Labour Apsana Begum says welfare cut will push more families into desperation. Does the PM agree that this has not come out of the blue but instead Tory economics are to blame?
PM says he does not agree and is committed to reducing poverty. He says there are 200k fewer kids in poverty and 1.3m less in absolute poverty.
Labour’s Sarah Champion says people are struggling to put food on the table or fuel in their cars and that’s the govt fault – not Ukraine or Covid
PM says he disagrees and the govt is taking steps to help but says they are not doing everything. He says people are getting into work and that wouldn’t have been possible under Labour.
SNPs Carol Monaghan asks about grid connection charges in Scotland.
PM says the energy security strategy paper will propose long-term investment in the grid.
Ukraine refugee paperwork too complicated – Lib Dem leader
Ed Davey says his grandmother took in German Jewish refugees during world war two. Now families are offering to take in Ukrainian refugees. But the paperwork is too complicated, even though rich foreigners can come to the UK visa free.
PM says everyone is pulling together. Davey should not “deprecate” what the UK is offering. He says 25,000 people have got visas, 1,000 applications are being processed a day, and there is no limit to how many can come.
SNP Ian Blackford – millions facing £700 energy bill hike
Ian Blackford says millions of families are trying to work out how they will afford the £700 energy bill hike that will hit them on Friday. But Tory MPs were gathering for a champagne bash, he says. The Tories partied during lockdown, and they are partying now, he says. The PM has been briefing against the chancellor, saying more needs to be done, he says. Blackford says he agrees. What will he tell his chancellor to do?
Johnson says Blackford is “in error” about what he said last night (hinting that champagne was not drunk?). Blackford, like himself, is a testament to the virtues of “moderation in all things”, he says, in a jibe at Blackford’s waistline.
Blackford says the Tories do not understand that over the next week the weather in Scotland will barely reach above freezing. Will they turn the £200 heating loan into a grant?
Johnson says Blackford is right to draw attention to the problem. It is “preposterous” than the SNP are opposed to the use of native hydrocarbons, he claims.
The Opposition has literally just called the Prime Minister a liar, a criminal, accused him of being in breach of the Ministerial Code and demanded he resign. This is not normal. This should be the point where Johnson gets led off in handcuffs #PMQs
— Sir Jack Caramac 💙 🇺🇦 (@JCaramac) March 30, 2022
Starmer says the PM is either trashing the ministerial code or his own advisers were repeatedly lying to him. He asks why the PM thinks its one rule for him and another for everyone else.
PM repeats his earlier comments about Labour keeping the country in lockdown, he pointed to unemployment levels falling to levels lower that at the start of pandemic. He says the UK has more unicorns ($1bn start-ups) than France, Germany and Israel combined.
Starmer says Tories are the party of excess oil and gas profits whilst Labour is the people’s party. Ask about No 10 partygate – says PM told MPs no rules were broken during lockdown but now police say laws were broken. Starmer notes the ministerial codes says ministers who knowingly mislead the house should resign – so why is he still here?
PM attempts to claim Starmer keeps flip-flopping on saying the PM should resign – (that’s not entirely true, Starmer said he was no longer arguing for that, in light of the Ukraine war.)
follow along with the text here.
