Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

Image source, UK Parliament

That's another Prime Minister's Questions done and dusted.

After a busy week trying to work up a Russia-Ukraine peace deal and juggling the hot-and-cold relationship between Trump and Zelensky, the PM is likely glad to have had a quieter-than-usual Wednesday.

He opened PMQs by paying tribute to British veterans who fought in Iraq, after US Vice-President JD Vance was accused of disrespecting UK troops.

The war in Ukraine and prospect of a peace deal dominated most of the questions.

And there was no mention of the government's expected spending cuts as had been suggested - perhaps that's next week's issue.

Our main write-up of today's PMQs is here. See you next week.

A spokesman for Keir Starmer declines to comment on reports that the United States had cut off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.

They say it remains a long-standing position not to comment on intelligence.

But the UK position is to do all we can to help Ukraine and that position hasn’t changed, the spokesman adds.

Parliament has been used to more adversarial exchanges between Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch in recent weeks, but the mood seemed much more sober with the war in Ukraine dominating most questions.

Here's what happened:

• The leader of the opposition started by asking Starmer about what he is doing to help rebuild Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump's relations after their fiery clash in the Oval Office on Friday
• Starmer insisted he is in regular contact with Zelensky and Trump
• He told the House of Commons that "we need to do everything we can to ensure US, Europe and Ukraine are working together on lasting peace"
• Badenoch also pressed Starmer on his own recent visit to Washington a week ago. She says the aim was to get security guarantees for Ukraine, but now Trump has withdrawn military aid
• The PM said he and his team have held discussions with Trump and his administration on security guarantees, intelligence sharing and also a trade deal with the US. On trade, the PM said he and Trump agreed their teams will meet "rapidly"
• Badenoch returned to the usual PMQs knockabout for her final question with some criticisms of how Starmer was handling the economy. The PM pushed back saying Labour inherited economic insecurity adding "they have turned that around"
• It was the Lib Dems Ed Davey who asked the tough questions on Ukraine, our politics reporter in the Commons points out.Davey asked Starmer if he thought Trump was a reliable ally. Of course, replied Starmer

Was there a £22bn hole in the public finances?published at 12:39 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March

12:39 GMT 5 March

By Anthony Reuben, BBC Verify

PMQs has now ended. But during his exchange with Kemi Badenoch earlier - which you can watch in our previous entry - the prime minister said “we inherited a £22bn black hole” in the public finances.

It’s a claim the government has made repeatedly since the election.

The figure comes from a Treasury document published in late July,, external which outlined unexpected spending for this financial year.

There were overspends for 2024-25 that the government can reasonably claim not to have known about. But there are also things, external that the government says need extra funding that organisations, such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, say it should have known about during the election campaign.

But it’s worth mentioning that while there was a claim of a £22bn shortfall, the Budget increased spending by £70bn a year and increased taxes by £40bn a year.

BBC Verify has previously examined the claim, which you can read more about here.

One of Badenoch's questions to Starmer earlier was about the mood of the country - saying that people across the UK are "worried about national security".

"They're worried about whether we will deploy troops in Ukraine and whether we will be able to keep the peace. They're also worried about our economic security - can we afford all this?"

Starmer replies on the economy point - and says his government "inherited insecurity in our economy" but they're turning it around. Watch the exchange below:

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from the House of Commons

I spoke too soon. The speaker has just asked Tory MP Victoria Atkins to withdraw a remark amid much shouting.

It’s hard to tell from up here exactly what she said.

Chris Mason
Political editor in the House of Commons

For the second time in the last week or so, the prime minister has pointed out the Scottish National Party’s opposition to the UK’s nuclear weapons in answer to a question from an SNP MP.

At a moment where international conflict is dominating the news agenda, and less than 18 months from the Scottish Parliament elections, Sir Keir Starmer is repeatedly emphasising a significant difference of instinct between Labour and the SNP on national security.

The SNP's Chris Law says that this week Trump has ended military aid to Ukraine, reportedly banned the UK from sharing US intelligence with Ukraine, and is seeking to lift sanctions on Russia to "appease" Putin.

He says it's "clear for now the US can no longer be relied upon for security and peace in Europe" and asks if Starmer if he will urgently release seized Russian state assets to Ukraine.

Starmer says the profits on frozen Russian assets are being used to fund Ukraine and they are looking, with others, at whether "it's possible to go further".

He adds that at a time when defence and security in Europe needs to ramped up, for the SNP to maintain that it wants to get rid of the the nuclear deterrent, which he calls the "single most effective deterrent that we have", has to be "explained in its historical context".

