Nitin Gadkari, Jyotiraditya Scindia among MPs playing truant despite Lok Sabha whip

‘Children are being bombed’ - Govt call for end to conflict

Wes Streeting sharply criticises Israeli military action in Gaza, calling the situation “utterly horrific and intolerable”. The health secretary says the government is working “intensively” to unblock aid corridors and to bring an end to the “bloody conflict”. Streeting stops short of calling it a “genocide” but says MPs feel “the same frustration as people marching in the streets”. Report by Faragt. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

Justice secretary announces chemical castration pilot

The justice secretary announces a national rollout, covering 20 prisons to pilot the use of medication to suppress the sex drive of sex offenders. The government is exploring whether to enforce the chemical castration on offenders as mandatory, Shabana Mahmood tells MPs, after recommendations from the independent sentencing review to explore its use further to reduce the risk of reoffending. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

PM announces U-turn over winter fuel payments

Sir Keir Starmer tells MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions that the government is going to increase the number of pensioners who qualify for winter fuel payments following last year’s cut in the numbers who are eligible. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn