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The first question from Labour's Hillary Benn is whether Lord Keen is still in his job.

The BBC has reported the senior lawyer has tended his resignation over the Internal Market Bill, which the government has admitted would break international law.

Johnson says: "I am afraid Mr Benn, all I can tell you is conversations on that matter are continuing".

Read more about Lord Keen's position here.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Conservative MP Neil Parish, who chairs the environment committee, moves the committee's line of questioning on from coronavirus to Brexit.

He asks the PM about potential disruption to food imports from the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

He asks whether Mr Johnson is confident food will get through whatever happens in the talks, and if he will waive tariffs - import taxes - on European imports even if there isn't a deal.

Mr Johnson says he is confident food supplies would be made to flow as "smoothly as we possible can", and he doesn't think the EU would want to see tariffs applied to food.

But Mr Parish asks whether the UK would reciprocate if the EU levied taxes on imports after a no-deal.

"Of course," the prime minister replies - adding that the UK has already published its post-Brexit list of tariffs it will apply to countries without a trade deal.

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Labour MP Meg Hillier takes over and asks the PM whether the government has "learned the lessons of the failure of the test and trace system", calling for local schools and councils to be "put in the driving seat".

Johnson says he "rejects the characterisation" of test and trace.

He adds: "Yes, there are huge problems and many people are deeply frustrated.

"But actually they have done a quite remarkable job in expanding that operation from a standing start.

"There is a long way to go, we will work night and day, but I would not want the many, many thousands of people working in test and trace now to think people in this House of Commons think they are failures."

Hillier then asks about the mass testing promise made by the government over "operation moonshot".

Asked if he knows when the technology would be ready, the PM says no.

"There are people who make all sorts of claims already about this technology," he adds. "I am going to be cautious and say I can't sit here today and say we have it today."

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Parliament

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Julian Knight - who has asked his questions via video link - then also asks the prime minister whether the country would be able to afford a second national lockdown.

Boris Johnson says he doesn't want such an outcome and says ministers are doing “everything in our power” to avoid this.

He says he doubts that the consequences of a second national shutdown “would be anything but disastrous” for the economy.

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Parliament

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Sir Bernard Jenkin nips back in to add his question about the future of musicians, singers and performers, saying they are "part of very large group who have fallen through the cracks".

He says they are "economically and emotionally very stressed" and wants to know what the PM will do for them.

Johnson doesn't give an exact answer, but says: "What we need to do is get back to a world where everybody meeting together to sing and perform in a traditional way has a ticket to ride, the knowledge you are not infectious, a green light on your head."

Select Committee
Parliament

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Conservative MP Julian Knight - who chairs the digital, media and culture select committee - asks the prime minister whether the country would be able to afford a second national lockdown.

Boris Johnson says he doesn't want such an outcome and says ministers are doing “everything in our power” to avoid this.

He says he doubts that the consequences of a second national shutdown “would be anything but disastrous” for the economy.

Knight also asks about support for the creative sector. The prime minister says the government has made a “big investment” in the "vital" arts and cultural industries, and says the government "already" has a recovery plan for this sector.

He adds that quick "pregnancy-style" Covid tests may offer a route towards allowing theatres and football stadiums to return to normality.

He says that the science behind the "liberating" tests is "almost there", but the government is "some way off" being able to roll out such a mass testing programme.

Leila Nathoo
BBC political correspondent

Setting an ambitious target helped the government get the number of tests up earlier on in the pandemic.

Now Boris Johnson is promising half a million coronavirus tests could be carried out daily by the end of October.

When asked if that would be enough to meet demand by that point - he said he 'sincerely hoped so' - an acknowledgement perhaps that the big number might not be the only thing that's needed.

As the situation now shows - tests must be accessible and able to be processed quickly to help keep the country moving and to help control the spread of the virus.

Only days ago, Boris Johnson was talking about a plan for mass testing of possibly millions a day – today he was stressing only those with symptoms should try to get diagnosed.

Select Committee
Parliament

Sir Bernard Jenkin intervenes to ask with a question on behalf of Conservative MP Philip Dunne, who chairs the environmental audit committee, on what the UK is doing to hit climate goals.

The PM says a "huge amount" is being done to get greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

He says MPs should look out for a "thoroughgoing" announcement in this area in the coming weeks.

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Parliament

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Stride concludes with a question around the one million people who "fell through the gaps" and were not entitled to help from the Treasury.

Boris Johnson says there was a "dizzying variety of schemes" so "most people should have been able to qualify for something, even if just cuts for VAT and business rates".

