Now Rayner is being asked about whether the government can hit its target to build 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.

House building data shows the government is a long way off that goal.

Rayner says she knew the target would be hard to hit but says the government has made regulatory changes over the last 10 months which will help speed up investment.

She says the industry supports the changes Labour has made so far, but says the government needs to go "further and faster".

Kuenssberg now refers to the spending review that Labour are in the midst of, asking Rayner how important it is that they get the money to deliver on proposed changes in housing.

Rayner says from the chancellor's Spring statement there's the indication that they are "going in the right direction".

They've already added billions into the affordable home programme, and millions into local governments, she adds.

There is a social and economic need to tackle these issues, she says.

When asked how confident she is that they will get the funding they need, she says it's "challenging times" but they know what their priorities are.

Kuenssberg turns to the topic of the child benefit cap - would you like to see that policy go?

Rayner says she's not going to speculate, but "we have a child poverty task force", adding they look at all the different issues family face, this includes work and housing.

She says there's a lot of challenges that affect children on poverty.

Rayner defends the decision to cut winter fuel in the first place, saying it was necessary to secure the public finances after Labour took power.

Kuenssberg presses Rayner on anger among impacted people over the fact the government has not said when the payments will be reinstated by.

Rayner says that is for the chancellor to decide and refuses to be drawn on speculation there could be more detail at the spending review in June.

Kuenssberg moves onto the government's reversal of the winter fuel allowance. The deputy prime minister is asked if they will bring it back in full for pensioners.

Rayner says it depends on the state of the economy and "what we've got".

Kuenssberg pushes her on whether changes will be done in time for the coming winter. Rayner says she "can't guarantee that" because of the processes it has to go through.

She is pushed further on this lack of guarantee. Rayner says when her party formed government they had to "secure the economy".

Now the economy is "showing signs of improvements... the prime minister has indicated that he would like to see movement on this but that is for the Chancellor as part of a fiscal event."

Kuenssberg says the memo does matter, as it appears to reveal there are differences of opinion at the top of government.

Rayner says there isn't a difference of opinion, adding the government often has discussions in private.

She repeats that the government is 100% behind the chancellor.

Kuenssberg asks: can you say that the memo was not leaked by you? Rayner replies by saying she does not leak, adding leaks are "damaging".

Could anyone affiliated with you have leaked it, Kuenssberg asks.

Rayner says she condemns anyone who leaks "piecemeal" information.

Rayner is asked about a leaked memo in which she appeared to urge Chancellor Rachel Reeves to raise taxes by £3bn to £4bn a year through various measures

She is asked about the benefit changes she called for and says the government is looking at the child poverty situation, refusing to speculate on any upcoming changes.

Rayner repeatedly refuses to be drawn on the contents of the memo, which also called for targeted tax rises on wealth people.

The deputy prime minister does say that policy is discussed between her and the chancellor, and adds "it's not rocket science... we do have those discussions".

Laura Kuenssberg has begun this week's edition of the show.

First up, Kuenssberg has a brief chat with the panel over the big stories this week.

Kuenssberg moves onto the U-turn over winter fuel payments that the government announced earlier in the week.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is asked if she believes wealthy people should pay more tax.

"I believe wealthy people have paid more tax," she says, citing initiatives such as abolishing the non-dom tax status and putting VAT on private schools.

That has raised billions of pounds, which is now going into schools and the NHS, she says.

It is a "fact" that the rich are paying more, she adds.

The opening credits have just ended and Laura is firmly in her seat - the show is under way.

We'll be providing regular text updates about this week's programme, so stay with us.

As a reminder, you can follow along at home by clicking watch live at the top of this page.

