Video caption: Sunak 'trying to humiliate' Greek PM, says StarmerSunak 'trying to humiliate' Greek PM, says Starmer
That was another lively Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. Here were the key moments:
On the Greek row:
Starmer accused Sunak of trying to "humiliate" the Greek PM after he cancelled a meeting with him this week over a row about the Parthenon Sculptures, or Elgin Marbles - which Greece wants back from London's British Museum
Sunak said he is happy to discuss matters of substance, but the meeting would've been "inappropriate" when it became clear to him the Greek PM's purpose was to "grandstand and relitigate issues of the past"
On immigration:
Migration led the debate, after new figures last week showed net migration to the UK hit a record last year. Keir Starmer said the Tories had "lost control of the borders" - Rishi Sunak replied he was determined to bring down migration levels which he said were "too high"
The Labour leader said Sunak had "no plan" on boat crossings - but Sunak pointed out illegal boat crossings were down by a third this year
On the cost of living:
The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn asked the PM if he regretted offering "no financial mechanism" for families this winter - Sunak said this was incorrect and pensioners would see an extra £300 on top of their winter fuel payments
And Sunak said the government has delivered on halving inflation, as well as "the biggest tax cuts since the 1980s"
You can read our full report of PMQs here. Thanks for joining us - we'll be back to cover next week's PMQs on Wednesday at noon.
Watch: People filled with dread over bills, says SNP's Flynn
Video content
Video caption: People 'filled with dread' over cold weather and energy billsPeople 'filled with dread' over cold weather and energy bills
The arrival of snow may excite some, but others look out and are filled with dread because they will not be able to pay for power to warm their homes, Stephen Flynn has said.
But Rishi Sunak claimed the SNP Westminster leader was "simply not right" in claiming there was no help for families, saying there was "considerable support" alongside winter fuel payments.
Greece row rumbles on
Chris Mason
Political editor
The PM’s team are now taking questions from reporters.
Lots of questions about the prime minister choosing to have
a public pop at Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Commons today.
The diplomatic spat about the marbles rumbles on into a
third day.
BBC Verify
Anthony Reuben
Is immigration slowing?
Defending his immigration policies, the prime minister said: “Recent estimates of immigration show that it’s
slowing.”
Net migration is the number of people arriving in the UK who plan to stay for at least a year, minus the people leaving for at least a year.
That figure was up from 607,000 for the year to the end of June 2022, but down from 745,000 for the whole of 2022.
The Office for National Statistics, which released the
figures, said “while it is too early to say if this is the start of a new
downward trend, these more recent estimates indicate a slowing of immigration”.
The figure is nonetheless still at a historically high level - Mr Sunak himself described it as "far too high".
Watch: 'It's the PM who's lost his marbles'
Video content
Video caption: Sunak 'trying to humiliate' Greek PM, says StarmerSunak 'trying to humiliate' Greek PM, says Starmer
One topic we heard a lot of discussion about during PMQs was Sunak's diplomatic row with the Greek government over the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.
Sunak said he was happy to talk about "important topics of substance" but Kyriakos Mitsotakis was trying to “grandstand” over the relics in the British Museum. You can watch the key exchange above.
Starmer trying out the role of PM in waiting
Chris Mason
Political editor
Stepping back, PMQs felt like Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was trying to give the impression of being a prime minister in waiting.
Amid the marble gags and immigration questions, he sought to
make the case that he was the grown up, willing to meet a foreign leader, the
Greek prime minister, when the actual PM was not.
Rishi Sunak pushed back that integrity and keeping promises
mattered - and his Greek counterpart had broken an undertaking not to talk publicly about
the Elgin Marbles.
The Greek government has said it made no such undertaking.
What plans do you have to deal with AI concerns, Sunak asked
And the final question was from Conservative MP and former justice secretary Robert Buckland who raised the issue of artificial intelligence - saying it was creating problems including disinformation and deep fakes.
It poses a danger to democratic processes, he said, as well as to justice.
He asked the prime minister what plans he had to tackle the issue following the recent summit on the issue at Bletchley Park.
Sunak said it was important to have guardrails around the technology, and cites the government's Online Safety Bill in doing some of that by giving the regulator "significant new powers"
He adds that the government is working with international partners to ensure "we can all get benefits from this technology".