But he says the bill for such schemes is £160bn "so far".

The PM adds: "We are determined to put our arms round the workforce of this country and to support this country to bounce back.

"But there must be some, of course, limits."

Select Committee
Parliament

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Tory MP Mel Stride, who chairs the Treasury Committee, says one of the "greatest economic challenges" coming out of the pandemic will be jobs and unemployment.

"Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost which are perfectly viable in a post-Covid world but need support to get through the coming months," Stride says.

He asks why the government "doesn't seem prepared to provide targeted support" for particular sectors.

Johnson says the government "has done more than virtually any other government around the world" to help save jobs.

He adds: "We will continue to show great creativity and flexibility in trying to look after every sector of the economy."

When Stride says, "I take that as a yes", Johnson appears to agree, adding: "I don't believe anyone on this committee believed this government would come up with anything as imaginative as the furlough scheme and we will continue to apply the same levels of imagination."

Stride concludes with a question around the one million people who "fell through the gaps" and were not entitled to help from the Treasury.

Boris Johnson says there was a "dizzying variety of schemes" so "most people should have been able to qualify for something, even if just cuts for VAT and business rates".

But he says the bill for such schemes is £160bn "so far".

The PM adds: "We are determined to put our arms round the workforce of this country and to support this country to bounce back.

"But there must be some, of course, limits."

Select Committee
Parliament

Earlier William Wragg also asked the PM about controversy regarding No 10's relationship with the civil service.

A number of senior civil servants have stepped down this year amid reports of tensions with Johnson's top team.

Johnson is keen to praise the service as a whole, saying it does an "outstanding job" and delivers "extraordinary things every day for the British public".

But he says that "perhaps one of the lessons we need to draw from this... maybe there are some times when you need to be able to move faster".

The PM adds: "We won't be shy of reform when necessary."

He also says, while he believes he and ministers should take "full responsibility" for their actions, it is right that his ministers are "entitled to make clear he or she believes operation of the department would be better if things were different" - e.g. with a different civil servant in charge.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Ms McKinnell asks the PM whether he will look at changing the latest Covid rules, so children under 11 are not included in the new "rule of six" of group gatherings in England.

Mr Johnson replies that the evidence shows infection among young people can spread into older sections of the population.

He says although new cases are "far smaller" than in the spring, the "reality" is that increasing infection rates will lead to more deaths.

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Labour's Catherine McKinnell, who chairs the petitions committee, says the government has rejected recommendations faced by new mothers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She says this includes making employers offering guidance to new mothers.

In reply, the prime minister says he is "happy to look at what more can be done to support new mums".

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Parliament

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Tory MP William Wragg is next up - he chairs the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

He begins his line of questioning on when an inquiry will begin into the response to the pandemic.

Johnson says: "I don't think that would be a good use of officials' time at the moment."

He says they should be focused on things like the "very, very pressing need to ramp up the testing operation".

Wragg pushes on why the ground work can't start now for an inquiry to begin in the New Year and asked about what lessons have been learnt so far.

The PM repeats his previews answer, and says the government has learned "all sorts of things", such as details about asymptomatic transmission.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Sir Bernard Jenkin comes back in to ask how testing will be prioritised for schools.

He says in his own constituency, 97% of pupils came back to a school when it reopened but now only 88% are there with many waiting for tests.

Johnson says: "I appreciate the frustrations of parents and pupils.

"All I can say is we are doing our level best... to speed the process up."

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Parliament

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Continuing with the testing target, Greg Clark asks if the 500,000 testing capacity will be enough to cope with those displaying Covid-like symptoms in the autumn and winter.

The prime minister says "everything is being done that we possibly can" to increase capacity.

He says it is worth "bearing in mind" that more people are being tested per head than in France or Germany.

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Parliament

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Conservative MP Greg Clark, who chairs the science and technology committee, is the first chair to question the prime minister.

He asks Mr Johnson about problems with testing capacity and whether the government currently has the ability to carry out enough tests.

"No we don't," Mr Johnson replies.

He says demand for tests has "massively accelerated" in the last couple of weeks - but the government is aiming to carry out 500,000 tests per day by the end of October.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Sir Bernard Jenkin begins by asking the PM if he will pledge to appear one more time before the committee before Christmas.

Boris Johnson says he wants to tell the committee "how much I enjoyed my last appearance" in May.

And he say he will "make sure to look carefully at my diary and do my upmost to oblige".

After a rather lengthy answer, Sir Bernard warns him he may end up staying on past his 17:00 BST deadline...