Joining Laura Kuenssberg in the studio today will be:

• Zack Polanski, the deputy leader of the Green Party, who is also looking to step up into its leader role. During his campaign, he has said the party needs to build a "mass movement" to counter Nigel Farage's Reform UK party
• Former Labour adviser Imran Ahmed, who's now the chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate - which he founded in 2018 aiming to challenge hate and misinformation online
• The Sun columnist Jane Moore, who has had a long career often in political journalism, formerly a frequent panellist on BBC's Question Time

This week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg is almost upon us.

We'll be hearing from Kemi Badenoch and Angela Rayner - and on the panel are columnist Jane Moore, former Labour adviser Imran Ahmed and Green Party leadership contender Zack Polanski.

The opening credits will start at 09:00 BST and you can follow along by clicking watch live at the top of this page.

Image source, Reuters

This week saw reports of unease among Labour MPs over the strategy of Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Talk of disquiet began after a memo to Reeves penned by Rayner - which called for targeted tax rises - was leaked to a newspaper, triggering further speculation about the mood in the party.

Others have since come forward with "suggestions" for the chancellor.

Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan – who organised a letter signed by 42 Labour MPs opposing the proposed welfare cuts – has called for the restoration of the 50p top tax rate, and for increasing capital gains tax rates to align with income tax.

Jo White, the leader of the Red Wall group of MPs, wants Reeves to tear up the Treasury's own spending rules, which critics say hold back investment.

With the spending review - which sets the longer term budgets for departments - due in a few weeks, expect Rayner to be asked about her missive to Reeves.

Image source, PA Media

Rayner may well be asked about plans to allow local communities to take control of land if property developers leave it empty, and to fine firms which miss targets.

Getting developers to commit to timeframes to build houses is all part of the government's push to build 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029, one of its key pledges.

Announcing the plans, Rayner said the government was continuing to back "the builders not the blockers", and that it is "time for developers to roll up their sleeves and play their part".

She went on: "We're going even further to get the homes we need. No more sites with planning permission gathering dust for decades while a generation struggle to get on the housing ladder."

We've covered those plans in more depth elsewhere.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's department called for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to increase taxes prior to this year's Spring Statement.

A memo - seen by the Daily Telegraph, external appeared to urge Reeves to raise taxes by £3bn to £4bn a year through various measures, which the chancellor did not implement. She has repeatedly pushed against raising taxes and instead announced £5bn of welfare cuts in March.

Government insiders said it was not unusual for discussion papers to be informally exchanged between departments without sign-off by ministers.

While the Spring Statement has been and gone, arguments in the Labour party persist ahead of departmental spending plans being set out in June.

Those on the left of the party in particular have been arguing that cuts to some departments could be averted if Reeves introduced a wealth tax or relaxed her rules on borrowing and debt. She has pledged not to borrow to fund day-to-day spending.

Asked about the memo on BBC Breakfast, Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the cabinet were "united behind the government's plan for change".

• We have more on this story here

Image source, Getty Images

This morning's show comes at the end of a week which began with the UK and EU signing an agreement billed as a reset of relations.

Keir Starmer hailed the deal as a way to boost trade and cooperation on things like security with the continent - but critics said it would mean London accepting rules made in Brussels without a vote.

Here are the key things included in the deal:

• Continued access for EU fishing boats to UK waters until 2038, a key demand from Brussels
• The vast majority of routine border checks on animal and plant shipments will be dropped, boosting the food industry
• A formal UK-EU defence pact, and more coordination on things like sanctions
• An agreement to work towards a "youth experience scheme", which will allow young people from the UK and EU to work or study for a period in either territory
• Expanded access to e-gates at ports and airports, and a pet passport system to reduce the need for veterinary checks when travelling with an animal

Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

There is a joke, of sorts, doing the rounds in Whitehall, that soon government will be "the NHS and the army with the rest just bolted on".

For ministers fighting to keep cash to spend in their departments it's not that funny. In a couple of weeks, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves will reveal what an insider described as "the last big set of decisions" before the next general election.

It's an open secret in Westminster billions will be found for health and defence. But the chancellor and her deputy, Darren Jones, are locked in conversations with Cabinet ministers about setting all government budgets all the way to 2029.

