Image source, HoC

Sir Keir Starmer says local lockdowns have been described as a "whack-a-mole" strategy.

But he says in many areas people think things are getting worse not better, with cases in locked-down areas going up not down.

Boris Johnson says no one wants to impose local restrictions, but the spike in virus cases "does appear" more localised than in the spring.

The PM says the government is working with councils to ensure the "right mix" of restrictions, and hopes to see an effect from these in the coming weeks.

Image source, HoC

Both Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer pay tribute to the police officer killed in Croydon on Friday.

Moving onto coronavirus, the Labour leader says 16m people are subject to local restrictions.

He says that 16 areas have been placed into local lockdowns but only one - Luton - has come out and wants to know why this is.

The PM says there is a "serious" resurgence of the virus and that is why new restrictions are being introduced.

He says Luton set a great example by pulling together and succeeding in suppressing its spread.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Wow! What a curtain raiser to PMQs.

The government gets a tongue lashing from the Speaker for the ‘totally unsatisfactory’ way it has introduced emergency covid measures – treating House with ‘contempt’.

But he doesn’t accept the amendment from senior Conservative backbencher Sir Graham Brady intended to give MPs a bigger say – essentially he says (and hints this is a break from the Bercow era) he has taken ‘professional advice’ in making the decision.

Image source, HoC

Sir Lindsay Hoyle says the government has treated Parliament with "utter contempt" and must "rebuild trust" with MPs.

There has been a lot of attention over a proposed amendment tabled by Tory MP Sir Graham Brady that would require further national restrictions to be voted on in advance before they come in.

The Speaker has decided this amendment will not be selected for debate because he believes it is not within the scope of the day’s proceedings and risks undermining Parliament.

There is a meeting after PMQs in which MPs and ministers will discuss a potential compromise to give MPs more say.

Read more about the issue in Laura Kuenssberg's blog.

House of Commons
Parliament

The Speaker has now called the prime minister to the dispatch box.

PMQs has started.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Before PMQs gets underway, the Commons Speaker makes a highly critical statement on this afternoon’s debate on the government’s emergency coronavirus powers.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle says the way that the government has passed regulations with little notice and no debate has been “totally unsatisfactory”

The prime minister was pictured in a mask earlier as he left Downing Street to make the short trip over to the House of Commons.

We're poised for question time to start very shortly.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, EPA

The prime minister will host a press conference in Downing Street at 17:00 BST.

It's been billed as an update on the government's response to coronavirus.

It will be a familiar line up this evening, with the Chief Medical Officer for England Prof Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance joining Mr Johnson at the lecterns.

The advisers both attended the cabinet meeting this morning.

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

Image source, Press Association

"One of the organisers behind backbench moves for more of a say over how the government is handling the pandemic claimed that Boris Johnson'sNorth East coronavirus restrictionsblunder underlined their contention - the rules are too complicated, too arbitrary, and haven't been put through the normal grinder of political logic.

"Mr Johnson said sorry for getting it wrong shortly after he "misspoke" (political speak for getting it wrong), but it gave more immediate ammunition to the opposition too, who accused the prime minister of "gross incompetence"."

You can read more of Laura's blog here.

BBC Politics

Criticism of the government’s test and trace system has featured heavily in the Labour leader’s bouts with the PM in recent weeks.

However local restrictions in different parts of the country have been a big debating point in recent weeks and could feature heavily in the questioning.

The PM is working to head off a potential rebellion from his backbenchers over how much of a say MPs should get in designing new rules before they come into force.

That issue will crop up later today, when MPs vote on whether to renew powers in emergency Covid legislation passed at the beginning of the pandemic.

And the prime minister himself has been accused of not knowing the rules himself during his response to a question about restrictions in north-east England yesterday.

BBC Politics

Image source, Jessica Taylor/ UK Parliament

Hello and welcome to our live page for this week's PMQs.

Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer will kick off their weekly joust at 12:00 BST.

We'll bring you all the details, with analysis from our political correspondents.

Thanks for tuning in - do stay with us.