Image source, HoC

We're just over half way through PMQs, and here's a recap of what happened at the top of the session.

Unsurprisingly, the row about a Downing Street Christmas party in December 2020 has been the focus.

• Boris Johnson began by apologising for the video of No 10 staff "making light" of Covid rules
• But he repeated that there was no party and no Covid rules were broken
• However, he says that the Cabinet Secretary will be asked to look into the matter
• That was not enough for the Labour leader, who said the prime minister's apology raised "more questions than answers" after a week of denials from No 10
• He said that I'm a Celebrity TV hosts Ant and Dec - who mocked the prime minister last night - were ahead of Johnson on the matter
• Starmer then brought up the example of Trisha Greenhalgh whose mother died after becoming ill with Covid around the time of the Downing Street party
• The prime minister responded by accusing Starmer of "playing politics" and said the government was focusing on the roll out of the vaccines "not the events of a year ago"
• Starmer said the claims over conduct at Downing Street undermined the prime minister's credibility in the face of a new Covid variant
• Johnson accused the opposition leader of having "muddied the waters" during the pandemic and once again says everyone should get their booster jab when called forward

We'll bring you more updates as they happen.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford says that "trust in leadership is a matter of life and death" as the government may have to make "tough decisions" as the Omicron variant spreads.

"Downing Street willingly broke the rules and mocked the sacrifices we have all made, shattering the public trust," he says.

He says the PM is "responsible for losing the trust of the people" and "can no longer lead on the most pressing issues".

Johnson has a duty to resign, he says, calling it the "only right and moral choice".

The prime minister responds that the opposition can continue to "play politics" but says "I am going to get on with the job".

Ione Wells
Westminster Correspondent, BBC News

Image source, HoC

The prime minister has accused Keir Starmer of "playing politics" by referring to events of last year.

When the reports of Downing Street's Christmas party first broke, some of those in the Conservative Party did feel it was a "bubble" story that wouldn't cut through with the public.

But that view seems exceptionally optimistic. Footage of Downing Street aides laughing about how to respond to questions about a No 10 party has been watched millions of times, led all the national news bulletins last night, and has even been mocked by Ant and Dec to millions more viewers.

Starmer argues that this is not "playing politics" because of how it could undermine any current - or future - public health messaging as concerns about the new Covid variant grow.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says the PM's response "is so desperate and even his own side can see it".

Last week, the PM said there was no party and now he says he's investigating it, he says.

He says the deputy PM, Dominic Raab, says the police don't investigate crimes that took place a year ago - to laughter from the Labour benches.

He asks if the PM will support the police by handing over all documents to the police pertaining to the Downing Street party?

Boris Johnson says Sir Keir is "playing politics" and the government is dealing with immigration controls and changing the law to tackle with county lines drug gangs.

He says there will be a full investigation carried out by the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.

Image source, PA Media

Starmer says the government "will face other tests" going forward, especially with the ongoing concerns around Covid.

He points to the Queen, who sat alone at the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, (in April) to stick by the rules.

"Leadership, sacrifice, thats what gives leaders the moral authority to lead," he adds.

"Does the PM think he has the moral authority to lead and ask the British people to stick to the rules?"

Johnson continues to accuse the Labour leader of "playing politics", saying he has "muddied the waters" and "confused the public" during the pandemic.

"The public have not been fooled," adds the PM, saying they have "got on with showing great commitment to the health of this country".

The Labour leader continues, saying "we are facing a new variant" and the country "may well be in Plan B this afternoon". He says it undermines the prime minister's credibility if there are questions over conduct at Downing Street.

"No-one was dreaming of a Zoom Christmas, Turkey for one, gifts exchanged at service stations," says Starmer. "The British people put the health of others above themselves" last Christmas.

He asks if the PM is "ashamed" of what happened last Christmas.

Boris Johnson says when the internal investigation has concluded he will put a copy of that report in the House of Commons. He says the government is focusing on rolling out vaccinations and doing what it can to protect the public.

He says everyone should get their booster jabs as soon as they are "called forward".

Image source, HoC

Starmer then tells the Commons about the story of Trisha Greenhalgh, whose mum called her on the day that the party happened "breathless and feverish".

