It was a Commons showdown that divided parties and defined political careers. As a young reporter, Michael Cockerell covered the story of Britain’s entry into the European Community. As MPs vote on the Agreement to leave Europe, he looks back on the parliamentary fight to take us in

MPs are making the public into their political opponents and that is unlikely to end happily. They must respect the will of the people and implement the referendum result, says Gisela Stuart

The needs of those with learning disabilities to prepare for and find work are too often overlooked, Kate Green writes, as she encourages MPs to set up placement programmes

Local authorities are having to cut budgets or move money to fund support for special needs pupils. A cash injection is needed to ease pressure on councils and prevent children from missing out on education, writes Lord Porter

In her new role as shale gas commissioner, former Labour MP Natascha Engel is keen to establish the facts around fracking and encourage calm, rational debate 

After experiencing the reality of fracking first-hand, key questions still remain about the impact on communities and the true scale of gas production, argues Lee Rowley

Privatisation has been good for the water industry with improvements in infrastructure and supply – renationalising would see those benefits go down the plughole, warns Neil Parish

Significant questions remain about what a ‘no deal’ Brexit would mean for energy supplies in the UK, writes Lord Teverson

Senior Tories predict that as many as 20 MPs would throw their hat into the ring in a leadership contest. It would be a very brave punter who bet against Rory Stewart being one of them, writes Kevin Schofield 

Rory Stewart was once characterised as a Lawrence of Arabia figure, crossing continents on foot and nation-building in the Middle East. On his arrival in Westminster he was quickly tipped as “a future prime minister”. But after eight years experiencing the complex, messy reality of politics his belief in “great leaders and grand ideas” has been replaced with a deep respect for compromise, pragmatism and gradual progress. He talks to Kevin Schofield about Brexit, “utopian visions” and why he no longer “fantasises” about being in Number Ten 

As chair of the Business Select Committee, Rachel Reeves has been inundated with dire warnings about the consequences of a no deal Brexit. But with the Prime Minister’s deal looking unlikely to win the support of MPs at next week’s crunch vote, is there any way forward that works for British business? Sebastian Whale reports

When we fail to publicly recognise the achievements of women, we deny their rightful place in history. Raising a statue of Nancy Astor would be an important milestone in commemorating the role of women in politics, write Luke Pollard and Linda Gilroy