PMQs – PM faces Starmer ahead of Spring Budget 2023
PM Rishi Sunak will face Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer in this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions.
The session is set to focus on the upcoming Budget (that’ll be announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt after PMQs).
Starmer will attempt to poke holes in the Tories’ economic plans, and the PM is likely to deflect from questions about the Budget – and instead tell the opposition to wait for the Chancellor’s announcement on the Budget.
Sir Keir has challenged the Chancellor to get the UK “off this path of managed decline” ahead of the Budget, pointing to data showing there are 3,000 fewer high-growth businesses in the UK than there were five years ago.
What time is PMQs today?
This week’s PMQs kicks off at its usual time of midday from the House of Commons. The session will last around 30 minutes. The Chancellor will then unveil his Budget to MPs, starting at around 12:30.
How can I watch PMQs live?
You will be able to watch PMQs on a live stream here on this page. It will also be broadcast live on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.
What’s on the agenda from today’s PMQs?
Prior to a scheduled visit to a fuel cell manufacturing plant in Surrey on Monday, Sir Keir voiced his disapproval of the Tories’ handling of the stalling economy. . “These are challenging economic times. But I know the spirit of enterprise, of creativity, of endeavour are as present in Britain today as they ever have been,” he said.
“This week the Government has a real opportunity to show they have the ambition and competence to govern. Either they show some proper leadership and get our country off this path of managed decline or stand aside for an incoming Labour government.
The Chancellor’s Budget will focus on increasing employment, with plans to prevent early retirement by raising the pension cap and boosting childcare allowances for benefit claimants, enabling parents to work longer hours. There will also be an increase in corporation tax and an extension of the energy price guarantee until June. However, the Labour party has contested the funding of these measures, particularly with regard to the windfall tax on oil and gas companies.
In addition, Sir Keir plans to use his upcoming opportunity to question the Prime Minister to criticise the recent controversy surrounding Gary Lineker and the government’s new immigration policy. The Labour leader also criticised the BBC for “caving to whingeing Tories” by suspending the Match of the Day host.
Today’s PMQs and Budget come as half a million workers across various sectors are expected to strike on Wednesday in protest of pay and conditions. Among those walking out are teachers, junior doctors, civil servants, and Tube workers.