Sunak says Labour inherited inflation being back at target, interest rates being cut, and the fastest growing economy in the G7.

Starmer needs to start taking responsibility for his decisions, he says, asking why the PM has taken money from pensioners and given more money to "highly paid" train drivers.

Starmer hits back by saying the Tories are going to be on the opposition benches for a long time if they carry on "pretending everything is fine".

The PM says his party inherited "absolute chaos" from the Tories and lost many days to strikes - you can't fix the economy if the trains and NHS are not working, he says.

This government was elected to "clear up the mess" left by the Conservatives, Starmer hits back, drawing huge cheers from the backbenches.

His first job was to "audit the books", where they found a "£22bn black hole", he adds.

"Tough decisions" had to be made to help "stabilise" the economy including, he says, "targeting winter fuel payments while protecting pensioners".

Image source, UK Parliament

Sunak opens up on the government's decision to axe winter fuel payments for some pensioners.

He has chosen to take the winter fuel allowance "away from low-income pensioners" and give the money to public sector workers in "inflation-busting pay rises", he says.

Why did Starmer choose train drivers over Britain's vulnerable pensioners, Sunak asks.

For context: Around 10 million pensioners in England and Wales will lose the payment of up to £300 from mid-September, saving £1.4bn this financial year. Those not on pension credit or other means-tested benefits will no longer get the annual payments.

Starmer begins PMQs by congratulating the Team GB Olympic and Paralympic teams.

He also addresses the deaths of 12 people in the Channel yesterday, describing the incident as "shocking and deeply tragic" - "we must have a renewed determination to end this", he says.

Turning to the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report this morning, he says the thoughts of the House are with the victims and says he will make a statement shortly after PMQs.

Tory leader Rishi Sunak echoes the PM's comments on Grenfell, paying tribute to the "Grenfell community".

He also congratulates Team GB and pays tribute to the police who "kept us safe" this summer.

Chris Mason
Political editor

Prime Minister’s Questions returns.

There is still a novelty value in the role reversal we can see – Rishi Sunak asking questions as leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer now answering them – or offering an answer to them – as prime minister.

Plus the new look House of Commons – the vast number of Labour MPs, the much shrivelled Conservative benches, the significant bloc of Liberal Democrats.

But the main event in the Commons today will actually come after PMQs, when the prime minister responds to the Grenfell Tower report.

It will be the first time that Starmer, in the Commons, has to speak on behalf of the country and find words that match the gravity of its findings.

I am reminded of perhaps comparable moments – the infected blood scandal, the Hillsborough disaster, the public inquiry into Bloody Sunday.

They are significant moments for a prime minister and a test of their ability to rise to the occasion. We'll be covering those comments in our Grenfell live page here.

Image source, UK Parliament

The PM is on his feet and the session is under way. Stick with us for updates and analysis.

You can also follow along by pressing Watch live at the top of the page.

Image source, Reuters

The prime minister has left Downing Street in the last few moments and is making his way to Parliament. Not long to go.

Image source, Reuters

Tuesday's tragedy in the English Channel that left 12 people dead - including six children and a pregnant woman - after a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank has brought the issue of small boat crossings back to the fore ahead of PMQs today.

The disaster is the deadliest in the Channel this year, and more than 21,000 people have made the crossing in 2024 so far, a rise on the same period 12 months ago.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the incident "horrifying and deeply tragic", as she urged efforts to dismantle "criminal smuggler gangs".

Keir Starmer cancelled the previous Tory government's Rwanda deportation scheme on his first day as prime minister after July's election victory.

Image source, PA Media

The Grenfell Tower inquiry has just published its final report into the 2017 disaster that killed 72 people in a west London fire.

The damning 1,700-page report says the fire was the result of a chain of failures by successive governments, "dishonest" companies, and a lack of strategy by the fire service.

The prime minister is likely to mention these findings in his opening remarks at PMQs today.

When PMQs is over, he will make a full statement in response to the report and MPs will stay in the Commons for a debate.

You can follow live reaction to the report's publication - and updates from the debate after PMQs - in our Grenfell Tower inquiry live page.

Another issue that may well be discussed is the government's announcement on Monday to suspend some arms sales to Israel – 30 export licences out of 350.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy argued there was a "clear risk" the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international law.

The government has said it supports Israel's right to defend itself, that Israel remains a “staunch ally”, and that the decision does not amount to an arms embargo.

But the decision has been criticised, both for going too far and not going far enough.

Zarah Sultana, currently sitting as an independent MP after being suspended from the Labour Party, has called for an end to all arms sales to Israel, “not just a small fraction of licences", while human rights group Amnesty International UK said the measures were "too limited".

Meanwhile shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell said the move had "all the appearance of something designed to satisfy Labour’s backbenches, while at the same time not offending Israel, an ally in the Middle East".

'Painful' Budget ahead: In a set-piece speech during the summer break, Keir Starmer warned October’s Budget would be "painful", saying those with the "broadest shoulders should bear the heavier burden". Labour has laid the blame at the door of the Conservatives, claiming they left a £22bn "black hole" in the nation’s finances. But Rishi Sunak said it was "the clearest indication of what Labour has been planning to do all along - raise your taxes".

Winter fuel payments: The day before MPs headed on their summer break, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that about 10 million pensioners in England and Wales would lose their winter fuel payments as the allowance is restricted only to those in receipt of pension credit. She blamed “undisclosed” overspending by the Tories, a claim they rejected as “spurious”.

Ukraine: Over the summer, Ukraine took many by surprise with an incursion into a Russian border region, while Russia continues its advances in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv is pushing its western backers to allow long-range strikes on Russia, and for more air defence systems, particularly after Tuesday’s attack on the city of Poltava that killed dozens.

Riots and criminal justice system: The riots earlier this summer, fuelled by online misinformation after the Southport attacks, brought fear and violence to streets in England and Northern Ireland. MPs are yet to have a chance to quiz Starmer on the issue. Meanwhile, the BBC reported there were fewer than 100 available spaces left across the male prison estate in England and Wales at the end of August.

Welcome to our live coverage of PMQs – the first since MPs returned after the summer recess.

It will be only Keir Starmer’s second since becoming prime minister, and it could be a much stiffer test than his first outing, which took on a somewhat cordial tone.

Much has happened since, including riots, prison spaces running low, warnings of a "black hole" in public finances and the government's decision to axe winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.

The PM will again face Rishi Sunak, who remains Conservative leader while the Tory leadership contest to find his replacement continues.

Image source, Reuters