House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Now it is the SNP's Ian Blackford's turn.

He contrasts what he says are the achievements of the Scottish government over the last decade, such as free prescriptions and tuition fees, with what UK government have "imposed" on Scotland, including an "extreme Brexit and an illegal war in Iraq".

He says Scotland's SNP government is responsible for the "fair and equal place" that Scotland is today.

In response, the PM says the Scottish government should focus on domestic issues like education rather than "trying to break up the union" - which he says he was right to label a disaster.

Jessica Parker
BBC political correspondent

Sir Keir Starmer started his questions to the PM about his comments about devolution – the Prime Minister reportedly told a group of Tory MPs on Monday that it had been a “disaster” in Scotland.

The reaction, and outrage, was swift.

The PM’s insisted that his comments were actually a reference to the SNP government at Holyrood – a party, he claims, that has “used devolution” to try and break up the UK.

Opposition parties may have attacked Boris Johnson about his remarks but, behind the scenes, there are Tory MPs too who are increasingly worried that Boris Johnson is either failing to make the case for the union or even damaging it.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Sir Keir Starmer use his last question to ask about a lack of transparency when it comes to awarding government contractors.

He quotes a report by the public spending watchdog which said suppliers with political connections where ten times more likely to get contracts.

"Can the PM give a cast iron assurance that from now on all government contracts will be subject to proper process," he asks.

Boris Johnson says all government contracts will be published.

"I think it is extraordinary he attacks the government for securing PPE in full quantities," he adds.

"At the time he bashed the government for not moving fast enough, now absolutely absurdly Captain Hindsight is trying to score political points by attacking the government for moving too fast.

"I am proud of securing PPE supplies and any government would have done the same."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says the PM "must understand there is a huge gap in the system". He says if people can't afford to isolate, there is no point in being tested and traced.

He says the UK has spent £21m on someone as a 'go-between' for the Department of Health on PPE. He asks if this was "an acceptable use of taxpayers' money".

Boris Johnson says when the crisis began Mr Starmer was encouraging blockages in PPE supply to be removed. He says the government "moved heaven and earth" to get adequate PPE supplies.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Sir Keir Starmer accuses the prime minister of "ignoring those who are falling through the gap".

He says only about 11% of people self-isolate when they are asked to do so and adds that "many feel they can't afford to".

Boris Johnson accuses the Labour leader of "continuously" attacking NHS Test and Trace.

He says the government has given people "every possible support" to ensure they isolate when needed.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says he does not want the break up of the UK. He says the PM is "fuelling" the breakup of the union.

Changing topic, Sir Keir says the PM is "doing the right thing" by self-isolating, but he asks if Mr Johnson would have been able to do so if he had to rely on Statutory Sick Pay or a one-off payment of £500 from NHS Test and Trace to stay at home off work.

Boris Johnson replies to say the package to protect and support people "has been outstanding and exceptional". He says it is a £200m package of support and there have been uplifts to Universal Credit.

Image source, HoC

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Sir Keir Starmer says "the single biggest threat to the future of the United Kingdom is the prime minister every time he opens his mouth".

"This isn't an isolated incident," Sir Keir adds and accuses the PM of "seriously undermining the fabric of the UK".

"Does he agree that we need greater devolution across the UK," he asks.

Boris Johnson says that as mayor of London he had been proud "to do things in which I passionately believed".

He accuses the SNP of being more interested in "campaigning to break up the UK".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer sends his best wishes to the PM and others who are self-isolating.

He says devolution is "one of the proudest achievements of the last Labour government". He says there has been a consensus on devolution for the past few years, but he asks why Mr Johnson called it a "disaster".

Boris Johnson says what has been a "disaster" is the way the SNP have made devolution into a "campaign for the break up of our country" and to "turn devolution into a mission to break up the UK".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

The PM starts by referring to a number of virtual meetings he has held today and also promises to update MPs on the progress of a current inquiry into the leaking of details of current lockdown.

The first question, from Labour’s Anna McMorrin, is about recent reports that the government is planning to cut the UK’s international aid budget.

In response, the PM says everyone can be immensely proud of the UK’s effort to tackle poverty and deprivation around the world and also leading the world in tackling climate change.

Second up is the Conservative Andrew Rosindell, who asks about a local transport issue in his Romford constituency.

House of Commons
Parliament

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle gets to his feet to announce the start of Prime Minister's Questions.

Stick with us for updates.

Jessica Parker
BBC political correspondent

In a way it’s no surprise that Sir Keir Starmer has announced his decision not to allow Jeremy Corbyn to return as a Labour MP, before Prime Minister’s Questions.

It at least gives him a firm position on a contentious issue as he goes into the weekly head to head.

Boris Johnson would have doubtless have used the saga to criticise the Labour leader and probably still will.

Boris Johnson likes to remind people that Sir Keir served for years in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet.

