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. We will deliver on climate promises - PMpublished at 12:40 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sunak says the UK will deliver in on its promises outlined at the COP27 summit.

    "We've already cut carbon emissions faster than anyone else in G7 and we will fulfil the ambitious commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68% by the end of the decade."

  2. Glasgow pact kept 1.5C within reach - Sunakpublished at 12:39 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sunak praises the UK's efforts during its presidency of COP26 last year, noting that when Britian took over just one third of countries were committed to Net Zero emissions but now 90% are.

    He says these committed emissions reductions are now equivalent to that produced by the entirety of the USA.

    Sunak adds that there is still a long way to go, but adds that the Glasgow pact agreed last year has kept reducing global warming to the key threshold of 1.5C "within reach".

  3. Sunak back on his feet for COP27 statementpublished at 12:37 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Rishi Sunak

    Prime Minister's Rishi Sunak is on his feet now, to make a statement about his attendance at the COP27 conference in Egypt this week.

  4. Sunak asked about fuel costspublished at 12:36 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Conservative MP Chris Loder says supermarkets in his constituency are "abusing their dominant market position" and overcharging residents by some 20p per litre of fuel - he asks what can be done about these "commercial predators".

    Rishi Sunak says there have been concerns the government's reduction in fuel duty has not always been passed on to customers, and the Competition and Markets Authority is about to report on its findings in this area.

  5. Sunak challenged over NHS delayspublished at 12:35 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Labour MP Karl Turner asks if the prime minister, or members of his household became unwell, would he "ring the GP surgery at 8am to not get an appointment, would he go to A&E to wait 12 hours to be seen, would he call an ambulance that wouldn't come or he would use some of his £750m unearned wealth to pay privately and see someone there and then?"

    Sunak responds by saying Turner is right to highlight the issue of people waiting unacceptably long times for treatment and that's why the government has put record funding into the NHS to help with backlogs and waiting times this winter.

    "I want to make sure everyone gets the care they need and we will continue to invest in more doctors, more nurses and community scans to deliver exactly that," Sunak says.

  6. Labour MP asks when government of 'integrity' will beginpublished at 12:34 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Labour's Dawn Butler says under Sunak's short time in leadership he's already had one minister resign and another that "urgently needs to be sacked" - presumably a reference to Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

    Butler aks the PM if he could clarify "when the scheduled programme of integrity, professionalism and accountability will begin?".

    Sunak replies saying it's because he wants that kind of government that Gavin Williamson was right to resign.

    He says the government is right to have an independent process of investigation, adding "when situations like this arise, we will deal with them properly".

  7. When will local asylum seeker processing centres close?published at 12:32 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Conservative MP for Erewash Maggie Throup says the Home Office continues to house over 400 refugees in her constituency in two hotels. "This huge influx of people" in her area is causing problems with health and policing, she says.

    She asks for a timetable for permanent closure of asylum seeker processing centres in her area.

    Rishi Sunak says "the home secretary and I are working day and night to resolve this problem,"

    The government is going to "get to grips with this issue," he says.

  8. Can Sunak guarantee school budgets won't be cut?published at 12:31 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Munira Wilson

    Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson asks Sunak to give pupils and parents a cast-iron guarantee that there will be no cuts to school budgets in the Autumn Statement due to be announced next week.

    Wilson says many headteachers and members of staff across the UK are having to make difficult decisions, with some cutting back their mental health provision for pupils.

    Sunak's response focuses on the provisions the government took during the pandemic to close the attainment gap, such as tutoring programmes for those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

  9. Sunak pressed on making childcare more affordablepublished at 12:29 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Conservative MP Siobhan Baillie says many parents are finding childcare unaffordable, while providers are "going belly up". "After decades of tinkering", will the PM introduce proper reform of the childcare system?, she asks.

    Sunak says the government is committed to making childcare available to hundreds of thousands of parents, by increasing the number of children someone looking after them can care for and by making it easier to train as a childminder.

  10. What support is there for Afghan refugees to enter the workforce?published at 12:28 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Conservative MP Gagan Mohindra says on Friday he visited a hotel in his constituency which is hosting 77 Afghan refugees. He says many of them had highly-skilled jobs back in Afghanistan, and he asks for more support from government for them to enter the UK workforce.

    PM Rishi Sunak says the government is "completely committed" to supporting Afghan refugees to enter the UK workforce.

