Summary

  • Rishi Sunak has appeared at Prime Minister's Questions opposite Labour leader Keir Starmer

  • He was questioned about his judgement following Sir Gavin Williamson's resignation just two weeks after his appointment

  • Williamson, who had a seat at cabinet, is accused of abusive behaviour towards fellow MPs and civil servants - he denies any wrongdoing

  • Sunak said he regrets the appointment ended in resignation, and insisted he will govern with integrity and accountably

  • He said he did not know about any of the specific concerns relating to Williamson's conduct when he appointed him

  • Afterwards, he gave a statement about his visit to the COP27 summit in Egypt on Monday

  • He said it was "pie in the sky" to pretend fossil fuels will not be part of the UK's energy mix in the future

  1. Thanks for joining uspublished at 14:04 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    That's it for our coverage from the Commons today. As ever, you can read more about what happened here and delve deeper into the issues raise on our politics index.

    Today's writers were Adam Durbin, Emily McGarvey, Malu Cursino, Chas Geiger, Richard Morris, and the editors were Emma Owen, Heather Sharp and Chris Giles.

  2. What's been happening?published at 14:02 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Media caption,

    PMQs: Starmer and Sunak exchanges in full

    This week's PMQs has come to an end and we'll soon be closing our live coverage. Here are the main takeaways:

    Gavin Williamson: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was questioned by Labour leader Keir Starmer on his judgement following Gavin Williamson's resignation a mere two weeks after he was appointed.

    Sunak, who says integrity, accountability and professionalism are at the heart of his leadership, said he regretted that Sir Gavin's appointment ended in a resignation.

    He said he did not know about any of the specific concerns relating to Williamson's conduct when he appointed him.

    COP27: Following PMQs, Sunak delivered a statement to MPs on his attendance at this year's UN climate summit, which is taking place in Egypt.

    Sunak said the UK would deliver on its climate commitments, stressing that the UK has "cut carbon emissions faster than anyone else in G7". He highlighted money pledged this week by the UK for protecting forests, as well as his own work as chancellor pushing forward the role of private finance for green projects.

    Starmer criticised Sunak's initial decision not to attend the summit as showing a lack of leadership. He said Labour's plan, which includes establishing a publicly owned energy company, would mean "a fairer greener future".

  3. What did PM know before appointing Williamson?published at 14:00 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Reporters have asked the prime minister's press secretary whether Rishi Sunak knew of the nature of the bullying claim against Gavin Williamson before he appointed him as a Cabinet Office minister.

    Former Conservative party chairman Sir Jake Berry previously said he had told the prime minister of the complaint by ex-chief whip Wendy Morton.

    However, asked if Sunak was not told by Berry that the complaint in question concerned bullying and intimidation, the press secretary said: "I can't comment on the... details of private discussions... But he was made aware of the disagreement."

    Asked whether Sunak might have known the nature of the complaint, even if he didn't know the details, the press secretary added: "It wouldn't be right for me to comment on complaints processes because they are rightly kept confidential."

  4. WATCH: Starmer calls Sir Gavin Williamson 'pathetic bully'published at 13:35 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Throughout PMQs, Labour leader Keir Starmer pressed the PM on his appointment of Gavin Williamson and the fallout following bullying allegations against the Tory MP.

    The Labour leader called Williamson a "pathetic bully".

    Sunak said the behaviour complained of was "unacceptable" and said "it is absolutely right" that Williamson has resigned.

    Media caption,

    PMQs: Starmer labels Gavin Williamson a 'pathetic bully'

  5. How many children are in workless households?published at 13:30 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Reality Check

    Speaking about child poverty earlier, the prime minister said: “The record under these governments is that 700,000 fewer children are growing up in workless households.”

    There are two figures published for this: one for workless households and one for long-term workless households.

    Assuming that when he talks about “these governments” he means the Conservatives since 2010, the figure, external for children living in households in which nobody is working has fallen by 624,000 since 2010, which is a fall of about one third.

    The number of children in households in which nobody has worked for at least a year has fallen by 508,000 since 2010.

    But over the same period, the number of children, external classed as being in relative poverty after housing costs has increased by 278,000.

  6. UK will press Egypt for British prisoner's release - Sunakpublished at 13:26 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Alaa Abd el-Fattah poses for a photo in unknown location, in an undated handout image obtained by ReutersImage source, Reuters

    Speaking a short time ago in parliament, Sunak addressed the case of jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has been on hunger strike for more than 200 days.

