Katy Balls

Speaking for the first time at the despatch box is a nerve-wracking experience for any politician. But speaking for the first time at the despatch box while also making your debut as a Secretary of State is enough to give most people cause for an impromptu sick day. Add to that the small matter of a threatened backbench rebellion if you don't manage to reverse planned cuts to your department and one could be forgiven for feeling a little bit sorry for Gavin Williamson today. Following weeks of controversy about his surprise promotion, this afternoon the former Chief Whip made his debut as Defence Secretary.

It's the day after Philip Hammond's Budget and so far the Chancellor has managed to avoid disaster. Broadly speaking, his Budget has been well-received. The Prime Minister this morning went so far as to say the Chancellor 'did a very good job'. Meanwhile, another of Hammond's old foes softened its stance, with the Daily Mail celebrating Hammond's newfound optimism and the end of the Eeyore chancellor. However, this afternoon's Budget briefing from the Institute of Fiscal Studies offered some grim analysis. Paul Johnson and his number-crunching team ran through the figures in the Autumn Budget in detail.

After months of Tory nerves, Philip Hammond has just finished presenting his Autumn Budget in the Chamber. Among the main giveaways, the Chancellor announced more funding for the NHS as well as pitching to the young with his housing proposals and 18-30 railcard. He also announced measures to ease out the rollout of Universal Credit – including a one week reduction to the wait time. However, although the Chancellor was at pains to sound optimistic and shake off his Eeyore image, this was made difficult thanks to some grim statistics from the OBR. The OBR has revised down its forecast for annual growth quite significantly –  lower than envisaged after the Brexit vote. It's the weakest official long term forecast for UK economic growth since at least 1983.

So much for that Friday feeling – Theresa May's day out at the European social summit has proved a slog. First, an increasingly angry Irish Taoiseach threatened to block the progress of Brexit talks over the Irish border – telling hacks that he couldn't 'in any honesty' say that an agreement is close. Then, Donald Tusk issued a stern warning that 'much more progress' will have to be made in order for him to even consider letting the talks progress to trade in December. The European Council president said that while 'good progress' on citizens’ rights is being made, he needs to see 'much more progress' on Ireland and on the financial settlement.

John McDonnell has busied himself today on the airwaves setting out Labour's five key demands for the budget. His call for an end to austerity would mean pausing the roll-out of Universal Credit, ditching the public sector pay cap, more money into infrastructure, health, education, and local government along with a large-scale house-building programme. All very well. Only the shadow chancellor's Today programme interview took a turn for the worse when McDonnell tried to explain how his party would fund this. He appeared to concede this would mean borrowing – along with a mega-crackdown on tax avoidance and changes to corporation tax.

After a grim few weeks for Theresa May and her government – which has seen the Prime Minister lose two Cabinet ministers, another put under investigation and calls for Boris Johnson to resign – today's ICM/Guardian poll certainly makes for interesting reading. Rather than the Conservatives falling behind, it shows that Labour and the Tories remain neck and neck. While the Conservatives have gone down by one-point after last week's shenanigans, May can take heart that so has Corbyn's Labour: https://twitter.com/AndrewSparrow/status/930752043823910912 It's a recurring theme. A poll on Friday suggested a beleaguered May is the more popular choice for Prime Minister – actually gaining a point following last week's shenanigans.

This week a Conservative politician managed to get both the SNP and Labour to applaud them in the Chamber. Unfortunately for Theresa May, it wasn't in response to government policy. Instead it was Europhile – and Tory grandee – Ken Clarke, who took the opportunity to explain why he thinks Nigel Farage is the 'most successful politician' of his generation, why bent bananas won't be making a comeback and, most importantly, why MPs ought to oppose Theresa May's Brexit date amendment (also known as amendment 381) to the EU Withdrawal Bill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

After Michael Fallon resigned as Defence Secretary last night amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour, questions were asked over how damaging this could be for May. As well as the sleaze scandal showing no sign of dying down, the Prime Minister has lost one of her most loyal ministers. This morning, No 10 have tried to answer that question by moving one of May's closest allies to defence. Gavin Williamson has been appointed Defence Secretary – leaving his post as Chief Whip. Well-liked and well-connected in the party, Williamson is seen as someone who can be trusted to get the job done with little drama – something May could do with right now.

After a week of reports of MPs behaving badly and allegations of sexual assault in politics, the first front bench resignation has occurred. Sir Michael Fallon has resigned as Defence Secretary following allegations of past inappropriate behaviour. His decision comes after a story this week in which he admitted touching a female journalist's leg at a party conference 15 years ago. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Fallon said that some of his previous conduct had 'fallen below the high standards that we require of the Armed Forces and that I have the honour to represent': It's likely that more details surrounding his decision will surface as the evening goes on.

