Seher Asaf
Live reporter

Today's PMQs opened with a brief moment of civility as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch expressed her sympathy over the recent attacks on properties connected to the prime minister, which Starmer agreed constituted an attack on democracy.

But it wasn't long until the political barbs began. Badenoch this week chose to focus her questions largely on the UK economy rather than the topic that dominated headlines this week - Starmer unveiling new immigration measures.

The Tory leader began on unemployment - a topic that hasn’t featured often because, until recently, it has been relatively low, BBC's political editor Chris Mason writes. She asked why unemployment is rising “on his watch”, prompting Starmer to defend his economic record and hit back at Liz Truss' "disastrous" mini-budget.

Badenoch also tore into the UK-US trade deal, announced last week, describing it as a "tiny tariff deal" that put the UK in a worse place "than we were in March".

At one point, when Starmer branded the Tories a “dead party walking,” Nigel Farage and Reform MPs laughed from the sidelines.

It was certainly another fiery PMQs this week and we'll be back to do it all again next week

Who was right on jobs claims?published at 14:04 British Summer Time 14 May

14:04 BST 14 May

By Tamara Kovacevic

During PMQs, Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch traded claims on employment.

Starmer said: “We’ve got 200,000 new jobs” but Badenoch said: “The ONS estimates that there are 100,000 fewer jobs than a year ago.”

They appear to be referring to different sets of figures.

On Starmer’s claim, if you look at the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), external, it shows that in the last quarter of 2024, the number of jobs increased by 189,000 when compared with the June 2024 figure (Labour came into power in early July).

Badenoch quoted different ONS statistics, external – for the number of “payrolled employees” (which count employees rather than jobs).

According to provisional figures for April 2025, there were 106,000 fewer employees that month than in April 2024.

Have 1,000 small boat migrants arrived since Monday?published at 13:58 British Summer Time 14 May

13:58 BST 14 May

By Lucy Gilder

Another claim made today at PMQs came from Reform leader Nigel Farage, who mentioned the speech Keir Starmer gave on his plans to reduce legal immigration earlier this week.

He said: “Since the speech on Monday, 1,000 young undocumented males have crossed the English Channel.”

We’ve looked through the official published figures for small boat arrivals and can’t find this many recorded so far.

The latest Home Office data shows 893 people have arrived since Monday, 12 May - the day of the prime minister’s speech. The figures only go up to Tuesday 13 May and we’ll get new figures for Wednesday tomorrow, external.

The daily data does not breakdown the age or sex of the migrants but other immigration figures have shown that the vast majority of people arriving on small boats tend to be young males.

In 2025 so far, more than 12,000 people have arrived on small boats - the highest total on record for this time of the year.

Has unemployment risen 10%?published at 13:52 British Summer Time 14 May

13:52 BST 14 May

By Anthony Reuben

At the start of PMQs, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Yesterday we learned that unemployment is up 10% since the election.”

But at the end of the session, Labour MP Jake Richards said the "figure is completely and utterly incorrect".

We think the number Badenoch is referring to is the estimate that between January and March this year there were 1,614,000 people over 16 who were unemployed, external, which was up 10% from the figure of 1,467,000 in the three months before last year’s general election.

We have asked Richards why he thinks that figure is incorrect.

The period includes times when the Office for National Statistics had problems with collecting the data and so it has advised caution.

If you look at the increase from July to September 2024 to January to March this year, it comes out as a 7% increase.

The prime minister clashed in the Commons over migration. He says numbers will fall "significantly" under tighter rules proposed by Labour on Monday.

Net migration - the number of people coming to the UK, minus the number leaving - was 728,000 in the year to June 2024, according to provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS)., external

That was a 20% drop from the number of people who came in the 12 months to June 2023. The newly revised total for that period was 906,000, far higher than the previous estimate of 740,000.

The ONS estimates that 1.2 million people expecting to stay at least a year came to the UK in the year to June 2024. It estimates that 479,000 left the UK.

During PMQs, Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey asked the prime minister to create a plan with US President Donald Trump to "recognise Palestine and get food, water and medicine into Gaza".

Starmer said the situation is getting worse, and is "working urgently" with other leaders to get aid in.

For context: Since the beginning of March, Israel has blocked all shipments of humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, into Gaza.

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from the Commons

It is so interesting to hear the extent to which Reform UK are making the political weather – in a chamber where they have just a handful of MPs.

Plenty of questions and plenty of answers are aimed at them. It is a measure of how their political threat is perceived by rival parties – and in particular Labour.

Starmer is asked by two Conservative backbenchers - John Lamont and Andrew Snowden - about the government's plans to reach net zero by 2050, which they say is a waste of money, blights landscapes and puts jobs at risk.

The prime minister says only a few years ago that dealing with the climate was a shared endeavour across the house, and there is a need to rise to the challenge rather than give in to it.

He adds that the Tory party's opposition to it is "yet further evidence of how far [it] has fallen", and "further evidence that the Tory project is just finished".

The main event has ended, but we have a few more lines form the Commons and some analysis from our experts to come, so stick with us.

