Today, the prime minister declined to stand by his manifesto commitments not to raise taxes on working people at next month's Budget.

As we've been reporting, Keir Starmer did not repeat the promise not to raise income tax rates, VAT or National Insurance during PMQs leader - prompting opposition leader Kemi Badenoch to say it showed tax rises are on the way.

Our Westminster colleagues - including the BBC's political editor Chris Mason - have been chatting to various politicians. They report:

Some senior Labour figures are privately suggesting to Chancellor Rachel Reeves that now is the time in Parliament to make the case for putting up income tax.

They argue it could raise a lot of money and, unlike more targeted tax rises such as last year's changes to inheritance tax on farmland, would not create a single noisy lobby group in opposition.

But the idea leaves other Labour figures deeply nervous because it would amount to a spectacular breach of their pre-election promise, which ministers have repeated many times since. Some also worry it could depress the economy further at a time of weak economic growth.

With the final PMQs of this month now out the way, and the Budget drawing closer, these questions for Starmer and Reeves will likely come up again and again.

• Our live coverage is ending now, but you can read more of Chris and the Westminster team's reporting on today's proceedings here

Verifying Starmer's claims about NHS wait lists coming downpublished at 14:27 GMT

14:27 GMT

By Tamara Kovacevic

Defending Labour’s record in government, Keir Starmer said: "Because of our Budget, waiting lists have come down."

Starmer was talking about NHS in England, as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland manage their own health systems.

Although it's not clear what the connection might be between the last Budget and the NHS waiting lists Starmer was referring to, it is true that the number of waits for non-emergency treatment in England is down since the last budget in October 2024.

According to NHS England's latest figures, in August 2025, there were 7.41 million waits while in October 2024 the figure was 7.54 million.

However, this figure has risen for the past three months in a row, from 7.36 million in May to 7.41 million in August 2025.

Dearbail Jordan
Senior business and economics reporter

Speculation about whether the Labour government will break its manifesto pledge not to raise taxes, external on "working people" is intensifying as we head into the final four weeks until the Budget.

In its election manifesto, Labour said it "will not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT".

But last year, it did increase National Insurance Contributions paid by employers to raise £20bn.

Keir Starmer said at the time this wasn't a breach of the manifesto because it was firms, not staff, that would take the hit.

But some could argue that working people have ended up paying.

Take inflation, for example. The price we pay for food has been stubbornly high and part of that is down to retailers passing on higher employment costs to their shoppers. Meanwhile, there are signs that companies are holding back from taking on new staff because it is too expensive.

In the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Report from August, firms told the Bank that National Insurance was a contributor "to the weakness in employment growth".

Manifesto breach or not, get ready to hear a whole lot more about taxes and Labour's promises before 26 November.

Image source, Reuters

During PMQs, we heard Keir Starmer reference the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)'s review into economic productivity several times.

It sounds niche but the review could have a massive impact on the Budget that Rachel Reeves will deliver on 26 November.

The OBR, which produces financial forecasts for the Treasury, has been drilling down into how productive it expects the UK economy to be in the coming years.

Its findings haven't been published, but we know the government is facing a bigger-than-expected hole in the public finances.

BBC News understands the OBR could downgrade its previous forecast for productivity by 0.3 percentage points - a figure first reported by the Financial Times - bringing its assumption closer to that of the Bank of England.

It doesn't sound like much but that equates to an estimated £21bn in tax revenue, which the Treasury was previously told it could expect, vanishing.

That money has to be found somewhere - and speculation is pointing towards tax rises, including some possible breaches of manifesto commitments such as changes to income tax, something Kemi Badenoch honed in on earlier.

PMQs is over for another week, with the economy front and centre ahead of next month's Budget.

