March 15, 2023
10:22 am
Prime Ministers Questions
Catch-up
PMQs Live – Budget, BBC and immigration policy as Britain strikes today!
PMQs – Sunak grilled on controversial bill
PMQs – ‘I rebut and refute any bullying claims made’ says Dominic Raab
PMQs Live – Dominic Raab stands in for PM as inflation soars
PMQs LIVE: PM made “grubby deal” with Braverman, says Starmer
What time is PMQs today? PM Rishi Sunak faces Sir Keir
PMQs live stream: Will Sunak support indyref2?
PMQs live stream: Sunak questioned on Braverman, mandates and general election
Government all talk no action – Starmer
Starmer’s final question sees him say less than 1% of those arriving on small boats have been processed and the asylum system is broken.
He says that after 13 years of the Conservatives in power, trafficking gangs are “laughing all the way to the bank”.
The government, he adds, is offering “all talk and no action,” and the “same old gimmicks and empty promises”.
Labour does not want open borders
Starmer hits back and says Labour does not want open borders – and it is the Conservatives that have “lost control of the borders”.
He says if the prime minister were “serious,” he would be stealing Labour’s own plan for small boats, saying the government’s plan is “all talk”.
“If he was serious… he would smash the gangs, sort out the returns and clean up the utter mess.”
He then asks Sunak when he will achieve his plan to stop the boats.
Labour on side of people smugglers – Sunak
PM makes a controversial statement saying Labour is on the side of the people smugglers as they fail to recognise there is a global migration problem.
The UK will remain compassionate says PM but the new bill makes it clear people who arrive illegally will be deported.
Labour’s policy is open door immigration and unlimited asylum, PM says.
Five utter failures on asylum – Starmer
Starmer begins saying by referring to “five utter failures” in the Conservatives’ migration policies while in government.
“The problem just gets worse with every new gimmick”, the Labour leader says, referring to the government’s latest asylum proposals.
He asks if Sunak agrees with an assessment by the home secretary that there has been “inadequate” action on the issue.
PM Sunak: I will publish my tax returns
PM Sunak confirms he will publish his tax returns soon, including his US tax returns.
Happy International Women’s Day marked
PM praises International Women’s Day. He says his government is making “huge strides” for the equality of women. He announces a new women and girls strategy.
PMQs kicks off. PM Sunak is set
PMQs – ‘I rebut and refute any bullying claims made’ says Dominic Raab
‘It’s anti-buylling week, will he apologise’ – Rayner
Rayner now mentions the formal complaints that have been made against Dominic Raab.
‘In anti-bullying week, will he apologise?, she asks.
Raab responds by saying he’s “confident that I behaved professionally throughout” his time as minister.
Rayner responds by saying Raab had to demand an investigation into himself because the PM is “too weak to get a grip.”
“The deputy prime minister knows his behaviour was unacceptable, so what’s he still doing here?” she asks.
Raab responds by saying: “I will thoroughly rebut and refute any claims made,” he states, reiterating that Rayner “hasn’t put a specific point to me”.
“If she wants to I’ll be very happy to address it,” he says.
Rayner now asks about the lack of details about when the bullying allegations will be investigated. Rayner says the government has “no ethics, no integrity, no mandate”.
“When will they appoint an independent ethics adviser and drain the swamp?”, she asks.
Raab replies that “the recruitment of the new ethics adviser is already under way and taking place at pace,” to laughter from the Labour benches.
Rayner asks about tax havens
Rayner asks Raab whether he accepts that every pound hidden in tax havens is a pound lost from the pockets of working families.
Raab responds that the government wants “people to come to this country” and to create jobs for British people.
He says the government’s approach to non-dom status and incentives for big tech companies are enabling business people to come to the UK.
Rayner says working people are paying the price for the government’s choices, and says they’re choosing to protect corporate profits and not household incomes.
Raab responds that Rayner knows unemployment remains at the 50-year low in the UK and stands at “half the level left by the last Labour government”. – (BBC)
On Ukraine
Rayner begins on Ukraine, asking whether Raab agrees that the fact that Russia is launching missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure shows the “utter contempt” President Putin has for the international order. – (BBC)
Raab responds to Angela Rayner’s first question, saying he “100%” agrees that Russia launching missile attacks on Ukrainian civilians shows Putin’s “utter contempt”. – (BBC)
Dominic Raab says the UK stands in solidarity with Poland and is working with allies to find out what happened.
Labour’s Clive Betts asks about integrity and whether Raab believes that all ministers should follow certain principles. He asks the PM if he agrees no minister who has had a complaint of bullying upheld against them should serve in government.
Raab says he behaved professionally throughout and as soon as he was notified about formal complaints against him he asked the PM to set up an independent investigation.
