not do what has previously been done by the previous government and just say ‘yeah sure’ and leave it to chance.”

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Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has dismissed a call to establish a commission on electoral reform.

Rayner was responding to a question from Liberal Democrat MP Olly Glover, who raised concerns about the electoral system and pointed to apparent public support for changes.

Glover said: “Most parties in this House, representing a collective total of 500 MPs, agree that first past the post [FPTP] is damaging trust in politics and 64 per cent of the public would like to see change.

“Does the minister agree that a national commission for electoral reform could address this, as recommended by the APPG?”

The deputy PM responded: “No.”

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Former prime minister Rishi Sunak returned to the House of Commons on Thursday to ask the government about food security.

The Conservative MP for the rural constituency of Richmond and Northallerton in North Yorkshire officially resigned as Tory leader on 5 July but served as leader of the opposition until earlier this month.

During environment, food and rural affairs questions, Sunak said: “In our increasingly volatile world, I’m sure the secretary of state will agree that food security is of growing importance to our national resilience.

“So I hope he can commit the new government to continue publishing the annual food security index, with the next update coming at next year’s Farm to Fork Summit.”

Environment secretary Steve Reed replied: “It’s a pleasure, of course, to take a question from the distinguished former prime minister.

“We are reviewing the data that we can publish. We want to be as open and transparent as possible. I think that’s good for the sector, it’s good for scrutiny, but we will announce in due course precisely how that operates.”

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A Conservative member of the House of Lords has suggested drones such as those engaged in war could be used to “puncture” smuggler boats.

Lord Lucas said: “The drone capability we see daily in Ukraine — could that not be used to puncture people smugglers’ boats before they ever leave French shores?”

Labour defence minister Lord Vernon Coaker responded: “Well, I don’t know about that, but of course the use of drones is becoming increasingly important.

“With respect to his suggestion, I’m sure that people will have heard that and will consider it in due course.”

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Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, former home secretary Suella Braverman suggested that post-Brexit rules in Northern Ireland have “fundamentally failed”.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson had been awarded an urgent question on concerns about the recent High Court ruling that a key part of the government’s flagship Rwanda policy won’t apply in Northern Ireland because of the Windsor Framework.

Braverman asked of the minister: “Isn’t it now patently clear that the Windsor framework has operated in a way to undermine our sovereignty, to undermine Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom, and I’m afraid, has fundamentally failed upon its first contact with reality?’

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Speaking in Work and Pensions Department questions today, former home secretary Suella Braverman called on the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

She claimed the limit, which prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for more than two children, exacerbates child poverty.

She said: “A child growing up in poverty is more likely to have worse literacy and numeracy, health and job outcomes and a shorter life expectancy than the national average”.

“Isn’t it right that the single biggest, most effective thing the government could do now is to scrap the two child benefit cap?”, she asked of the minister.

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Speaking at Home Office questions today, Labour MP Dawn Butler said she had sought “extra police support” after facing a rise in abuse which, she said, had been “inspired and unleashed” by certain Conservative MPs.

She asked the minister: “Does [he] agree that there is no place in this House or society for such divisive language?”

Policing minister Chris Philp responded: “I think this House as a whole should be clear that hatred based on religion or based on race has no part at all in a civilised country, whether that is directed towards members of the Jewish community who have suffered a surge in antisemitism or members or hatred directed towards the Muslim community.

“This party on this side is prepared to act extremely quickly and did so at the weekend”.

Former Conservative Party chair urges Rishi Sunak to ‘call out’ Islamophobia

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Speaking at Home Office questions today, Labour MP Barry Sheerman urged MPs to publish their DNA in a move he suggested would “enlighten” the fraught debate over migration.

He told the House: “Can I beg the home secretary to spread his more enlightened views that he’s just announced to some of his colleagues? Because migration shouldn’t be a dirty word. I’m the son of a migrant. I migrated myself to the United States at one stage. My DNA tells me that I’m 34 per cent Irish, 32 per cent Swedish.

“Could we please have every member of this parliament have their DNA published?”

Home secretary James Cleverly responded: “I’m not sure the government is able to compel such widespread disclosures”.

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In his first session of questions in the House of Lords, foreign secretary Lord Cameron said the ECHR should show “flexibility” when it comes to potential disputes over UK government policy.

He was questioned by Lord Kerr, a former diplomat, who said: “He will be aware that President Lukashenko and President Putin are the only members of the exclusive club of leaders whose countries do not recognise the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights.

“Does he share the view of the former home secretary that we should join that club?”

Cameron responded: “I can go back as far as 2005 and point the noble Lord to speeches that I made that said, you know, we always have to put our national interest first”.

He added: “As I found as prime minister, there are occasions when the ECHR makes judgements, as they did in in on the issue of prisoner votes, when they said that it was actually essential that we legislated instantly to give prisoners the vote. And I said I didn’t think that was the case – I think that should be settled by Houses of Parliament. And the ECHR backed down.

“So that sort of flexibility may well be necessary in the future”, he added.

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In Home Office questions today, Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Clevelan Sir Simon Clarke told the home secretary he must “disapply” elements of the ECHR and UN refugee convention for the Rwanda plan to succeed.

Sir Simon said: “Disapplication of elements of the ECHR and the refugee conventions, will be necessary. The Court of Appeals cited human rights. The Supreme Court cited refoulement. What will it be next time in the absence of parliament expressly asserting the will of this House?”.

Home secretary James Cleverly responded: “I don’t want to prejudge the content of the [forthcoming] bill [to respond to the Supreme Court’s ruling]. I listened very carefully to the points that he has made, and he and the rest of the House should understand that we will do everything we can to ensure that we break the business model of the evil people smugglers”.

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During levelling up, housing and communities department questions today, the Labour MP Jon Trickett said the government’s levelling up measures are “a con”.

Minister Dehenna Davison replied: “Absolutely not Mr. Speaker. This is a government that’s put levelling up at the core of every single thing”.

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In environment, food and rural affairs department questions today, Labour MP Barry Sheerman raised that “air quality is poisoning young people [and] pregnant women”.

Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey responded: “I recommend they vote for a Conservative MP”.

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