February 9, 2022
12:07 pm
The Government holds this Monday the last Council of Ministers of the year, in which it is expected to approve a battery of economic measures,
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PMQs Live
WATCH PMQS HERE – LIVE – FROM MIDDAY
What time is PMQs today? Starmer and Sunak face off – What will be discussed and what time is the Grenfell statement?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will face opposition leader Rishi Sunak for the first time since summer recess as Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) returns. It’s only Starmer’s second PMQs since becoming prime minister in July.
What time is PMQs?
PMQs starts at its usual time of midday and will last around 30 minutes.
After PMQs will be the Grenfell debate after the inquiry’s final report is published this morning. The damning report blames the fire – that killed 72 people – on a chain of failures by successive governments, dishonest companies and a lack of strategy from the fire services.
The prime minister will likely mention the report in his opening statement before making a full statement in response to the report when PMQs is over – MPs will remain in the Commons for a debate.
Where to watch PMQs?
You can watch PMQs Live from the UK Parliament YouTube channel.
It will also be streamed on major channels including BBC and Sky.
What will be on the agenda?
A lot has happened since Starmer took office, and with this being only the second Prime Minister’s Questions there will be much to discuss.
October Budget – expect this to be a big part of the session as the PM has warned the budget will be “painful” as the government need to fill the £22bn black hole.
Winter fuel payments – Chancellor Reeves has already announced around 10 million pensioners in England and Wales will lose their winter fuel payments. The Tories will have much to say about this as their key supporters tend to be pensioners.
Ukraine and Middle East wars – Ukraine is pushing for the West to allow long-range strikes on Russia and for more air defence systems. Elsewhere, the UK has suspended the sale of some arms to Israel over fears of war crimes.
Riots and UK crime – the far-right riots and looting that took place this summer, fuelled by lies on social media, are expected to be another big talking point as MPs have not yet had the chance to quiz the PM on the issue or the punishments.
PMQs today: PM faces Starmer after Tory election humiliation
PM Rishi Sunak will face Sir Keir Starmer in this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions – the first PMQs since the 2023 local elections, which saw the Conservative Party record significant losses.
Labour made substantial gains winning 643 councillors and taking control of 22 local authorities, while the Conservatives lost over 1000 seats and 48 councils. The Liberal Democrats and Greens also had successful elections.
What time is PMQs?
The latest PMQs starts at it’s usual time of midday and will last roughly half an hour.
You can watch PMQs live on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.
What to expect from PMQs?
Sir Keir will aim to keep the pressure on the PM and position Labour as the party best suited to lead the country in the next general election. Sir Keir will be encouraged from the voters who have returned to Labour in certain regions – after they had voted heavily for Brexit and Boris Johnson. Sir Keir will seek to transform reassurance into hope and promises a reforming government focused on improving the lives of working people.
For the prime minister, the focus will be on pledging to work tirelessly to deliver on the nation’s priorities and focusing on some of the positives from the election – a Labour win at the next general election is not a guarantee, with Lib Dems picking up a fair few gains from the Tory losses. It seems the British public isn’t entirely sold on Labour just yet. The PM will use this to his advantage, and likely blame the poor Tory results on the pandemic and Ukraine war.
PMQs ends – Parliament enters recess tomorrow
That’s a wrap on this week’s PMQs and the immigration minister’s statement on plans to house migrants in military bases to cut down on the use of hotels.
- It was an unusual day at the House of Commons, as the prime minister and Labour leader attended Baroness Betty Boothroyd’s funeral in Cambridgeshire
- Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab stood in for Rishi Sunak and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner stood in for Sir Keir Starmer, and they clashed over rape convictions, anti-social behaviour and policing
- Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick then announced the government’s plans to repurpose barrack blocks on former military bases in Essex, Lincolnshire and East Sussex to house migrants
- The announcement was met with disdain by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, who branded the plans an “admission of failure” by the Conservative government
There will be no PMQs next week, as parliament enters its Easter recess tomorrow – it will be on 17 April.
What is in the government’s migrant bill?
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has confirmed the government’s intention to house migrants in military bases.
It comes against the wider backdrop of the government’s planned legislation on migration, which was brought forward after PM Rishi Sunak announced at the start of the year that one of his key priorities was to “stop the boats”.
What comes in the bill?
- People removed from the UK will be blocked from returning or seeking British citizenship in future
- Migrants will not get bail or be able to seek judicial review for the first 28 days of detention
- There will be a cap on the number of refugees the UK will settle through “safe and legal routes” – set annually by Parliament
- A duty on the home secretary to detain and remove those arriving in the UK illegally, to Rwanda or a “safe” third country – this will take legal precedence over someone’s right to claim asylum
- Under-18s, those medically unfit to fly, or those at risk of serious harm in the country they are being removed to will be able to delay removal
PMQs recap – What happened in today’s session?
We had PMQs at midday… in which deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and justice secretary Dominic Raab stood in for their respective leaders, who were attending former speaker Baroness Boothroyd’s funeral.
Rayner focused on… violence against women and girls, challenging the government on low rape convictions, and slow case progress. In a thinly veiled reference to his own bullying enquiry, she also asked Raab whether he wanted to see bullies brought to justice.
In response, Raab... said the conviction rate measured by the CPS in rape cases had gone up 69%; funding for victims had been quadrupled; and violence against women was one of the government’s “top priorities”. He also accused Rayner of being more interested in playing “political games” than the issues she was raising.
After that, we had a statement by Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick… who confirmed plans to house migrants arriving in the UK on small boats in accommodation such as repurposed barrack blocks on former military bases in Essex and Lincolnshire. There’ll be another site in East Sussex, as well as one in Rishi Sunak’s constituency.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper… branded the plans an “admission of failure” by the government to tackle the migrant crisis. She said small boat crossings had increased and 40% fewer asylum cases were being decided due to the policies. She also accused the Home Office of behaving in such a panicked way that it had, she said, bid against itself for hotel contracts – driving prices up.