Labour MP: Tory government provided nothing to make coal tips safe
House of CommonsCopyright: House of Commons
Now Labour MP Beth Winter asks about more than 2,000 disused coal tips in Wales.
She says the Welsh government previously asked for £600m to make them safe, and sought an initial £20m before the Autumn Statement, but "this Tory government provided nothing".
She asks if the PM thinks it's right the UK took the economic benefit from Welsh coal, but won't fund the safety of its legacy.
Sunak says the UK government is investing in Wales, with record investment in communities up and down the country.
He says the government has invested hundreds of millions of pounds to safeguard thousands of jobs at Tata Steel.
Government 'doing everything we can' to get Britons out of Gaza
The SNP's Peter Grant raised the case of a constituent, who he said was "frantic with worry" about their 83-year-old mother currently stuck in
Gaza.
He called for the government to get vulnerable people out of danger while it can - as the temporary ceasefire enters a sixth day.
Sunak said the government was "doing everything we can to ensure the safe passage of British nationals out of Gaza" and will make sure the Foreign Office gets in touch with the MP about the specific case.
He said all British nationals in Gaza registered with the Foreign Office have had "significant interaction", with the safe passage of "well over 200" already secured.
The PM added that the government will "continue to do everything we can" for those remaining.
110-year-old constituent gets a shout out - and a joke
Conservative MP Jeremy Wright said he has a 110-year-old constituent coming to Parliament today.
He joked that the constituent, John, could offer some advice to those who look too often at opinion polls, because he has "some experience of surviving against the odds".
Sunak said he hoped he has the chance to meet John this afternoon.
Braverman ally adds to pressure for migration action
Chris Mason
Political editor
Another insight
just now into the internal wrangling with the Conservative Party, and the
government, on immigration.
Hayes is
close to Suella Braverman, the former home secretary. Jenrick and Braverman jointly made the case to Downing Street for measures they felt
would bring net migration down when both were in post.
Since Braverman was sacked, Jenrick has renewed that argument - albeit with
marginally watered down ideas.
The government
is still working out precisely what it is planning to do.
PM questioned over child poverty
Labour MP Alison McGovern said the PM has claimed that the best way to stop children living in poverty is for them to have parents that work - but that over 70% of poor children live in a home with someone in employment.
McGovern asked the PM to explain why reports say one million of our children experience not just poverty but destitution.
PM Sunak said no child should grow up in poverty, and the measures the government has taken mean that 1.7 million fewer people are living in poverty today than in 2010.
He said children growing up in workless households are now "four or five times less likely to be in poverty".
Fellow Tory presses Sunak on migration
House of CommonsCopyright: House of Commons
Conservative MP John Hayes also brought up the issue of immigration, saying that the current levels are "catastrophic" for the UK.
He asked the prime minister if his legislation on the issue would be "exactly in the form" as recommended by his own immigration minister (you can read about Robert Jenrick's pledge to bring forward reforms here).
Sunak said he was receiving recommendations, and would bring forward measures on top of "very significant restrictions" as already announced on the dependents of overseas students.
On the issue of illegal migration, he says he is bringing forward legislation that makes it clear that Rwanda is a safe country.
BBC Verify
Lucy Gilder
Are small boat crossings down by a third?
Defending his immigration
policies earlier, Rishi Sunak claimed small boat crossings were down by a third
compared with last year.
This is true. This year, 28,072
migrants have been detected crossing the English Channel in small boats (as
of 28 November).
This is 34% lower than over
the same period last year, when 42,696 migrants crossed.
However, the number of people
crossing this year is still substantially higher than in previous years. In
2019, for example, just 1,843 people crossed.
PMQs has now ended in the Commons, but stay with us while we bring you a few more of the questions that were asked, and recap the key moments.
Sunak asked about 'Rishi thinks just let people die' quote
Labour MP Tulip Siddiq's question focuses on something that came out in the Covid inquiry - and she reads out a quote: "Rishi thinks just let people die and that's OK".
According to the diary of then-chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, Dominic Cummings had said the quote.
Siddiq says she's shocked that Downing Street hasn't denied it.
She asks how people closest to this issue at the top of
government got the impression that was the PM was OK with people in our
country dying.
Sunak says there's an ongoing inquiry into Covid and "I
look forward to providing my own evidence".
He says the
person she'd mentioned, the chief scientific adviser, "confirmed he did
not hear me say that and that's because I didn't".
