Starmer asked some difficult questions at first long liaison sessionpublished at 16:40 Greenwich Mean Time

16:40 GMT

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Keir Starmer does not end the long liaison session on a reflective mood.

He was asked by Dame Meg Hillier what he'd learned in Downing Street, and what advice he'd give to his former self.

It's a polite way of mention the brickbats and buffeting his government has suffered in its five months in power.

But he stuck with the security of blaming the difficult "inheritance" from the last government.

That certainly carries him so far, but as Christmas approaches it is striking how far from festive the mood is amongst some Labour MPs who didn't start out as his critics.

He survived the 90 minute session without making errors, changing – or even hinting at changing – policies, or committing hostages to fortune.

The MPs - even from his own party - asked some difficult questions, though they may not always have received the answers they'd hoped for.

Image source, UK Parliament

That session of the Liaison Committee lasted a little over 90 minutes and it was a speedy rattle through all the issues that fall under the prime minister's responsibility - from winter fuel payments to farming inheritance rules and the situation in Syria.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• On the economy, Keir Starmer stood by his pledge to make the UK the country with the highest sustained growth in the G7 group of countries by 2029
• However, he said it would take some time for people to start feeling better off
• Starmer also insisted he could meet his pledge to build 1.5 million homes in five years - despite scepticism from those in the construction industry
• On trade, he said the UK did not have to choose between the US and EU. He said he wanted closer relationships with both
• On Syria, he cautioned people against assuming the new regime "will be different and better".
• Finally, asked if he would have done anything differently in his first months as prime minister, Starmer said no adding that being in government was far better than constantly losing votes in opposition

We're now closing our live coverage. Today's page was written by Nabiha Ahmed, Chas Geiger, Kate Whannel and Alex Smith. It was edited by Nathan Williams and Malu Cursino.

What are Keir Starmer's 'measurable milestones'?published at 16:32 Greenwich Mean Time

16:32 GMT

By Anthony Reuben, BBC Verify

The prime minister was asked – and talked about – the "milestones" in his "plan for change" – a series of targets which his government has set.

Some may be harder to achieve than others.

The NHS England target, that 92% of patients waiting for planned treatment should be seen within 18 weeks of being referred, has not been achieved since 2015.

Having 1.5 million extra homes built in England over the course of this Parliament will also be very challenging, as well as having at least 95% clean power by 2030.

There are also targets around household incomes, children being ready to start school and neighbourhood police officers.

• Read the six pledges in full with analysis from our political reporters

The final question before the session wrapped up came from the Liaison Committee chair, Dame Meg Hillier, who asks the prime minister what he would have done differently five months on from the general election.

Starmer says it is far better to be in a position to change lives being in power, than by spending nine years losing votes in the House of Commons while opposition.

Pressed again for a clearer answer, Starmer says no, his government is getting on with delivering.

He knew it would be tough, but Labour's inheritance was worse than he thought it would be, he adds - including £22bn missing from the public finances and the prisons at bursting point.

Hillier concludes by wishing the prime minister a Merry Christmas - which he reciprocates.

Karen Bradley went on to ask the prime minister about the role of safe routes when it comes to irregular migration.

Starmer says it can take "an important place". He gives an example of the route set for Afghans after the Taliban swept to power, and a well established route from Hong Kong.

"Where they work...they work well," says the PM.

Bradley asks if the Starmer believes in the need blanket safe and legal routes, which he voted for while in opposition. He says: "No I don't support that...but I believe in safe and legal routes for people fleeing awful circumstances."

When asked by Bradley if he thinks there needs to be a deterrent, he says breaking up people-smuggling gangs that use small boats is effective. Unlike "a gimmick that doesn't work" like the Rwanda scheme, Starmer adds.

Conservative chair of the Home Affairs Committee, Dame Karen Bradley, asked about Ukrainian children that have been taken by Russia - and what the UK is doing to help get them returned home.

Ukraine estimates that 19,500 children have been deported or forcibly displaced to Russia.