    His family have demanded authorities in Cairo provide proof he is still alive.

    Sunak said he had raised the case with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh

    "We will continue to press the Egyptian government to resolve the situation. We want to see Alaa freed and reunited with his family as soon as possible," Sunak said in the Commons.

    He said the whole House would share his deep concern about his case, which is growing "more urgent by the day".

    Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also highlighted Abdel Fattah's case and asked whether the PM had made progress on his release.

  7. How much did Shell pay in windfall tax?published at 13:24 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Reality Check

    During PMQs, Labour leader Keir Starmer asked the prime minister how much Shell had paid in windfall tax, but did not receive an answer.

    “Shell haven’t paid a penny in windfall tax. Why? Because for every pound they spend digging for fossil fuels he hands them a 90p tax break,” Starmer said.

    Shell announced worldwide profits of £8.2bn between July and September, but said it would not be paying any of the windfall tax this year because of the investments it had made in the UK.

    The tax was introduced by Sunak in May - when he was chancellor - and applies to profits made from extracting UK oil and gas.

    It has even more generous investment allowances than Starmer suggested, with tax savings worth 91p for every pound invested in fossil fuel extraction in the UK.

    You can read more about it here.

  8. Greens' Lucas challenges Sunak over loss and damagepublished at 13:17 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Green Party MP Caroline Lucas asks why Rishi Sunak has not kept his green promises on climate finance, including $300m owed to the Green Climate and Adaptation funds. She asks when climate money will be "new and additional" rather than money "raided" from the international development funds.

    She says the "moral obligation that he talks about, must now extend beyond mitigation and adaptation, to address loss and damage" - which is a term used for compensation payments for climate damage that poor countries want from rich countries. She asks for him to establish a finance facilitiy for loss and damage at COP27.

    Rishi Sunak says payments for loss and damage are not the same as reparations payments, which started taking place in Glasgow at COP26. He says he is not going to pre-empt discussions on loss and damage taking place in Egypt.

  9. Davey condemns onshore 'dinosaurs' on Tory benchespublished at 13:17 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey welcomes what Sunak said at COP27.

    But he says he's alarmed the PM is blocking onshore wind - "the cheapest and one of the most popular forms of renewable energy" - to keep "the dinosaurs on his backbenches happy".

    Sunak says the government is committed to increasing renewables and has a "superb record" - the country has four times more renewable energy now than in 2010, he says.

    But he says he will remain focused on offshore wind and nuclear in the UK's transition to a cleaner grid.

  10. Corbyn: Will PM stick to commitment on fossil fuel investments?published at 13:13 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he is "grateful for my continued rent-free tenancy in the prime minister's head" - in response to Sunak bringing him up at three PMQs in a row without prior notice.

    Corbyn then asks Sunak if will welcome the election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as Brazil's new president, noting the new leader's commitment to "both social justice and enviromental justice".

    The independent MP also asks if Sunak will stick to the government's commitment that no British bank, financial institution, or company will be allowed to invest in fossil fuels abroad?

    Sunak replies he would need advance sight of Keir Starmer's questions to know whether or not he needs to mention Corbyn on "matters of security".

    The PM adds he agrees on the importance of ending international finance for coal-fired power plants, which countries agreed to at recent COP conferences.

  11. Clark calls for review on huge car battery factoriespublished at 12:59 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Former Conservative Business Secretary Greg Clark says the UK needs to not just do research, but create batteries here. He asks for an urgent review into how battery gigafactories can be built in the UK.

    "He's right about the importance of building a domestic gigafactory capability... there's more in the pipeline," replies Rishi Sunak.

  12. Blackford: Will PM guarantee not to slash overseas aid budgets?published at 12:56 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Ian Blackford says Sunak has a major job to convince people he's "truly committed to the challenge of climate change".

    The SNP's Westminster leader says Scotland pledged "loss and damage" payments to compensate poorer nations adversely affected by climate change and asks the PM if he will guarantee not to slash overseas aid budgets?

    Sunak says it was the UK that brought loss and damage discussions to the forefront at COP conferences, and recommits to the government's previously announced £11.6bn in overseas climate funding.

  13. Sunak: Our plan is the right planpublished at 12:54 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    "Our plan is the right plan," says PM Rishi Sunak. He says Labour's plan for green investments is "a borrowing plan".