Forget rows over winter fuel or welfare payments, the Spending Review sets the terms for everything. Much more than spats over spreadsheets, it's a series of arguments about who and what the government is for.

Who wins and who loses will set the political terrain for years to come. I've talked to nearly 20 ministers, advisers, and insiders about what's going on behind closed doors.

"It's going to be ugly," observes a Whitehall source. In case you've been living on Mars, ministers have said, again and again, government has to "live within its means", and "there'll be difficult decisions".

• Read Laura Kuenssberg's full analysis in her story

Joshua Nevett
Political reporter

Image source, PA Media

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she cannot commit to fully reversing the Labour government's cuts to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.

Badenoch said the party "could look at changes", but said when the government revises policy "you don't know whether you can go back to exactly where you were before".

She told BBC Breakfast: "So I can't just say, 'oh, I'll reverse every single thing they've done'."

She argued her party had forced Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to U-turn on the decision to withdraw winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.

More than 10 million pensioners lost out on payments worth up to £300 after the Labour government restricted eligibility for the pension top-up last year, in one of its first decisions in office.

At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir said ministers would alter the threshold to allow "more pensioners" to qualify for the payments again.

• Read more from Joshua on this story

Image source, Getty Images

More than nine million pensioners lost out on payments worth up to £300 after Chancellor Rachel Reeves restricted eligibility for the pension top-up last year.

The payment is a lump-sum amount of £200 a year for pensioners under 80, increasing to £300 for over-80s, paid in November or December.

Last year, the government restricted the payments to those who qualify for pension credit and other income-related benefits, in a bid to save £1.4bn.

It was seen as a key issue at this month's local elections, at which Labour lost 187 council seats and control of the only council it was defending.

The payment was originally introduced in 1997 by New Labour as a universal payment for all pensioners.

Image source, EPA

Moments before Prime Minister's Questions got under way on Wednesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a U-turn on last year's controversial cuts to winter fuel payments for pensioners.

Starmer said "we want to ensure more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments", as the new plan is expected in the Budget this autumn.

He says the government will only make decisions it can afford, and will look at it as part of a "fiscal event".

BBC's political editor Chris Mason says the government's winter fuel re-think could quell Labour MPs' anguish, as last summer's announcement caused this government a disproportionate amount of grief.

The Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary, Helen Whately, called the move a "screeching U-turn".

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey says the PM's comments are "weasel words", and calls for "an early restoration" of the payment in full.

BBC's chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman says "fundamentally this is embarrassing for Chancellor Rachel Reeves. She made a big, bold and early call and has reversed it within 10 months".

• Read the full story from the BBC here

Image source, Getty Images

In just under an hour, Laura will be quizzing politicians on the biggest topics within Parliament this week.

Here's a brief look back at the headlines:

Winter fuel allowance U-turn: Keir Starmer has announced plans to ease cuts to winter fuel payments, in a U-turn following mounting political pressure in recent weeks. The move has faced criticism from opposition parties.

Chagos Islands deal: Starmer also signed a deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a key military base for £101m a year. Why did the government sign it now?

Pay rise: Doctors and teachers in England have been handed a 4% pay rise after the government accepted salary recommendations from pay review bodies. Doctors have since threatened strike action.

Early release: Prisoners in England and Wales, including some serious offenders, will be eligible for release after serving a third of their sentence under reforms.

Net migration halved: Net migration fell by almost 50% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Stepping-up action against Israel: David Lammy announced the UK has suspended talks on a trade deal with Israel, summoned the country's ambassador and imposed fresh sanctions on West Bank settlers following warnings of starvation in Gaza.

EU-UK deal: Starmer announced the EU and the UK reached a deal setting out post-Brexit relations on areas including fishing rights, trade and defence. This is undeniably a significant deal, our chief political correspondent writes.