Starrner describes this as a terrible situation and says the UK is working with its allies to do what it can.

Turning to Syria, Bradley asks for the government's position on British nationals who are now stateless there. The PM says UK national security will come first.

On the pause on asylum seeker applications from Syrians, he says cases are very difficult to assess at the moment, but the pause can't last for ever. .

He hopes many Syrians now in the UK will be able to return home.

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Labour Chair for the Defence Committee is up next to question Starmer. He asks the PM about the Nato Secretary General's recent comments, as Mark Rutte said it was time to shift to a "war time mindset."

"We are living in a more volatile world," Starmer replies.

Dhesi asks when the government will reach 2.5% spending on defence, and why the government are holding back.

"We have strategic review looks into risks and challenges we face. What I'm reluctant to do is commit large sums of money of the budget unless we know the outcome of that review," says the prime minister.

"This money needs to be sent well," he adds.

We've just had the last question from the Liaison Committee, and the session has come to a close.

Stay with us as we catch you up on a few of the questions that came up just before.

Focusing specifically on the war in Gaza, Thornberry asks the prime minister about the UK's role in what happens next, and whether a ceasefire deal should be agreed.

"We need this ceasefire, and we need it right now," Starmer says, adding that there are "intense discussions" going on that he hopes "bear fruit".

The immediate steps needed are to ensure the hostages are released, the prime minister says, and then "aid desperately needs to go in", before a "space" can be created through a ceasefire to work towards a two-state solution.

"That may seem rather distant at the moment... but I genuinely believe that is the only long-term to the solution", he says.

The Liaison Committee moves onto global issues. Labour Chair Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Emily Thornberry, asks the prime minister who the "main international players" in Syria are.

Starmer begins with saying the situation in Syria "is fast moving...not foreseen by many.

He says that whilst it is good that Bashar Al-Assad's regime fell, "we mustn't make mistakes by assuming it will be different and better".

The PM adds that he's been talking to regional leaders, such as those in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Thornberry asks how the UK can ensure those in the region help to develop an inclusive Syrian government.

In response, Starmer says that will happen by working with others nations, including the incoming authorities in Damascus because, he adds, the degree of fragmentation is concerning.

Our job is to try to stop Syria breaking into multiple parts, the PM concludes.

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown says government procurement is "woeful" and points to HS2, the high-speed rail link intended to connect London and major cities in the Midlands and North of England, as an example.

He asks Starmer how the government can improve the delivery of big public sector projects.

I couldn't agree more, says Starmer adding that HS2 was a "case study of how to mishandle a major project".

Clifton-Brown moves on to digital skills and asks how the civil service can attract people with high tech skills when the pay is so much better in the private sector.

The prime minister says the government has had some success in getting good people to work on AI.

We will never be able to match the private sector, he says but adds that the civil service can attract people who are technically gifted but also have a sense of public service.

One way for the government to "save billions" is to increase productivity in the public sector, says Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative chair of the Public Accounts Committee.

Part of that involves the adoption of technology, he tells the prime minister.

Starmer says the public sector has to improve "across the board" with adopting things such as artificial intelligence (AI) and new technology.

He mentions digital record keeping as an example, which he says is "crucial" in the NHS at the moment, with the digitisation of red book records - the health record for all children given to them when they are born.

Similarly, the prime minister adds, when he first joined the Crown Prosecution Service "everything was done on paper," which he says was "ridiculous".

Starmer says he believes "everybody will agree you need more technology, [but] very few can deliver it, and it's the delivery bit that I'm focused on".

Helen Hayes, Labour chair of the education committee, asks when special educational needs (Send) provision will be fixed.

Starmer says this issue has been raised at Prime Minister's Questions more than any other, because the system is in a complete mess.

He says more money was allocated to Send provision in the Budget, but there is also a need for reform and earlier interventions, or else the gaps will never be plugged.