More now from Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, who also asks about the Tate Brothers.

Should they stand trial in the UK, he asks, and will Starmer request the extradition of the Tate brothers who are now in the US?

Starmer says this is a live issue, and the principle is clear - justice must be done but won't go into details.

For background:British-American influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate - who are facing trial in Romania on charges including human trafficking, which they deny - have travelled to the US after Romanian prosecutors lifted a two-year travel ban. The brothers also face separate charges in the UK of rape and human trafficking. They deny all the allegations against them.

Read more about the Tate brothers arriving in the US.

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from the House of Commons

This is an unusual PMQs.

The sober and restrained exchanges between the leaders has had a calming effect on the rest of the session.

No shouting and pointing from frontbenchers on either side. So far, anyway.

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from the House of Commons

It falls to Ed Davey to ask the tough questions on Ukraine.

The Lib Dem leader echoes Kemi Badenoch’s concerns about reports that the US has barred the UK from sharing intelligence with Ukraine - but also asks if Donald Trump is a reliable ally.

He also raises the case of the Tate brothers - something the PM was probably not expecting.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey says the PM said a minerals deal between the US and Ukraine was not enough of a security guarantee.

And since then, Trump has removed military aid for Ukraine and says the UK cannot share US intelligence with Kyiv.

This will embolden Vladimir Putin, Davey says.

Does the PM think Trump is a reliable ally, Davey asks, and does the PM have a plan B?

Starmer replies that of course the US is a reliable ally. The main focus is on a lasting peace in Ukraine.

Image source, ParliamentLive.TV

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from the House of Commons

“We were doing so well!” Keir Starmer couldn’t resist a comment on Kemi Badenoch’s final question which was a return to the usual PMQs knockabout, after a rare outbreak of civility and consensus on Ukraine.

Image source, ParliamentLive.TV

Badenoch says people are worried about the country's economic security, and whether we can afford security guarantees.

She says they need an "entirely new approach" to economy and energy security, and asks the PM whether he'll change course.

"We were doing so well," Starmer replies, which gets a laugh from the house.

He goes on to say that they inherited economic insecurity and they have "turned that around".

Badenoch thanks the prime minister for his comments to her previous question and adds "that it is not just the security situation that worries people" - touching on trade wars and tariffs.

"Following the prime minister's trip to Washington, have talks on a trade deal begun?" Badenoch asks.

Starmer responds to Badenoch's penultimate question saying they did discuss this and "agreed our teams will sit down rapidly".

"That is what they are doing," Starmer says, adding that this approach is "far better than getting drawn into conflict with tariffs".

Chris Mason
Political editor

The prime minister has again pointed to President Trump’s public backing for Nato's Article 5 – the commitment of each member to come to the assistance of another in the event of an attack.

But it is telling in itself that such reassurances have to be sought – as Nato's capacity for deterrence relies on Article 5 being sacrosanct and so beyond even the subject of discussion.

It would be a little bit like having to be reassured that your front door keys will actually open your front door.

The prospect that they won’t isn’t normal.

Badenoch says there are concerning reports the US has instructed the UK to suspend intelligence sharing with Ukraine and that the five eyes intelligence pact "may be at risk".

We need to make sure the US does not "disengage", she says, but asks if Starmer agrees that without the US, any peace agreement would place a "terrible" burden on Britain and taxpayers.

Starmer says he does agree and says he has been clear we need to ensure the UK, US, Europe and Ukraine are working together, but that the UK must not choose between the US and Europe.

Badenoch says the aim of Starmer's visit to Washington was to get security guarantees for Ukraine - but then President Trump subsequently withdraw military aid for the country.

What steps is the PM taking, she asks, to persuade President Trump to provide security guarantees.

Starmer replies that he did discuss the security guarantees with Trump - he says Trump was "absolutely clear he would have our backs".

Starmer adds that he has spoken to Trump three times since then to make sure there are proper security guarantees.

Leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch asks the PM if he can reassure those who are concerned about the UK being drawn into war.

"Yes," Starmer replies, adding that it's the "last thing anybody wants to see".

He says the way to ensure peace is to ensure there are guarantees in place.

The risk of conflict is if Putin thinks he can breach any deal, Starmer adds.

Image source, ParliamentLive.TV

Sir Keir Starmer gets to his feet to respond to Badenoch's first question.

"We need to do everything we can to ensure the US, Europe and Ukraine are working together on lasting peace," the prime minister answers.

Starmer adds that he is in "regular contact with all the key players" - including talking with President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday afternoon.