Here's a recap of the key points:

• Starmer did not explicitly rule out tax rises when Badenoch questioned whether the Budget would break Labour's manifesto pledge to not increase income tax, National Insurance or VAT for working people
• Badenoch also asked why Labour recently voted against scrapping stamp duty, while the Tories voted to get rid of "this terrible tax". But Starmer responded by asking why the Conservatives failed to abolish it during 14 years in office
• Both leaders continued to attack each other on the economy. As the OBR adjusts its forecasts for UK productivity - which will determine how much money Chancellor Rachel Reeves needs to balance the public finances in the Budget - Starmer said austerity and Brexit under nearly a decade and a half of Tory rule wrecked the economy
• But Badenoch argued that all Labour knows how to do is "tax, tax, tax" and that the PM is "too weak" to control the economy - as well as accusing him of "making stuff up"
• Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, on the other hand, went in on Russia, Reform and Brexit - prompting Starmer to brand Reform UK "Putin friendly". Our reporter in the Commons noted that an animated Richard Tice - Reform's deputy leader - described the claims as "absolute rubbish"

Lib Dems spot an opportunity to prod government on downsides of Brexitpublished at 12:33 GMT

12:33 GMT

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, UK Parliament

That was an interesting contribution from the Liberal Democrat leader on Brexit.

The party has advocated the UK rejoining the customs union for some time.

But they spot that the government has started making more public noises about what ministers see as the downsides of Brexit.

So they want to flesh out again publicly the Lib Dem position and tease that the government might be starting to talk about Brexit but aren’t, in their view, doing enough about it.

For his second question, Davey turns to Brexit and asks: "What action the prime minister will take to change the Brexit deal or is he just planning to complain about it?"

Starmer points to an EU-UK summit earlier this year where he says closer trading relationships were struck as well as closer cooperation work on defence and security.

"It will continue into next year," Starmer adds as he then jibes at the "botched deal of the last government".

The PM adds: "The damage that has done to our economy, we are just seeing some of the figures coming through in relation to that - that is one of the reasons and factors behind the way they crashed the economy."

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from the House of Commons

“Absolute rubbish!” shouts Reform UK's Deputy Leader Richard Tice, as the PM answers Ed Davey’s question about Russian money (see our last post).

He seems more animated than Nigel Farage sat next to him as the spotlight is turned on Nathan Gill, the former Reform politician who has admitted taking Russia-linked bribes.

We're now hearing from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who focuses on threats of "dangerous Russian interference" in the politics of European countries.

Davey talks about Reform UK's former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, who last month admitted taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia while being a Member of the European Parliament.

The Lib Dem leader asks: "Does the prime minister agree with me that it is time we had an in-depth investigation into Russian meddling and money in British politics?"

Although Starmer doesn't directly answer the point on the investigation, he says Reform would be an "absolute disaster" for the UK's defence, accusing the party of being "Putin friendly".

If Labour breaks its manifesto promise on tax rises, it'll come with a colossal political hitpublished at 12:26 GMT

12:26 GMT

Chris Mason
Political editor

Keir Starmer very clearly ducked Kemi Badenoch’s question about whether income tax, VAT or National Insurance might go up in the Budget.

It comes as some Labour MPs privately ponder whether it might be worth breaking a key manifesto commitment - not putting up income tax - to try to sort out, up to a point at least, the public finances in one big swoop.

At the very least the government isn’t categorically shutting down the possibility. Would they be willing to do it?

It would come with a colossal political hit, smashing a key manifesto promise and cranking up the tax burden further for many, but some within the party are telling them to go for it.

Image source, UK Parliament

Asking her final question, Badenoch says Starmer is "making stuff up" and defends the economic plans she has set out.

All he knows how to do is "tax, tax, tax", the Tory leader says - branding the PM "too weak" to control spending.

Starmer says the Tories were "kicked out of office because they couldn't control the economy".

He repeats that the Labour government is "fixing the mess".

And that's that for this week's exchange between the prime minister and leader of the opposition - we'll be listening in to the rest of the questions now, and bring you any highlights.

Badenoch is on her feet again, staying with the focus on the economy. She accuses Starmer of caving into unions' demands with regulations that will "cripple businesses".

Badenoch asks how he can consider "adding more burdens for these firms".

Starmer defends his economic record, pointing to growth figures and the five interest rate cuts that have come down during his time in government.

"We're not going to take lessons from them," Starmer says of the Tories - prompting cheers from his benches and jeers from those opposite.