The Labour leader says she followed the rules and didn't visit, but as No 10 staff were joking, her mum was admitted to hospital.

"What Trisha wants to know is this why did the prime minister expect her to accept rules that allowed a Downing Street party but didn't allow her to visit her dying mother?"

Johnson says he extends his sympathies to the family and "everybody who has suffered throughout this pandemic".

But he says it was a "great mistake to try to play politics with this issue".

He said the government is "focusing on rolling out the vaccines not the events of a year ago".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says "the situation is as clear as day" on what happened in Downing Street. He says "surely the prime minister isn't going to pretend" that the first he had heard of the party was last night.

He says the video published by ITV News on Tuesday evening shows the PM's spokesperson joking about a party.

"Why doesn't he end the investigation right now by just admitting it?" he asks.

"I've been repeatedly assured that no rules were broken," says Boris Johnson, he says there will be "the requisite disciplinary action if necessary" if rules have been broken.

Image source, HoC

After the PM's apology, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer begins his questioning of Boris Johnson, and it seems it wasn't enough.

He says the apology "raises more questions than answers", and after a week of denials from No 10 "millions of people now think the prime minister was taking them for fools and they were lied to".

He adds: "They're right aren't they?"

Johnson repeats his apology for the "impression" given by his staff and says he was "sickened and furious" at the video.

But he repeats assurances an investigation will take place.

Still no apology for party itselfpublished at 12:09 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2021

12:09 GMT 8 December 2021

Ione Wells
Westminster Correspondent, BBC News

The prime minister has apologised. But not for the No 10 Christmas party. Only for footage that emerged showing his aides laughing about how to respond to allegations about a Christmas party.

It's unlikely that will satisfy calls for Boris Johnson to apologise about the party itself, rather than continue to deny one took place.

Downing Street also have still not explained how this party could have taken place and not broken the Covid restrictions - a line they keep repeating even now. This is despite the fact one of their aides has been shown on camera laughing about a party "not being socially distanced".

The questions from the opposition almost write themselves.

Boris Johnson says "I understand and share the anger" at seeing No 10 staff seeming to "make light of lockdown measures".

"I was also furious to see that clip," he says.

"I apologise unreservedly for the offence that it gave up and down the country."

But he says he has been repeatedly assured there was no party and no Covid rules were broken.

He says he has asked the cabinet secretary to establish all the facts and to report back as soon as possible.

If rules have been broken, there will be disciplinary action for all those involved, he says.

The Speaker of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has taken to his feet to announce the start of Prime Minister's Questions.

We will bring you all the updates, so stick with us...

Image source, PA Media

With so many changes to restrictions over the last 18 months you might be struggling to remember exactly what the rules were on 18 December last year - when the Downing Street party took place.

London had just been placed into Tier 3, then England's highest level of measures, on 16 December - alongside parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.

This meant you could not mix indoors, in private gardens or in most outdoor venues, except with your household or bubble and could only meet in groups of six outside. Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality businesses were also forced to closed.

On 20 December it was announced that a planned relaxation of the rules for Christmas was cancelled, with London and other parts of the south-east going into a newly-created Tier 4.

In Tier 4 areas, people were ordered to stay at home, non-essential shops had to close and social mixing was limited to meeting one person in outdoor public spaces.

On 5 January Boris Johnson announced a new lockdown across England which was due to last until mid-February. Restrictions eventually began to ease in March before all rules were lifted on 19 July.

The government has repeatedly insisted rules were not broken when questioned about the Downing Street Christmas party on 18 December

As well as the prime minister, other ministers have supported this account about the event which was held during lockdown last year.

Here's all the times ministers have been asked about that party.

Ione Wells
Westminster Correspondent, BBC News

We're moments away from this week's Prime Minister's Questions.

Last week, a bombshell story broke the night before PMQs - revelations of a Christmas party in Downing Street on 18 December.

The prime minister batted the allegations away, insisting all Covid rules were followed.

The night before another Christmas-themed PMQs, and yet another very difficult story broke for Downing Street last night.

