Jack Burgess
Live page editor

It was another busy morning on this week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

We heard from the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, shadow education secretary Laura Trott and Finland's President Alexander Stubb.

This week's panellists - the co-CEO of Rigby Group, Steve Rigby, Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid and Dear England playwright James Graham - also had their say.

We'll be closing this page shortly, but before we go there's time for a quick name check.

This page was written by Seher Asaf, Adam Goldsmith and Lana Lam. It was edited by Jenna Moon and myself.

You can read more about the health secretary admitting that there could be a "risk of disruption" with the NHS overhaul in our latest story.

We look forward to you joining us next Sunday - same time, same place.

One of the topics of discussion on today's show was a proposal for mobile phones to be banned in schools.

The Conservative party has said it would table an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would ban phones in classrooms.

Most schools in England already have a ban or restrictions on phone use, after government guidance was introduced last year.

Shadow education secretary Laura Trott, who was on the show today, argued that the guidance doesn't go far enough and that headteachers have asked for more stringent measures.

Image source, EPA

During today's programme, Wes Streeting refused to comment on reports that Personal Independence Payments (PIP) would not rise in line with inflation for a year.

The health secretary says he hasn't seen those plans and warned against speculating about any changes.

But what exactly is PIP?

These funds are allocated to people to help with extra living costs, external if they have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability. The recipient must also have difficulty doing everyday tasks or getting around because of the condition.

Pip can be allocated to someone even if they're working, have savings, or receiving other benefits.

To be eligible, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) assesses how difficult a person finds daily living and mobility tasks. This includes factors like how long they take, and whether the person needs help.

PIP payments totalled £18bn in the 2023-24 year. These payments are forecast to almost double to £34bn by 2029-30.

• Our political correspondents have more on how dropping a proposed freeze could help Labour avoid a potentially damaging vote in Parliament.

As always, this week's guests discussed a wide variety of topics - weighing in on everything from health reforms and education to the war in Ukraine and Michael Jackson.

Here's what we heard this week:

• Health Secretary Wes Streeting reiterated that bureaucracy and "waste" are the key drivers behind the government's decision to scrap NHS England
• He warned against "speculation" that Personal Independence Payments will be frozen, saying he hasn't seen the plans yet
• Streeting said there is an over-diagnosis of people with mental health issues that prevent them from working
• Shadow education secretary Laura Trott spoke about the Conservatives' proposal to ban phones in schools and argued there was no need to ensure that teachers at academies - schools not run by councils - have official qualifications
• Finnish President Alexander Stubb said it's too early to talk about "boots on the ground" in Ukraine as ceasefire negotiations continue
• And in an interview with British filmmaker Dan Reed, who made the Leaving Neverland documentary about abuse claims against Michael Jackson, he says it's "sad to see" people cashing in on the pop star's legacy

As the programme came to a close, we got a final round of comments from this week's panel - who were asked for their thoughts on Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement, which will be delivered at the end of March.

Steve Rigby, the co-CEO of Rigby Group, said that there is a "better sentiment" from businesses than at the time of Reeves' Budget in November.

But, he criticises the government for pulling "reverse levers" and cites some changes to rules that he feels are taking businesses backwards. "Where's the short-termism?" he asked.

Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid said Reeves is "under an enormous amount of pressure". The cost of living does not seem to be easing, and people are expecting promises to be kept about seeing GPs more easily and there being more teachers in schools.

Dear England playwright James Graham suggests that the population is still "lacking a clear story" that it can get behind, and says that Labour's message about recognising the scale of the challenge after the Tory government will soon have to be replaced by a "positive and hopeful story".

Today's episode of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg has come to an end. We heard from Health Secretary Wes Streeting, shadow education secretary Laura Trott, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Thanks for tuning into our live coverage of the show. We'll continue to bring you recaps, analysis and reaction.

Stay with us.

Image source, Getty Images

Laura has also been speaking this week to the director of the Leaving Neverland documentary, which focuses on two men who claimed the singer Michael Jackson had abused them as children.

Jackson always denied any abuse allegations before his death in 2009 and was never convicted of anything.

Filmmaker Dan Reed tells Laura that it's “sad to see” people continue to cash in on the pop star’s legacy - there is a Michael Jackson musical running in London, for instance.

Instead, he describes how the accusers in his first film, James Safechuck and Wade Robson, are continuing to try to get “official public acknowledgement of the fact that he [Jackson] was a predator”.

“People should be able to continue to listen to his music, but also accept the fact that he was a danger to children,” Reed explains.

Reed is set to release a follow-up to his original film, which he says shows the “10 or 12-year” journey as Safechuck and Wade try to pursue a civil case against Michael Jackson’s estate.

“If they can have a California jury accept that this is what happened and hold the company that they say enabled the abuse liable, then it might change things in the entertainment industry,” he says.

Trott is next asked if she will support Labour's proposals to cut welfare benefits.

She says "let's see what they come forward with", adding "we support the principle of welfare reform".

Asked by Laura if she supports the freezing of Personal Independence Payments (PIP), Trott repeats her comment that she wants to see what Labour puts forward.

The discussion now turns to academies in England, schools not run by councils, being made to employ teachers with official qualifications. This is something the opposition doesn't agree with.