Sunak urges London council to 'rethink' parking charges for electric cars
Up next is Nickie Aiken, Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster, who asks if the PM shares her concerns over reports that Labour-run Westminster council is "increasing parking charges for electric small vehicles".
Sunak says Labour is "penalising hard-working people".
He urges the council to rethink "these damaging proposals".
MPs wear red ribbons to mark World Aids Day
Chris Mason
Political editor
Plenty of MPs today are wearing a red ribbon – to mark World
Aids Day on Friday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has just praised Sir Elton in the Commons
after a question from the former Conservative cabinet minister David Mundell - saying he was “very pleased” Elton John’s
campaigning would be celebrated.
Sunak praises Elton John's Aids work ahead of event later
Former Scottish secretary David Mundell asks the
prime minister to praise the “incredible contribution” of Sir Elton John in his fight
to eradicate Aids.
Sir Elton is heading to Parliament later today to urge
ministers to do more to hit a 2030 target of eliminating new HIV cases in
England.
Sunak says Sir Elton “has been a powerful voice
for change” across the world and he will be pleased to join him at the event later.
He said there will be an announcement later on new measures
to meet the government’s target to “end new transmission of HIV by 2030”.
What are you planning to do about cancer funding, Sunak asked
Labour MP Derek Twigg - for Halton in Cheshire - asks a question about cancer research, saying that charities fund 62% of cancer research, compared to 38% from the government. He asks Sunak if he is ashamed of this, and what he is planning to do about it.
Sunak says that "of course the government must do more to continue fighting cancer deaths in our country", and says his government is focussed on fighting cancer on all fronts - including prevention, diagnosis and research.
He says there has been progress in many areas, saying that cancer is now being diagnosed at an earlier stage, and that survival rates are improving across all cancers.
Live Reporting
Edited by Heather Sharp and Francesca Gillett
All times stated are UK
Video caption: Sunak 'trying to humiliate' Greek PM, says StarmerSunak 'trying to humiliate' Greek PM, says Starmer -
Starmer accused Sunak of trying to "humiliate" the Greek PM after he cancelled a meeting with him this week over a row about the Parthenon Sculptures, or Elgin Marbles - which Greece wants back from London's British Museum
-
Sunak said he is happy to discuss matters of substance, but the meeting would've been "inappropriate" when it became clear to him the Greek PM's purpose was to "grandstand and relitigate issues of the past"
- Migration led the debate, after new figures last week showed net migration to the UK hit a record last year. Keir Starmer said the Tories had "lost control of the borders" - Rishi Sunak replied he was determined to bring down migration levels which he said were "too high"
-
The Labour leader said Sunak had "no plan" on boat crossings - but Sunak pointed out illegal boat crossings were down by a third this year
-
The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn asked the PM if he regretted offering "no financial mechanism" for families this winter - Sunak said this was incorrect and pensioners would see an extra £300 on top of their winter fuel payments
-
And Sunak said the government has delivered on halving inflation, as well as "the biggest tax cuts since the 1980s"
Video caption: People 'filled with dread' over cold weather and energy billsPeople 'filled with dread' over cold weather and energy bills 
Video caption: Sunak 'trying to humiliate' Greek PM, says StarmerSunak 'trying to humiliate' Greek PM, says Starmer 
House of CommonsCopyright: House of Commons 
House of CommonsCopyright: House of Commons 
Latest PostWhat happened at today's PMQs?
Video content
That was another lively Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. Here were the key moments:
On the Greek row:
On immigration:
On the cost of living:
You can read our full report of PMQs here. Thanks for joining us - we'll be back to cover next week's PMQs on Wednesday at noon.
Watch: People filled with dread over bills, says SNP's Flynn
Video content
The arrival of snow may excite some, but others look out and are filled with dread because they will not be able to pay for power to warm their homes, Stephen Flynn has said.
But Rishi Sunak claimed the SNP Westminster leader was "simply not right" in claiming there was no help for families, saying there was "considerable support" alongside winter fuel payments.
Greece row rumbles on
Chris Mason
Political editor
The PM’s team are now taking questions from reporters.
Lots of questions about the prime minister choosing to have a public pop at Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Commons today.
The diplomatic spat about the marbles rumbles on into a third day.
BBC Verify
Anthony Reuben
Is immigration slowing?