    Following heckles from Labour, he says the British people trust him on the economy.

    He says Labour is focused on reparations around the world, while he's focused on "creating a strong economy here at home".

    He also says it is "pie in the sky" to pretend fossil fuels will not be part of the UK's energy mix as it transitions to low carbon sources.

  14. Starmer: Act of self harm not to prioritise natural energy resourcespublished at 12:52 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Starmer says it is time for a fresh start and underlines Labour's policies like establishing Great British Energy, a publicly owned energy company, "to invest in the technologies of the jobs of the future here" .

    He adds the UK has a "fair wind at our back" including the brilliant people and business to work in green industries, but also the "natural resources of our island nations".

    "Wealth lies in our seas and in our skies and it's an act of national self-harm not to prioritise them over expensive gas," Starmer says.

    He goes on to say "that is the choice at the next general election" - more of the same with the Tories "or a fairer greener future with Labour".

  15. Sunak says Labour failed to attend majority of past COP summitspublished at 12:50 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sunak responds to questions about his attendance at COP and says Labour prime ministers failed to attend 12 of the 13 COP summits held during their time in office.

    "As chancellor I hosted the finance day at COP last year where we had landmark agreements to rewire the financial system to unlock the trillion of dollars we need in private finance to flow to help us with the transition," Sunak says.

    He says it's a record he's proud of and a record that's recognised around the world.

  16. Conservative benches relatively quiet at PMQspublished at 12:49 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Jonathan Blake
    BBC political correspondent

    Some familiar themes are emerging at Prime Minister's Questions under Rishi Sunak against Sir Keir Starmer.

    The Labour leader raises the PM’s judgement at every opportunity and is clearly keen to portray him as weak.

    Sunak’s response today, as before, featured a reminder that Sir Keir once supported Jeremy Corbyn as leader of his party.

    The Conservative benches were relatively quiet but erupted with enthusiasm when Rishi Sunak accused Sir Keir Starmer of supporting disruptive strikes and protests.

    But mostly the PM decided it was better to front up that Sir Gavin had had to go than try to shrug off any criticism and go on the counterattack too much.

    If the new prime minister had a political honeymoon, it felt today like it was over.

  17. Starmer: Sunak dragged kicking and screaming to COP27published at 12:47 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sir Keir Starmer

    Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says "it was inexplicable that [Rishi Sunak] had be to dragged kicking and screaming to even get on the plane" to COP27 in Egypt.

    He says that sent "a clear message that if you're looking for leadership from this prime minister, look elsewhere".

    He says if you want Rishi Sunak to do something, Boris Johnson has to say he wants to do that thing first - a reference to the former PM's attendance at the climate summit.

    Sunak's reluctance is "so bizarre," he says, because it's not "just a once-in-a-generation responsibility, it's also a once-in-a-generation opportunity".

    He says the opportunities are to lower energy bills, create millions of jobs and stop reliance on Putin.

    Starmer also asks the PM what progress has been made on securing the release of Alaa Abdel Fattah, the British-Egyptian citizen jailed for spreading false news, and who has been on hunger strike for last six months.

  18. Sunak highlights UK spending on protecting world's forestspublished at 12:45 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sunak says there can be no solution to climate change "without protecting and restoring nature".

    So at COP27, he says, the UK pledged £90m to the Congo Basin, part of £1.5bn the country is spending on protecting the world's forests.

  19. Sunak hails private finance for green infrastructurepublished at 12:43 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sunak says at the Glasgow COP26 summit, the UK pioneered a new global approach to combatting climate change, using aid funding to "unlock billions" of private finance for new green infrastructure.

    He says he was "delighted" to speak to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa to announce his own similar "investment plan which delivers on this new model".

    The PM says South Africa will benefit from cheaper, cleaner power, cutting emissions, while Ramaphosa will be "simultaneously creating new green jobs for his people".

  20. Ukraine war should catalyse climate efforts - Sunakpublished at 12:41 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    "Some have feared Putin's abhorrent war in Ukraine could distract from global efforts to tackle climate change, but I believe it should catalyse them, climate security and energy security go hand in hand," PM Rishi Sunak says.

    He says Putin's war in Ukraine has only intensified the need to stop using fossil fuels.

    He wants the UK to become "a clean energy superpower" and invest in renewables and new nuclear power stations. The UK will leverage £100bn of private investments to create 500,000 green jobs, he adds.