Hayes welcomes the extra money, but she says it only covers a third of the current funding gap. The crisis in funding will only worsen when councils can no longer roll Send deficits over to the next year after 2026, she warns.

The PM says his deputy, Angela Rayner, has been talking to local authorities about this and both of them are acutely aware of the huge problems across the country.

Hayes also asks about the government's childcare strategy, suggesting it risks leaving behind the poorest children in non-working families.

Starmer says he wants to ensure hat will not happen.

Starmer is asked by Debbie Abrahams, Labour Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, about pension poverty. Women are disproportionately affected by the state pension age increase, she tells the PM, adding that winter fuel payment cuts will make matters worse.

She says pensioners just above the threshold for pension credit "can't wait until next spring."

More than 10 million pensioners are not getting the 2024 winter fuel payment, after the government changed the rules.

Starmer insists he has been able to maintain the "triple lock" by stabilising the economy.

"We couldn't maintain the triple lock why did what we needed to do."

Under the "triple lock" arrangement, the state pension goes up each year by either 2.5%, inflation, or earnings growth - whichever is the highest figure.

It is now the turn of Work and Pensions Committee chair Debbie Abrahams. She asks what the government is doing to help businesses recruit more disabled people or retain workers who become disabled.

Starmer says the Employment Rights Bill will provide greater protections for workers. He goes on to stress the importance of supporting those who do want to work back into employment.

Abrahams then asks what support will be given to disabled people who can't work. She says many are feeling anxious about what changes the government might make to the support they currently receive.

"They must be protected," the prime minister replies.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

It was an uncomfortable moment for the prime minister when the Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, who chairs the Defra committee, said farmers were breaking down when he and his colleagues asked them about the inheritance tax changes.

Keir Starmer said he had met the head of the farmer’s union privately to hear his concerns but says he was "clear" the policy won't change.

The questioning now moves on to inheritance tax, and Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP who chairs the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. He asks the PM: "who were the targets for these changes?"

The purpose was to "raise revenue in the Budget", and wasn't targeted at individual groups, Starmer says.

Specifically on how it impacts the farming community, Starmer says "what we tried to do was protect the family farm" by putting in a high threshold on the inheritance tax.

Carmichael asks the prime minister if he no longer cares about family farms being handed down generations, to which Starmer says "no", but adds that family farms should be productive.

In general when it comes to the inheritance tax changes, Starmer says he believes the government is "getting the balance right".

Carmichael says farmers were "breaking down" when giving evidence to his committee, outlining the effect the changes will have on them.

Starmer says "of course nobody is comfortable with that", but says he had a meeting with the president of the National Farmers Union to discuss their opinions.

• Read more on how the changes to the inheritance tax relief cap will affect farmers

Returning to planning and regulations, Toby Perkins asks if current nature protection regulations are excessive.

Starmer says there needs to be a better balance with planning applications decided over wider areas, rather than on a case-by-case basis which, he argues, slows building.

The prime minister adds that developers should pay into a fund to help get that balance right.

Starmer says too many projects are being held up to protect newts, bats, "you name it", he adds. The UK needs to build to grow, and that will only happen by doing things differently, he tells the MPs.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Committee chair Meg Hillier picks up on an unanswered question by the PM, who was asked why he isn’t increasing the Local Housing Allowance (LHA). The LHA is used to calculate the housing benefit that eligible tenants get in the private sector.

Starmer initially reeled off a range of other housing measures the government is pursuing.

But in the end he says "we ae not unpicking the Budget". That means the allowance rates won't be going up.

Critics say if rents rise but the allowance doesn’t, that will put some tenants at risk of homelessness.

Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Toby Perkins, asks about Labour's plan to put "builders over blockers" through the government's planning policy.

Starmer says a range of stakeholders are involved, giving examples of building plans that have taken much longer as a result of blockers

The PM says that as things stand, a wind turbine project, which should take two years, would take 13 years.

"That's [because of] the blockers and its no wonder that they’re going to get in the way."

It is because of this that we must change planning regulation, says the PM.