If Keir Starmer does engage on the issue, he’ll likely be as much addressing his own party as the man he’s facing (virtually) – a party that will fall into familiar divides over this decision.

Interestingly it’s a decision Sir Keir Starmer says he’ll “keep under review” meaning there’s room for manoeuvre in future.

Image source, PA Media

Jon Lansman, the founder of left-wing campaign group Momentum which supported Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour party said the decision not to restore the party whip to Mr Corbyn "has driven a coach and horses through the party’s disciplinary process".

"The EHRC condemned exactly this kind of political interference in the process as indirectly discriminatory, potentially unlawful, lacking in transparency and consistency and undermining of public confidence in the process," he said.

But veteran Labour MP Margaret Hodge said withholding the whip was the right decision.

She said the decision to reinstate Mr Corbyn as a Labour party member had "caused untold hurt and anguish across the Jewish community, undermined progress made and made me question my own place in the party".

Image source, Reuters

As we mentioned earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has announced that he will not be restoring the whip to Jeremy Corbyn - meaning the ex-leader will not be able to sit in the Commons as a Labour MP.

Sir Keir set out his reasoning in a statement this morning:

“Since I was elected Labour leader, I have made it my mission to root out antisemitism from the Labour Party.

“I know that I will judged on my actions, not my words.

“The disciplinary process does not have the confidence of the Jewish community. That became clear once again yesterday.

“It is the task of my leadership to fix what I have inherited. That is what I am resolute in doing and I have asked for an independent process to be established as soon as possible.

“I’m the leader of the Labour Party, but I’m also the leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

“Jeremy Corbyn’s actions in response to the EHRC report undermined and set back our work in restoring trust and confidence in the Labour Party’s ability to tackle antisemitism.

“In those circumstances, I have taken the decision not to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn. I will keep this situation under review.”

Mr Corbyn has not yet responded to the decision.

Image source, COBR

Every Wednesday, the government medical and scientific experts give televised briefing from Downing Street on the latest coronavirus data.

This week's briefing has just ended, but Public Health England's Dr Susan Hopkins used it to look at data from the Lifestyle survey performed by the Office for National Statistics between 5 and 8 November.

Referring to a chart of the survey which shows that most people are following the guidance, she said 81% of adults avoided contact with older and other vulnerable people in the previous seven days.

She said there was a "very high take up of face coverings outside the home" with 98% of adults wearing them.

Dr Hopkins added that 38% are working from home because of the pandemic compared to normal working from home rates of about 12% in the previous year.

She said 89% of people wash hands when they return home from a public place.

PMQs will get under way in around half an hour. While we wait for that here is a run down of the political stories around today:

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out his plans to tackle climate change including a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars the UK from 2030.
• The public spending watchdog has said the government was not transparent about suppliers and services when it scrambled to award £18bn worth of Covid-19 contracts
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has decided not to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn amid a row over anti-Semitism.
• A public relations firm whose managing partner previously advised ministers on Covid is providing consultancy for a testing company signed up by government.
• The head of NHS Test and Trace Dido Harding is self-isolating after receiving a notification from the NHS Covid mobile app.
• Business Secretary Alok Sharma has warned it is too early to set out rules for families getting together over Christmas.
• And finally... this week's Beano comic includes a pull-out section called Bean-OLD, designed to cheer up adults in the midst of the pandemic - featuring Boris Johnson and his former adviser Dominic Cummings.

So keep an eye out for any Dennis the Menace jokes in today's PMQs.

BBC Politics

Image source, Ben Birchall/Jacob King/PA Wire

Jeremy Corbyn will not sit as a member of the Labour Party in the Commons, Sir Keir Starmer says.

The former leader was reinstated as a member of the party on Tuesday, having been suspended over his response to a human rights watchdog report on anti-Semitism in Labour ranks.

But his successor, Sir Keir, said his remarks had "undermined and set back our work in restoring trust" with the Jewish community.

Follow this breaking story as it develops here.

BBC Politics

Our banner image today is of the first virtual PMQs back on 22 April.

Eagle eyes may spot that Boris Johnson wasn't in the chamber on that occasion either.

The PM had, of course, been admitted to hospital with coronavirus, and after being discharged on 12 April he was still recuperating at his official country Chequers, so the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stood in for the PM.

BBC Politics

Image source, EPA

Hello.

And welcome to our live coverage of this week’s PMQs.

With the prime minister self-isolating in Downing Street, today's proceedings will be quite different.

Boris Johnson will appear by video link, answering all the MPs questions from inside No 10.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will take his usual place at the opposition dispatch box, and the MPs lucky to have their names selected this week, will ask their question from their place on the green benches, or by video link.

We'll follow along to bring you all the coverage here, with analysis from our political correspondent Jessica Parker , externaland the BBC Reality Check team.