Defending his immigration policies, the prime minister said: “Recent estimates of immigration show that it’s slowing.”
He was referring to the official migration figures released last week, which showed net migration of 672,000 people for the year to the end of June 2023.
Net migration is the number of people arriving in the UK who plan to stay for at least a year, minus the people leaving for at least a year.
That figure was up from 607,000 for the year to the end of June 2022, but down from 745,000 for the whole of 2022.
The Office for National Statistics, which released the figures, said “while it is too early to say if this is the start of a new downward trend, these more recent estimates indicate a slowing of immigration”.
The figure is nonetheless still at a historically high level - Mr Sunak himself described it as "far too high".
Watch: 'It's the PM who's lost his marbles'
Video content
One topic we heard a lot of discussion about during PMQs was Sunak's diplomatic row with the Greek government over the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Rishi Sunak had "lost his marbles" when he cancelled a meeting with the Greek prime minister.
Sunak said he was happy to talk about "important topics of substance" but Kyriakos Mitsotakis was trying to “grandstand” over the relics in the British Museum. You can watch the key exchange above.
Starmer trying out the role of PM in waiting
Chris Mason
Political editor
Stepping back, PMQs felt like Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was trying to give the impression of being a prime minister in waiting.
Amid the marble gags and immigration questions, he sought to make the case that he was the grown up, willing to meet a foreign leader, the Greek prime minister, when the actual PM was not.
Rishi Sunak pushed back that integrity and keeping promises mattered - and his Greek counterpart had broken an undertaking not to talk publicly about the Elgin Marbles.
The Greek government has said it made no such undertaking.
What plans do you have to deal with AI concerns, Sunak asked
And the final question was from Conservative MP and former justice secretary Robert Buckland who raised the issue of artificial intelligence - saying it was creating problems including disinformation and deep fakes.
It poses a danger to democratic processes, he said, as well as to justice.
He asked the prime minister what plans he had to tackle the issue following the recent summit on the issue at Bletchley Park.
Sunak said it was important to have guardrails around the technology, and cites the government's Online Safety Bill in doing some of that by giving the regulator "significant new powers"
He adds that the government is working with international partners to ensure "we can all get benefits from this technology".
Labour MP: Tory government provided nothing to make coal tips safe
Now Labour MP Beth Winter asks about more than 2,000 disused coal tips in Wales.
She says the Welsh government previously asked for £600m to make them safe, and sought an initial £20m before the Autumn Statement, but "this Tory government provided nothing".
She asks if the PM thinks it's right the UK took the economic benefit from Welsh coal, but won't fund the safety of its legacy.
Sunak says the UK government is investing in Wales, with record investment in communities up and down the country.
He says the government has invested hundreds of millions of pounds to safeguard thousands of jobs at Tata Steel.
Government 'doing everything we can' to get Britons out of Gaza
The SNP's Peter Grant raised the case of a constituent, who he said was "frantic with worry" about their 83-year-old mother currently stuck in Gaza.
He called for the government to get vulnerable people out of danger while it can - as the temporary ceasefire enters a sixth day.
Sunak said the government was "doing everything we can to ensure the safe passage of British nationals out of Gaza" and will make sure the Foreign Office gets in touch with the MP about the specific case.
He said all British nationals in Gaza registered with the Foreign Office have had "significant interaction", with the safe passage of "well over 200" already secured.
The PM added that the government will "continue to do everything we can" for those remaining.
110-year-old constituent gets a shout out - and a joke
Conservative MP Jeremy Wright said he has a 110-year-old constituent coming to Parliament today.
He joked that the constituent, John, could offer some advice to those who look too often at opinion polls, because he has "some experience of surviving against the odds".
Sunak said he hoped he has the chance to meet John this afternoon.
Braverman ally adds to pressure for migration action
Chris Mason
Political editor
Another insight just now into the internal wrangling with the Conservative Party, and the government, on immigration.
Tory backbencher Sir John Hayes, who chairs the party’s Common Sense Group of MPs broadly on the right of the party, sought toensure that ideas set out internally by immigration minister Robert Jenrick to bring down immigration – details of which I reported last week - would become government policy.
Hayes is close to Suella Braverman, the former home secretary. Jenrick and Braverman jointly made the case to Downing Street for measures they felt would bring net migration down when both were in post.