Laura puts it to Trott that teachers should have those qualifications.

Trott says most teachers "do have qualifications", but says in some subjects such as PE, there have been brilliant coaches from outside that have had "fantastic success".

Trott asks what the problem is that the government is trying to solve.

"There is no issue with unqualified teachers," in the current system, she says.

Laura presses Trott again and asks: won't parents want to know their children are being taught by qualified teachers?

Trott says there is a "real problem with teacher recruitment at the moment" and this change will "make it worse".

After hearing from the Finnish president, shadow education secretary Laura Trott now takes the red seat opposite Laura Kuenssberg.

The first topic of discussion is a proposal from the Conservative Party, expected this week, for mobile phones to be banned in schools.

Trott explains that the Tories are planning to introduce an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on Monday, and says she hopes Labour will vote with them.

The shadow education secretary says the Tories "believe strongly in safeguarding" and suggests that current guidance for schools is not working.

"Headteachers are asking for this," she stresses, adding that the "pupils love it" too.

Image source, PA Media

We're now set to hear from Laura Trott, a Conservative MP who is currently the shadow secretary for education.

We expect Trott will be asked for the Tories' reaction to the announcements on NHS England.

As a former chief secretary to the Treasury, she might have something to say on the maths of the new arrangements.

President Stubb goes on to say that he doesn't think Russia's leader wants a ceasefire or peace in Ukraine.

"His original aim was to destroy the independent sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Stubb says. "He hasn't changed his aim. This is what all of us around the table have to understand."

He says more pressure needs to be put on Putin in the form of additional sanctions, freezing assets and "militarising Ukraine to the teeth".

Speaking about President Donald Trump, Stubb says the US leader's ability to negotiate a deal shouldn't be underestimated.

"I don't think Putin should be playing with Trump," he adds. "We need to see some activity from Russia coming soon otherwise I'm sure President Trump will stamp his foot down."

He says a ceasefire in the war is needed first and then a "just and lasting peace" that respects the core principles of international law.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is speaking to Laura Kuenssberg about the Ukraine war and the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

Stubb says it is "still too early" to talk about putting “boots on the ground” as part of any security guarantee without a ceasefire or a peace process.

“Once we have a clear plan, we start doing the commitments,” he says, adding that there are many ways to help out and putting troops on the ground in Ukraine is just one of them.

Speaking about a virtual summit that took place yesterday involving leaders from 30 countries, he says that they all want to ensure there is a lasting and just peace in Ukraine.

“There was very strong unity about what we’re going to do,” he adds.

The virtual meeting came after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire following talks with the US. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he agrees with the idea but set a number of pre-conditions for peace.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is up next.

Stubb will be speaking to Laura about the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war and yesterday's virtual meeting between world leaders.

Laura moves on to talk about the war in Ukraine.

She asks Streeting what Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer means when he says we're moving to an "operational phase" in the war?

Streeting says he means two things - winning a peace and a plan to secure the peace.

He says the ball is in Putin's court now that a peace deal has been put on the table, adding the prime minister is working with other countries to try to make sure a lasting peace agreement can be agreed on.

Laura reads from a statement from the King's Fund that there have been big reorganisations of NHS before. She asks Streeting: Can he promise that people's care won't be disrupted as a result of the major overhaul?

Streeting says there's a risk of disruption but that "freeing up hundreds of millions of pounds a year is worth it".

Laura presses him again on if he can promise people their care won't be disrupted.

He says people have told him there's too much bureaucracy and he is going to do something about it.

Laura again asks which organisations, specifically, are going to be cut as Streeting's department takes control of the NHS.

The health secretary says the government will shortly be publishing the findings of a review about over-regulation of the NHS - which he suggests will show that staff are receiving "contradictory and competing demands".

Streeting says that if the government can simplify "as much as we can", the NHS is set up to succeed.

Laura plays Streeting a clip where he previously said he wouldn't sack lots of managers. She puts it to him that is what he's currently doing with the reorganisation of the NHS.

Streeting replies by saying the amount of waste in the health service has driven him to this decision.

He says he thinks many people in the NHS would agree there's too much bureaucracy and the system is inefficient, adding this bureaucracy means a lot of people are set up to fail.

Streeting says he "can't sugar coat it", but there will be job losses.

Laura now brings up recent comments about there being an "over-diagnosis of mental health problems" and asks Streeting if he thinks too many people are not working because they are experiencing what are essentially normal feelings.

The health secretary says he believes there is an over diagnosis, adding he thinks that prevention is important so that we can prevent people from developing mental health issues in the first place.

He adds that he's seen great work at Maudsley Hospital in South London, where employment support is combined with mental health support, which Streeting adds can be "really powerful".

Laura follows up by pushing on the specific details of who might be excluded from welfare payments - for instance, people with disabilities who cannot work through no fault of their own.

Streeting replies that the government wants to ensure that those who need the most help, get the most help.

He says that he's been working with Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, to integrate employment support and mental health support into care from the NHS.

Streeting is pressed again on the question of whether the government will freeze Personal Independence Payments (PIP) - our story has more on this.

Streeting suggests he hasn't seen these plans and warns people not rely on speculation.