This time, footage of Downing Street political aides laughing and rehearsing how to respond to allegations of - you guessed it - a Downing Street Christmas party.

It will be much more difficult for the prime minister to bat away the stories this time when he takes to the dispatch box at noon, as his own advisers have been recorded laughing about whether to refer to the gathering as "wine and cheese" or a "business meeting" when it was definitely not "socially distanced".

And with all government ministers pulled from the morning broadcast rounds today, this is the first time a minister will be grilled on the footage since it emerged.

There is also likely to be concern about what this means for trust in the government's public health messaging, especially as concern grows about the new Omicron variant.

Stay with us for all the updates.

Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent

Boris Johnson is about to appear at PMQs.

In Westminster this morning, the mood among Conservative MPs is uneasy.

One was blunt about how the latest revelations around a party in Downing Street last Christmas reflected on Boris Johnson.

"Personally I think it's curtains," they said, accusing staff in No 10 of "hypocrisy and contempt".

Another joked that things were "all going terribly well", while one more on their way to the Commons said they were "waiting with baited breath" to see what the prime minister would say.

A senior opposition party figure said they hoped Labour leader Sir Keir Stramer would “take him apart”.

One backbencher stressed their support for Johnson, suggesting the media was far too interested in what was happening inside Downing Street.

But amid expectation of further Covid restrictions, one former cabinet minister warned that it would make things worse for the government.

While there's lots of focus on how the government behaved last Christmas, a senior NHS boss has been urging people to celebrate the festivities "modestly" this year amid concern about the Omicron variant.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS trusts, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme earlier that he was braced for "the hardest winter the NHS has ever had to face" due to ten years of austerity, the pandemic and the backlog of treatment.

He said that the new variant was growing fast, although there was an increasing gap between the number of infections and hospital admissions.

But he said: "If you get an enormous number of people getting the disease, some of those people will end up in hospital and will end up in an intensive care unit."

He urged people to make any changes they could to minimise the risk of getting the virus or passing it on.

"We all want to have a good Christmas, but it is better, I think, to plan for a modest Christmas and we can achieve it, than to hope that things are going to be better than they are and end up having to kind of abandon your plans a few days beforehand," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

The World Health Organization says existing vaccines should still protect people who contract the Omicron variant from severe Covid cases.

It comes as the first lab tests of the new variant in South Africa suggest it can partially evade the Pfizer jab.

But Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO's emergencies director, said there is no sign that Omicron would be better at evading vaccines than other variants.

He said initial data suggested Omicron did not make people sicker than Delta and other strains. "If anything, the direction is towards less severity," he added.

Read more on what the WHO is saying about Omicron here.

Adam Fleming
Chief political correspondent

A meeting of the government's Covid Operations Committee is scheduled for early this afternoon, followed by a cabinet meeting to discuss potentially moving to "Plan B" measures, a government source has told the BBC.

Depending on the outcome, this would be followed by a press conference by the prime minister and House of Commons statement by the health secretary.

The measures under discussion include advice on working from home, further rules on masks and some form of Covid certification.

Confirmed Omicron cases are the tip of the icebergpublished at 11:14 Greenwich Mean Time 8 December 2021

11:14 GMT 8 December 2021

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

The talk behind the scenes now is about what needs to be done to slow the spread of Omicron.

This is not about lockdown, rather buying time for more boosters to be given.

So measures such as issuing a work-from-home directive are certainly being considered.

That’s because of how fast cases of the new variant are growing.

Ignore the official total of confirmed Omicron infections – just over 400 – as this is the tip of the iceberg. Less than a fifth of infections are checked for variants.

From testing data, experts believe around 2% of positive cases – approaching 1,000 a day – could be Omicron. And that’s just the people who come forward for testing.

What is clear is the numbers are rising rapidly – doubling every two or three days, according to government adviser Prof Neil Ferguson.

There are suggestions the variant is causing milder illness – and that certainly makes sense as reinfections or infections post vaccination are likely to not be as serious.

But even if that is the case, a rapid rise in infections still has the potential to cause more hospital admissions than we are seeing now.

And the uncertainty about that is why it would not be a surprise if the government took action.