Since Braverman was sacked, Jenrick has renewed that argument - albeit with marginally watered down ideas.
The government is still working out precisely what it is planning to do.
PM questioned over child poverty
Labour MP Alison McGovern said the PM has claimed that the best way to stop children living in poverty is for them to have parents that work - but that over 70% of poor children live in a home with someone in employment.
McGovern asked the PM to explain why reports say one million of our children experience not just poverty but destitution.
PM Sunak said no child should grow up in poverty, and the measures the government has taken mean that 1.7 million fewer people are living in poverty today than in 2010.
He said children growing up in workless households are now "four or five times less likely to be in poverty".
Fellow Tory presses Sunak on migration
Conservative MP John Hayes also brought up the issue of immigration, saying that the current levels are "catastrophic" for the UK.
He asked the prime minister if his legislation on the issue would be "exactly in the form" as recommended by his own immigration minister (you can read about Robert Jenrick's pledge to bring forward reforms here).
Sunak said he was receiving recommendations, and would bring forward measures on top of "very significant restrictions" as already announced on the dependents of overseas students.
On the issue of illegal migration, he says he is bringing forward legislation that makes it clear that Rwanda is a safe country.
BBC Verify
Lucy Gilder
Are small boat crossings down by a third?
Defending his immigration policies earlier, Rishi Sunak claimed small boat crossings were down by a third compared with last year.
This is true. This year, 28,072 migrants have been detected crossing the English Channel in small boats (as of 28 November).
This is 34% lower than over the same period last year, when 42,696 migrants crossed.
However, the number of people crossing this year is still substantially higher than in previous years. In 2019, for example, just 1,843 people crossed.
Read more about small boat crossings here.
Stay with us...
PMQs has now ended in the Commons, but stay with us while we bring you a few more of the questions that were asked, and recap the key moments.
Sunak asked about 'Rishi thinks just let people die' quote
Labour MP Tulip Siddiq's question focuses on something that came out in the Covid inquiry - and she reads out a quote: "Rishi thinks just let people die and that's OK".
According to the diary of then-chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, Dominic Cummings had said the quote.
Siddiq says she's shocked that Downing Street hasn't denied it.
She asks how people closest to this issue at the top of government got the impression that was the PM was OK with people in our country dying.
Sunak says there's an ongoing inquiry into Covid and "I look forward to providing my own evidence".
He says the person she'd mentioned, the chief scientific adviser, "confirmed he did not hear me say that and that's because I didn't".
Sunak urges London council to 'rethink' parking charges for electric cars
Up next is Nickie Aiken, Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster, who asks if the PM shares her concerns over reports that Labour-run Westminster council is "increasing parking charges for electric small vehicles".
Sunak says Labour is "penalising hard-working people".
He urges the council to rethink "these damaging proposals".
MPs wear red ribbons to mark World Aids Day
Chris Mason
Political editor
Plenty of MPs today are wearing a red ribbon – to mark World Aids Day on Friday.
Tonight, Sir Elton John will be in Parliament – you can read more about his visit here from my colleague Jack Fenwick.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has just praised Sir Elton in the Commons after a question from the former Conservative cabinet minister David Mundell - saying he was “very pleased” Elton John’s campaigning would be celebrated.
Sunak praises Elton John's Aids work ahead of event later
Former Scottish secretary David Mundell asks the prime minister to praise the “incredible contribution” of Sir Elton John in his fight to eradicate Aids.
Sir Elton is heading to Parliament later today to urge ministers to do more to hit a 2030 target of eliminating new HIV cases in England.
Sunak says Sir Elton “has been a powerful voice for change” across the world and he will be pleased to join him at the event later.
He said there will be an announcement later on new measures to meet the government’s target to “end new transmission of HIV by 2030”.
What are you planning to do about cancer funding, Sunak asked
Labour MP Derek Twigg - for Halton in Cheshire - asks a question about cancer research, saying that charities fund 62% of cancer research, compared to 38% from the government. He asks Sunak if he is ashamed of this, and what he is planning to do about it.
Sunak says that "of course the government must do more to continue fighting cancer deaths in our country", and says his government is focussed on fighting cancer on all fronts - including prevention, diagnosis and research.
He says there has been progress in many areas, saying that cancer is now being diagnosed at an earlier stage, and that survival rates are improving across all cancers.