The Westminster sleaze row shows no signs of dying down with today's papers filled with more tales of MPs behaving badly. The Telegraph warns that the Parliament sex scandal ‘could be worse than expenses’ – reporting that two female staff stopped working for a minister over claims of inappropriate behaviour. Meanwhile the Sun leads on Michael Fallon's admission that he once touched a female journalist's leg. That journalist – Julia Hartley-Brewer – has since come forward to say that she does not count the incident as harassment.

As allegations of sexual misconduct in Parliament rise and a spreadsheet of suspected sex pest MPs does the rounds, today the government attempted to take control of the situation. In a statement to the House, Andrea Leadsom promised to get a grip on the issue – as she said Parliament 'must take action in days not weeks'. What these actions should be and who should take them remains a matter for discussion. When the issue came to the Chamber today through an urgent question from Harriet Harman, it proved a political hot potato. John Bercow addressed the House to say there must be 'zero tolerance' of sexual harassment in Parliament – before saying it was up to the parties to make sure they have 'credible' staff grievance procedures.

The Women and Equalities Select Committee is a member down today after one of its male intake was forced to resign on Monday over his formerly misogynistic behaviour. However, to the surprise of some feminists, it's not Philip Davies, the man many have spent the past year calling a misogynist, but Labour's Jared O’Mara. The MP for Sheffield Hallam's equality credentials have been cast into doubt after Guido uncovered a series of online messages from him dating back ten years or so. They include calling gay people 'fudge packers' and 'poofters', asking Girls Aloud for an orgy (on the condition the blonde member wasn't in the picture), and claiming fat women don't deserve respect.

Well, that lasted long. Although Theresa May didn't get the green light to talk trade on her EU council summit charm offensive last week, there was a general consensus that the mood music had at least improved. The EU27 struck a conciliatory and optimistic tone – agreeing to begin internal trade discussions in anticipation of moving to trade talks in December. Angela Merkel even went so far as to say she had 'no doubt' a deal would be reached between the EU and Britain. However, it seems that the memo to play nice failed to reach the European Commission. Just as happened the last time May had dinner with Jean-Claude Juncker, a withering account of the pair's meeting on Monday has wound up in the German broadsheet FAZ.

Few in Whitehall believed that Theresa May's trip to the EU Council summit this week would result in Britain being given the green light to move onto the second stage of Brexit talks. Instead, it has all been about setting the tone and planting the seeds so that when the EU27 meet again in December, they decide that it is finally time to talk about trade. So, Theresa May ought to be able to leave Brussels a moderately happy woman today. This morning EU leaders agreed to start internal discussions on their approach to the 'second phase' of talks on trade and the transition period. This isn't a green light – but it is a suggestion a green light could be granted the next time they meet.

Wednesday's Opposition Day debate calling for the universal credit rollout to be paused offers a lesson in how quickly Theresa May's minority government can become unstuck. In an attempt to kill off a Tory rebellion on the issue of the ill-fated universal credit roll out, David Gauke kicked off his morning announcing DWP is scrapping charges to the benefit helpline. When this wasn't enough to stop all 25 potential rebels from joining Labour in the division lobbies, the Tories are thought to have issued a three-line whip for MPs to abstain so as to avoid a potential defeat. In response to this news, opposition parties have been quick to go on the attack, with the Liberal Democrats' Alistair Carmichael calling the plot an 'outrageous attempt to subvert democracy'.

Ever since Labour won over young voters at the last election, the Conservatives have been trying to work out how to do the same. Tory MPs have scrambled around for ideas. Various suggestions have been mooted, ranging from a Tory Glastonbury and a Tory Momentum to lowering taxes for young voters, scrapping historic student debt and drastically reforming tuition fees. With Jeremy Corbyn promising to abolish university fees, the debate surrounding higher education funding has become particularly toxic. Many younger voters feel that tuition fees are very unjust. What started as £1k a year has grown to £9,250 and the above-inflation interest rate only adds to the sense of unfairness. It doesn't help that few now bother to make the argument for tuition fees in response.

For all the talk of a new 'momentum' to the Brexit talks since Theresa May's Florence speech, today's press conference between Michel Barnier and David Davis certainly had a whiff of déjà vu to it. The EU's chief negotiator spoke severely of his concerns over a lack of 'progress' while the ever-optimistic Brexit secretary played up all the 'progress' that had been made. Despite that 'progress', Barnier confirmed – as expected – that he would not be recommending to the EU Council meeting next week that talks move to the second stage, of talking about a 'future relationship'. However, he did suggest that he hoped this recommendation would come within the next two months – 'decisive progress is within our grasp'.

Theresa May struck a defiant tone this afternoon in her first broadcast interview since her disastrous conference speech. Speaking to Iain Dale on LBC, the Prime Minister re-iterated her old claim that she still wishes to lead the party into the next election – even if the number of MPs in her party who support her wish is now in single figures: ID: Is it still your intention to lead the Conservative party into the next election? TM: Iain I've been asked this question many times and the answer has not changed, I can tell you that. ID: I just wondered after the events of last week whether it might have changed.