Iain Dale: As I prepared for my Question Time debut, I heard that Diane Abbott had pulled out. Was it something I said?

Plus: May in trouble and Rudd in danger over Windrush. Corbyn stumbles. The pound rises. Local elections loom. And: the dignity of Neville Lawrence.

Henry Newman: Even if the Government concedes on an EU customs union, membership of it looks unsustainable. Here’s why.

Can we really imagine ministers rejecting Justin Trudeau’s trade deal offer, or one from the American administration, or from Australia and New Zealand?

Henry Hill: Showdown in Cardiff as Jones threatened Assembly with legal action

Also: Government to challenge devolved Brexit legislation in court; Dodds accuses Tusk of ‘bully-boy’ tactics over the border; and more.

Garvan Walshe: Have no doubt about it – Prime Minister Corbyn would abandon Eastern Europe

Britain would be powerless to deter Russian aggression, because he doesn’t see upholding peace and security in Europe – let alone the world – to be part of his job.

WATCH: Ici Londres – After the Windrush scandal, it is all the more important for liberal Leavers to speak up, argues Hannan

One of the few positive things to come out of the appalling affair is the way it revealed the British people are far from the anti-immigrant caricature some paint of them.

Votes loom on the EU Withdrawal Bill in the Lords. Which places a big responsibility on Labour’s leader there – Angela Smith.

Crossbench votes are always crucial in the Upper House as it now is. But the decisive role in the Bill’s consideration may well be played by the Official Opposition.

James Frayne: Remain-voting ministers don’t understand voters’ views on immigration, and so wildly overcompensate

Aggressive Home Office measures appear to be designed by people who wrongly assume that illiberal ideas must appeal to the primitive desires of the masses.

Henry Newman: Could Macron be the leader to deliver the Brexit deal that Davis is battling for?

Despite talk of the negotiations getting bogged down, the French president seems to understand that the process is about politics more than legal complexity.

Syria. MPs to argue about the stable door after the horse has bolted – or, rather, is back inside.

The Prime Minister faces a difficult afternoon – but will be aided by the unwillingess of Tory backbenchers to line up with Jeremy Corbyn.

Sunder Katwala: “Rivers of blood” and a striking reflection. Powell set the bar too low on integration.

Across this half-century, from Scarman after Brixton to MacPherson after Stephen Lawrence, governments have engaged only sporadically engaged with race.

Richard Salt: If Conservatives want to win the next election, we must Think North

As so many elections have shown in the past, both the main parties only win elections when they move into the centre.

Iain Dale: There’s a glint in Harman’s eye as she watches the Speaker’s chair

Plus: For and against bombing Syria. For Andrew Neil. Against Andrew Adonis. And: not an erection in sight.

Syria. May’s calculation and the dangers of a May miscalculation – to others and to her

She will be feeling a hand of history on her shoulder, and wondering if the other holds a knife at her back.

Priti Patel: A post-Brexit immigration system can support Britain’s global ambitions

Taking back control will give us scope to restore public confidence in our migration controls, support key sectors of the economy, and woo wealth creators.

Interview: Ben Houchen – Teesside will show how Britain can thrive after Brexit

In the second piece in our three-part mini-series, the Mayor tells ConservativeHome that freeport status can transform the area.