Image source, UK Parliament

For her next question, Badenoch continues to press Starmer on the economy - saying the Tories reduced the deficit while in power and also brought inflation down to 2%.

"It is now nearly double," she says, before moving to push Starmer on whether he will commit to cut welfare spending and get people into work.

Badenoch asks: "Instead of tax rises will he work with us to cut welfare spending and get Britain working again?"

Starmer says when in power, the Tories "crashed the economy" and "mortgages went through the roof".

He says under the Labour government, waiting lists have come down, wages have gone up and countries - like Turkey and Norway - want to do deals with the UK. "We are fixing the mess that they left," Starmer continues.

Image source, UK Parliament

Badenoch now says Starmer's avoidance of her questions implies he does not have a plan for the economy.

She suggests the Tories have ideas, such as scrapping the tax on family homes, before saying her party voted to get rid of stamp duty - but Labour didn't.

As a reminder, stamp duty is a tax property buyers have to pay on homes worth more than £125,000 in England and Northern Ireland - the Conservatives recently said they would scrap it.

Why didn't they vote to scrap this "terrible tax", Badenoch asks?

Starmer asks why the Tories didn't scrap it during their 14 years in office. He mentions the OBR's review of productivity ahead of the Budget and cites austerity and Brexit under the Tories for weighing on economic growth.

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from the House of Commons

Rachel Reeves reacts with mock horror at Kemi Badenoch’s offer to come up with some Budget ideas for her.

The chancellor puts her head in her hands and waves her arms theatrically.

Classic PMQs knockabout.

Then Speaker Lindsay Hoyle warns a backbencher that panto time has not come early.

Is he sure about that?

Back to Badenoch, who pushes on Labour's tax plans in the upcoming Budget. She says Starmer is no longer ruling tax rises out.

"It is not the same answer that I received when I asked exactly the same question word for word on July 9 [about whether the government will increase taxes]?

"Then, the prime minister replied with just one word, 'yes', and then he sat down with a smug grin on his face. What's changed in the past four months?"

Starmer says he won't set out Budget plans in advance - but that an ongoing review of expected productivity in the British economy, which is expected to be downgraded, leaving the chancellor with a blackhole, is down to the Conservatives' economic record.

"I can say this, because the figures on the productivity review that's being undertaken, this is a judgment on their record in office.

"Those figures are now coming through, and they confirm that the Tories did even more damage to the economy than we previously thought.

"Now, we will turn that around. We've already delivered the fastest growth in the G7 in the first half of this year, five interest rate cuts in a row, trade deals with the US, EU and India.

"They broke the economy, we're fixing it."

Chris Mason
Political editor

An interesting recent trend at the start of PMQs - the prime minister doing something of a mini speech.

Broadly it amounts to summarising to the House what he’s been up to - but it certainly has a partisan party political feel, prior to taking any questions.

The speaker seems sanguine about it, for now at least, but you could hear the gripes about its length from the opposition benches.

Responding, Starmer says he's glad Badenoch is "finally" asking about the economy.

He says he's glad to report that retail sales are higher, inflation is lower, growth has been upgraded and the UK stock market is at an all time high.

"The Budget is on the November 26, and we will lay out our plans, but I can tell the House now that we will build a stronger economy, we will cut NHS waiting lists and deliver a better future for our country," he says.

There are cheers from the Labour benches at this point.

Image source, UK Parliament

Keir Starmer begins by telling Parliament the UK stands ready to support Jamaican authorities with humanitarian support after Hurricane Melissa caused widespread destruction on the island nation.

Kemi Badenoch then gets to her feet to ask the prime minister her first question - centring on Labour's manifesto at the general election.

She asks: "Labour promised not to increase income tax, not to increase National Insurance and not to increase VAT - does the prime minister still stand by his promises?"

Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch are in the Commons, signalling the start of PMQs.

We'll bring you text updates of the pair's back and forth when it gets going, and you can also watch proceedings live at the top of the page.

Our political colleagues will also bring you their latest analysis too, so stay tuned.