    The government has a programme in place to help place to do this, he adds.

  11. Sunak questioned about Brexit and tradepublished at 12:26 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Welsh MP Liz Saville Roberts says the PM's trade secretary disputed Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that trade will be 15% lower because of Brexit.

    She says Britain's economic prospects are worsened by being outside the worlds' largest trading bloc and "that is a fact".

    She asks the the PM whether he agrees with the OBR or his Tory ministers?

    Sunak says one great opportunity of Brexit is to trade more with countries around the world and he highlights the new markets opened up for Welsh farmers which he says the government will get on with and deliver.

  12. Sunak asked about the online safety bill and small boat crossingspublished at 12:24 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Tory MP Damian Collins asks what the government's online safety bill will do about "criminal gangs" bringing people across the English Channel in small boats who he says are using social media "openly" to advertise their illegal services.

    Sunak says he is pleased to give him the reassurance that the assisting of illegal immigration is one of the types of content that platforms will be obliged to remove under the new law.

    The PM adds the government looks forward to bringing the bill back to the House of Commons "in due course".

  13. Sunak on the back footpublished at 12:23 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Jonathan Blake
    BBC political correspondent

    Rishi Sunak was on the back foot in the Commons today.

    His response to Sir Keir Starmer’s first question saw him condemn Sir Gavin Williamson’s reported behaviour and claim not to have known about any “specific concerns” about him.

    The Labour leader was having none of that and sought to exploit the whole affair as further proof of what he said was the PM’s weakness.

    Sir Keir styled Sunak as the boss who can’t stand up to a bully.

    Rishi Sunak said he regretted appointing Sir Gavin given that he’d had to resign and repeated early in the exchanges his promise to govern with “integrity, professionalism, and accountability” - perhaps expecting it to be used against him.

    It’s only Rishi Sunak’s third PMQs, and you get the sense it’s probably one he’d rather forget.

  14. Tory MP asks Sunak to condemn anti-Semitismpublished at 12:22 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Ahead of the SNP's Ian Blackford's questions, Bob Blackman, Tory MP for Harrow East, asks Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to condemn anti-Semitism.

    He also asks Sunak to congratulate Holocaust survivors, who bravely tell their stories.

    Sunak replies anti-Semitism has no place in our society and his government has taken "a strong lead in tackling it in all forms".

    He asks all MPs in the House of Commons to join Blackman in congratulating Holocaust survivors.

  15. Postpublished at 12:20 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sunak responds, saying he and Alister Jack are focused on "working constructively" with the Scottish government "for the people of Scotland".

    He says he thinks this is "what the people of Scotland want to see".

  16. Postpublished at 12:19 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Ian Blackford

    Blackford says the UK government is denying Scotland democracy - and now the Scottish secretary is "running scared".

    The SNP's Westminster leader says Jack is a "baron in waiting.. until he can cash in" and should be sacked from the cabinet.

  17. Postpublished at 12:19 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sunak responds to Blackford by saying he's not commenting on speculation around any lists and will follow the normal procedures in place.

  18. Postpublished at 12:19 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Ian Blackford from the SNP is up next, echoing the PM's armistice day remarks - especially, he says, regarding the nuclear test veterans who continue to look for justice.

    He says Sunak has experienced a "self-inflicted loss" of his first cabinet minister, adding that a couple of weeks into his premiership it "turns out his judgement is every bit as bad as his predecessor's".

    Blackford asks about speculation over plans to "hand out seats in the Lords to four Tory MPs", including cuirrent Scotland secretary Alister Jack.

    Blackford asks if he thinks it right to keep a man in the cabinet that's clearly more interested in "getting his hands on on an ermine robe" than politics in Scotland?

  19. Postpublished at 12:15 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Sunak questions Starmer's judgment in backing Jeremy Corbyn to be prime minister in the last general election.

    He ends by saying it's clear the Labour leader is not focused on serious issues - strengthening the economy, helping people with their energy bills and curbing illegal migration.

  20. Postpublished at 12:13 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

    Starmer says "there's only one party that crashed the economy, and they're all sitting there" - and points at the Conservative benches.

    He says the PM is too weak to take part in a leadership contest, too weak to sack Home Secretary Suella Braverman, and says Sunak has "scuttled off to COP at the last minute".

    Starmer says the prime minister is too weak to stand up to a bully with a "pet spider". He asks what chance the PM has in running the country.