Image source, PA Media

The leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage is now speaking about undocumented migrants, which he calls a “matter of national security”.

He asks whether the prime minister agrees it’s time to declare the situation in the English Channel as a national security “emergency”.

Starmer agrees that the situation is serious and says the last government lost control of the borders.

He says Labour’s borders bill will be the first to give terrorism-like powers to law enforcement, describing it as the “most far-reaching provision for law enforcement to defend and secure our borders”.

Leila Nathoo
Political correspondent

MPs seemed genuinely taken aback by Keir Starmer’s angry response to Plaid’s Liz Saville Roberts taking the prime minister to task over what she says is his shifting position on migration.

She’d questioned whether he had any principles he stuck by and if any belief lasted more than a week in Downing Street.

Starmer said yes, it was the belief that she talks rubbish - the chamber was audibly shocked.

Watch the exchange below:

Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts focuses on Starmer's use of language in his speech on immigration this week, where he said the UK risks becoming an "island of strangers".

She says the only principle he consistently defends is "whichever he last heard in a focus group".

She asks, if there is any belief he holds which lasts longer than a week?

Starmer says "she talks rubbish", adding that the party is fixing the system based on principles of control, selection and fairness.

For context: On Monday, Starmer set out Labour's plans to cut immigration, which, among the measures, tightens work visas and increases waits for residency. He was accused of using divisive language in his address.

This week's Prime Minister's Questions, which is still happening, began with a clash over jobs and the economy.

Badenoch told Starmer that department store Beales is having a "Rachel Reeves closing down sale".

Watch the back and forth below.

Here are the key lines from that exchange between Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch that kicked off PMQs:

• Badenoch started by saying she was horrified by the attack on Starmer’s home, and he thanked her for her genuine concern
• The Tory leader then asked why unemployment was rising “on his watch” and brought up the example of department store Beales holding a “Reeves closing down sale”
• Starmer replied that no one wants to see job losses and he highlighted the trade deals his government has done with US and India, which he says the Tories failed to do
• Badenoch claimed the UK trade tariff deal with the US was “tiny” and has put the economy in a “worse position”. Household name companies have cut staff, she said, and there were 100,000 fewer jobs than a year ago
• In response, Starmer suggested Badenoch get the train to Solihull to speak to workers at Jaguar Land Rover to tell them "she would rip up the deal"
• Badenoch pointed out that the five leading business groups were saying the employment rights bill would be deeply damaging, to which Starmer replied – dignity and respect for workers is good for the economy. Businesses are in favour of the government’s trade deals, he said

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from the Commons

PMQs began with a classic example of where Commons courtesy meets (rhetorical) combat, sometimes with a crunch.

The prime minister thanked the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for both her private and public sympathy for the recent attacks on property connected to Keir Starmer in north London.

Then, with an almighty crunch of the gears, the political barbs begin.

In many ways that is arguably how it should be in the chamber – a personal courtesy and sympathy but also robust argument and debate.

Image source, PA Media

Ed Davey now switches to the situation in Gaza.

He criticises the Israeli government for blocking food, medicine and water from accessing Gaza and calls it a "humanitarian catastrophe",

The Lib Dems leader calls for the PM to speak to US President Donald Trump and make a joint plan to get food, medicine and water into Gaza.

Starmer says the situation in Gaza is "intolerable" and that he's working with other leaders to bring in aid urgently, as well as the release of hostages.

He says the pathway to a two state solution is the only way for a settled peace in the Middle East.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey is up, echoing Badenoch's comments on being horrified by the attack on two houses linked to Starmer.

After Labour's announcement of a crackdown on overseas care workers, Davey asks if the prime minister will bring in higher minimum wages for carers, which he says if something the Tories refused to do in the last government.

Starmer says a Fair Pay Agreement for those in the adult social care sector will make jobs more secure and offer a better framework for progression.

• Our social affairs editor has looked into the crackdown

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from the Commons

By its very nature, the topics raised at PMQs are a weather vane of the issues that are already or could soon become central to the national conversation.

For a long time, unemployment hasn’t featured often because it has been relatively low.

But it is ticking up – so perhaps no surprise that Kemi Badenoch should pick up on that.

Just about audible in the Press Gallery – perhaps not so on the microphones in the chamber – was a perhaps inevitable jibe from an opponent towards Badenoch: “you’ll be out of a job soon.”

Badenoch now says that the PM needs to listen to businesses, and that these are closing and blaming it on him and the chancellor.

She asks: When will he admit that Labour isn’t working?

The prime minister replies that it is Badenoch who should listen to businesses, which he says are in favour of the government’s trade deals.

Starmer says the Tories are a “dead party walking”.

Leila Nathoo
Political correspondent, reporting from the Commons

When Keir Starmer fires off the claim at Kemi Badenoch that the Tories are a ‘dead party walking’, Reform leader Nigel Farage and his gang of MPs laugh among themselves - they’ve been claiming the same, trying to position themselves as ‘the real opposition’ after their local election success