Image source, Getty Images

Sir Keir Starmer referred to the appointment of the former private secretary to the Queen, Lord Geidt, as the new independent adviser on ministers' interests.

His appointment was announced this morning.

His first job will be to look in to "the facts surrounding the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat and advise the Prime Minister on any further registration of interests that may be needed".

The post has been vacant since Sir Alex Allan resigned in November after Boris Johnson overruled him in relation to a report on the Home Secretary, Priti Patel's conduct.

She was accused of bullying civil servants in her department.

Lord Geidt's appointment paves the way for the publication of the latest register of ministerial interests.

Image source, HoC

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asks what the prime minister is spending his time doing the pandemic. He says that Boris Johnson was choosing new wallpaper in between pandemic meetings, and spent last week phoning journalists to say that Dominic Cummings was the source of leaks against him.

Starmer raises reports that Lord Brownlow was asked to donate £58,000 around the time the renovations started.

Boris Johnson says he thinks he has "answered this question many times" and he has covered the costs "in full" for the refurbishment.

He says Tony Blair had a bill of £350,000 for changes to Downing Street during his time in office.

Starmer keeps pushing on who paid for the flat refurbishments.

He wants to know who paid the initial invoice for the redecoration costs

The PM says he has covered the cost and most people will find it bizarre that Labour keeps focusing on this issue when he says people what to know how a Labour government would improve their lives.

He says the Conservatives are helping people to get on the property ladder but the Labour leader is talking about the wrong things.

Image source, HoC

Starmer then asks who initially paid for the redecoration of his Downing Street - saying "initially" is the key word.

The prime minister responds by saying he paid for the refurbishment "personally" and will make any further declaration he is required to, as advised by the new independent adviser on ministers' interests, Lord Geidt.

On the topic of housing costs, he points out that Labour councils charge more in council tax and says this is the issue "the British people would like him to focus on".

Image source, HoC

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer starts his six questions to the prime minister.

He says the UK should be considering giving more support to India in its hour of need. He also welcomes the news of the postmasters who had their convictions overturned.

Sir Keir says it has been reported that the prime minister said he would rather have "bodies pile high, than implement another lockdown". He asks if the prime minister made those remarks.

Boris Johnson says "no" and says if allegations are going to be repeated like that, then Sir Keir should be saying where those allegations have come from.

He says decisions made in October were "very difficult, very bitter" and no-one wants to put the country into a lockdown. He says it's thanks to the "heroic efforts of the British people" that we now have 25% of the UK population fully vaccinated with both shots.

Image source, HoC

Image source, HoC

Boris Johnson is on his feet for what promises to be a lively session.

He begins by saying the thoughts of the House are with the people of India who are batting a huge surge in coronavirus cases.

He says the UK is supporting India with vital medical equipment and is talking to the Indian government about what additional help they may need.

The PM also said he welcomes the decision last week overturning the conviction of postmasters wrongly charged with fraud.

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent

This promises to be a tense confrontation in Parliament.

Labour have been relentless in their focus on what they term ‘Tory sleaze’ in recent days.

But which issue to focus on today?

Money, or the prime minister's alleged comments about the pandemic.

How the prime minister funded renovations to his flat? Or the remarks which Boris Johnson has denied making, about letting bodies “pile up in their thousands” rather than impose a third lockdown.

And how will Conservative MPs respond?

Will they rally behind the prime minister? Avoid the issues completely?

It’ll be a tense session.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has called the prime minister to the despatch box - this week's PMQs is underway.

Image source, ANNA DUBUIS/DFID/FLICKR

The government is also facing criticism for its plan to reduce funding for overseas water and sanitation projects during the pandemic.

Funding for water, sanitation and hygiene bilateral projects will be cut by more than 80%, according to a leaked memo.

The chief executive of WaterAid UK, Tim Wainwright, criticised the timing of what he described as "savage cuts".

In response, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Covid had "forced us to take tough" decisions.

The government announced last year it would cut UK aid spending from 0.7% of national income to just 0.5% - which amounts to a reduction of more than £4bn - but has yet to confirm which programmes will be affected.

You can read more on this story here.

We mentioned earlier that the elections watchdog is to formally investigate how the refurbishment of the PM's Downing Street flat was funded.

The commission, set up in 2001, is an independent body that regulates political finance in the UK, including donations to political parties.

Parties, campaigners, and other groups are required to report donations and loans over a certain amount – which are then published.

The watchdog monitors whether the rules are being followed and has powers to ensure they are enforced.

Mr Johnson is also likely to be asked about accusations he said he would rather see "bodies pile high" than approve a third lockdown.

No 10 has strongly denied that the prime minister ever made the remarks, and described reports as "total rubbish".

Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, the leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey said the prime minister "should resign" if he did make such a comment.

Image source, Reuters

The PM is battling accusations from Labour that he lied over who paid for renovations to his Downing Street flat.

Today is the PM's first appearance at question time since his ex-adviser Dominic Cummings accused him of planning for donors to "secretly pay" for the work.

A No 10 spokesman has refused to say whether Mr Johnson initially received a loan to cover the costs.

Labour have demanded a detailed explanation from the prime minister.

Read our full story here

As you join us, we are just hearing the Electoral Commission has launched a formal investigation in to how the refurbishment of the PM's Downing Street flat was funded.

In a statement, it said it was "satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred".

It said the investigation "will determine whether any transactions relating to the works at No 11 Downing Street fall within the regime regulated by the Commission and whether such funding was reported as required".

No date has been given for the investigation to conclude.

Stay with us for any further developments on this.

Adam Fleming
Chief political correspondent

BBC Politics

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of this week's PMQs.

Boris Johnson will be at the despatch box at 12:00 BST.

We'll bring you all the developments as they happen, with analysis from our political correspondent Damian Grammaticas, external and the BBC Reality Check team

Do stay with us.