BBC Politics

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We'll pause our live coverage of the Commons for now.

As we mentioned earlier, Boris Johnson will hold a press conference in Downing Street this evening, with Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.

You can follow it all live on the BBC News live page here.

It's due to start at 17:00 BST - our colleagues will bring you all the coverage and analysis.

Thanks for being with us here. See you next week.

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says "all is not well between Downing Street and the Conservative party backbenches" in the debate over MPs voting on coronavirus restrictions.

Speaking on Politics Live on BBC Two, Laura said it was "fascinating" that the Speaker is encouraging urgent questions and debates on Covid restrictions, especially as Lindsay Hoyle is not an "activist speaker" in the way that John Bercow was.

She said, "Things are not going well".

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

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Well, the Speaker often intervenes to call for order during PMQs - and isn’t afraid to put down the PM and Keir Starmer as well as backbench MPs.

But today there is little doubt his own intervention overshadowed the protagonists and provided the most memorable moment.

Even before the PM took to his feet, Sir Lindsay Hoyle attacked the government for a lack of scrutiny and called for ‘the House to debate and decide on the most significant measures’ to tackle the virus.

And he warns he will be ‘very sympathetic’ to those who wish to drag ministers to the dispatch box through mechanisms such as urgent questions or emergency debates.

He may have a different tone to his predecessor John Bercow but he is signalling that he has some steel in his spine.

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A succession of Conservative MPs ask questions about local constituency matters, which the PM seeks to give assurances over.

These include the future of A&E units in Shropshire, the contribution made by a local rotary club in Loughborough to eradicating wild polio in Africa and what Jerome Mayhew says is the "inexplicable" decision not to upgrade the A47 road between Great Yarmouth and Norwich.

His question is the last at this week's PMQs.

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Also by video link, Labour's Janet Daby says the planned withdrawal of the furlough scheme next month puts hospitality jobs at risk.

She accuses the government of having decided that some jobs "just aren't worth saving".

But Boris Johnson insists ministers are "doing everything we can" to "save every job," although he admits this will not be possible.

He adds changes announced yesterday to adult education funding from next April will help people who lose their jobs to retrain.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Joinging by video link, Labour's Debbie Abrahams asks the PM what his "biggest mistake" has been during the pandemic - listing a litany of areas where she thinks the government has got it wrong.

The PM says there will be a time when the UK can reflect on the decisions taken - this is a reference to his commitment to hold some kind of inquiry in the future.

But, in the meantime, he urges Labour to row behind the government as it confronts the "serious" resurgence of the virus.

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Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson raises objections to the Coronavirus Act - her party will vote against the renewal of the legislation later today when it is debated by MPs.

She says the "draconian" emergency legislation, introduced in the spring, "watered down" the rights of vulnerable people to care.

In reply, Boris Johnson pledges that ministers will work to ensure everyone gets "the protection they need".

"That's what this government will do," he adds.

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We are onto questions from backbenchers now.

Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts urges the UK government to ban people living in areas subject to lockdown in England from crossing the border into Wales for holidays or other leisure activities.

She says Welsh residents are subject to limits on travelling, including to England, and the lack of equivalence is unfair.

The PM refuses to give such a commitment, saying in tackling a pandemic there will always be "seeming illogicalities".

But he thanks the devolved government in Wales and says that largely the four nations of the UK are working in tandem.

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The SNP's Westminster Leader Ian Blackford says the Scottish social attitudes survey has shown that 15% of Scots trust the UK government to work in Scotland's best interests.

He says the internal market bill is the "biggest attack on the Scottish Parliament in our history of devolution". He asks why the people of Scotland will not trust the UK government.

Boris Johnson responds to say "he is completely wrong" about what the internal market bill does. He says it "actually devolves" power back to Scotland. He says the UK government has managed to "lift the ban" on British beef in America, which is going to help Scottish farmers.

Mr Blackford says the PM is "yapping, bumbling, mumbling" but not giving a straight answer. He asks if the bill will be "forced through against our wishes" even if Northern Island, Scotland and Wales do not give consent to it.

Mr Johnson says that Ian Blackford is trying to "ferment grievance" where there is none. He says the bill gives powers back to Edinburgh from Brussels.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

We saw both the PM and the Opposition leader rehearse a familiar battle.

Keir Starmer tries to attack Boris Johnson on competence and confusion over the details of his policy, while the PM hints that Keir Starmer is adding to confusion by ‘sniping’ about regulations that he actually endorses.

Interesting, though, that the Labour leader didn’t try a ‘quiz show’ approach by asking him specifically to rehearse regulations on other parts of the country.

It’s possible, though, that his advisers assumed the PM would be better prepared today and that line of attack might fall flat.

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For his final question, Sir Keir Starmer says the PM "just doesn't get it" on supporting jobs that would otherwise be viable.

He says there is a "gap" between the new rules and the corresponding level of support to stop job losses, and accuses him of being "tin eared" when it comes to people's concerns.

Turning to the issue of racial inequality, he calls for an investigation into statistics suggesting black women are more likely to die during childbirth.

In response, Boris Johnson says the government has launched a review into "inequalities across the whole of society".

Turning to Labour, he says the opposition needs to decide whether to "march side by side" with ministers on new Covid-19 restrictions, or "fire from the sidelines".

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

The PM has left announcing many of the good news ‘job-saving’ measures to his chancellor.

So Labour are upping the attack on Boris Johnson’s neighbour at No 11 Downing St – part of this is the email from the owner of a wedding venue Rishi Sunak’s own constituency saying his is a ‘forgotten industry’.

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Keir Starmer says it is not a question of whether Labour supports the restrictions - which he says it does - but the lack of economic support for those who are affected by the restrictions.

He says the chancellor made a "political choice" to reduce financial support as restrictions bit again - citing the example of an events company in Yorkshire that is in danger of folding.

The PM says he feels for those running wedding and other events firms, saying life is tough for them.

But he says the UK's furlough scheme was the most generous in Europe and the government will continue to "put its arms" around businesses and encourage the country to "pull together".

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

When many of Boris Johnson’s own MPs complain of lack of scrutiny, I am not sure that denouncing questions from the Opposition leader as ‘sniping’ will strike a chord.

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Sir Keir rejects the idea that he is undermining the government, adding it is "perfectly reasonable" to question the effectiveness of rules.

Turning to the economy, he says the government has given up on supporting jobs that would otherwise be viable.

Boris Johnson says the government has taken measures to defend "the whole of the UK economy".

He asks the Labour leader to "make up his mind" about whether he supports the latest coronavirus restrictions or not.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Keir Starmer seeks to remind people that the PM got the lockdown rules wrong yesterday.

I have spoken to Conservative MPs this morning – some relieved the PM swiftly corrected himself.

But others say ‘it’s a problem’ and ‘rules are confusing.’

But though there is a patchwork of restrictions there is not much support for the clarity of a tougher national lockdown on the PM’s side of the House.

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Sir Keir Starmer brings up the PM's verbal stumble on Monday over the restrictions in the North East of England's and says he was "not surprised" that he had got the details wrong.

He asks how if ministers cannot get them right, how can the public be expected to follow them - citing critical comments by the Conservative leader of Bolton Council.

In response, the PM says he "cleared up" the misunderstanding over his comments as quickly as possible.

He urges the Labour leader to show more consistency over the restrictions and "instil more confidence" in the public.