Summary

  • Labour leader Keir Starmer has accused the PM of letting the Delta variant in by not toughening rules on travel from India sooner

  • The prime minister said the government took the "most drastic steps" to put India on the red list

  • The PM's former aide Dominic Cummings has released a highly critical Whatsapp messages about Matt Hancock which appear to have been written by Mr Johnson

  • Boris Johnson made a statement updating MPs on the outcomes from the G7 and Nato summits

  • MPs will hold a debate later on the government's plans to keep coronavirus restrictions in place until 19 July

  • On Monday, the prime minister announced that the final stage of easing lockdown restrictions in England would be delayed for four weeks

  1. UK diminished on world stage - Blackfordpublished at 13:10 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford says the PM and government are "deeply diminished" on the world stage by cutting overseas aid. And the country is also "more isolated" because of Brexit, he argues.

    Boris Johnson calls Blackford's characterisation of the G7 summit "erroneous", adding that the UK is making a "massive" contribution to global recovery from the pandemic.

  2. Former Tory leader probes PM on China stancepublished at 13:08 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    Former Tory leader Sir Ian Duncan Smith says he understands some European countries dissented from a proposed US strategy on China's "disgusting use" of forced labour in its Xinjiang region

    He asks the prime minister whether he "stands with" US President Joe Biden on this issue, and when it will bring forward export controls on products developed sing slave labour.

    Boris Johnson replies that the UK has already put sanctions in place over the use of forced labour in Xinjang and there will continue to be "tough" import controls.

  3. Johnson: Starmer should stop being 'down in the mouth about everything'published at 13:04 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    Boris Johnson says that Keir Starmer hasn't mentioned "the fantastic agreement" to help support the developing world.

    He says there will be another billion vaccines assured from the G7 countries for developing nations. 100m of those will be provided by the UK, he states.

    Johnson says Keir Starmer should stop being "so down in the mouth about everything".

  4. You didn't lead the world at G7, Starmer tells PMpublished at 13:01 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    StarmerImage source, HoC

    Responding to the PM's statment, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says his party welcomes the decision to strengthen Nato's cybersecurity role.

    On the UK-Australia trade deal, he adds: "the devil will be in the detail".

    He also accuses the prime minister of spurning a chance to "lead the world" at the G7 summit in Cornwall.

    Sir Keir calls for more vaccine doses to be distributed globally, and says there was "no plan" by the government to cut carbon emissions.

    He also raises the row over Brexit that was also raised at the G7, and he says the PM's attitude to Northern Ireland has left the UK "isolated".

  5. Johnson 'delighted' at new UK-Australia trade dealpublished at 13:00 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    "As our economies rebound, we must avoid the mistakes made after the financial crisis of 2008," Johnson states, telling MPs that the benefits from investment must reach all people.

    £430m will be put towards girls' education around the world, he says, and the UK will halve carbon emissions by 2030, he adds.

    The G7 will also support the "Build Back Better World" fund, which will help fund green developments around the world in the aftermath of the pandemic, he states.

    He says he and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison are "delighted" at their recent agreement on a new free trade deal between the two countries.

  6. Johnson delivers statement on G7 and NATO summitspublished at 12:57 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    JohnsonImage source, HoC

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now making a statement on the G7 summit held last week in Cornwall, and the NATO summit in Brussels.

    He says the world's most popular vaccine was developed in Britain, and the aim of the vaccine programme was to make jabs available, easy to make, easy to store and available at cost price around the world.

    "Every hour," Boris Johnson says, lives are being saved by the Oxford vaccine.

    The G7 has agreed to support a "global pandemic radar" to support tracking new pathogens before they develop, he adds.

  7. PMQs analysis: Cummings dossier missed in the main exchangespublished at 12:47 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    Iain Watson
    Political correspondent

    Sir Keir Starmer wasn’t quite nimble enough to raise some of the issues raised in the new dossier which the former No10 adviser Dominic Cummings dropped around half an hour before PMQs.

    Some of its contents may have sat quite well with Sir Keir Starmer’s attack on the government’s borders policy – which Cummings has described as a ‘joke.’

    Cummings said he urged the government to take tougher action on borders before the pandemic took hold last year - but there was no borders policy between January and Match in 2020 because, in essence, ‘herd immunity’ was still party of the government’s strategy before shifting to lockdown.

    As it was, the main exchanges between the PM and leader of the opposition on whether there was delay in acting against the Delta variant were already well-rehearsed.

    The Cummings dossier was briefly raised by the SNP’s Ian Blackford – to ask if the content was accurate.

    But the PM didn’t respond to that aspect of his question.

    If Cummings was hoping his latest allegations would be amplified on the floor of the House, he should perhaps have released the material earlier.

  8. Cummings releases PM's expletive-filled Whatsapp messagespublished at 12:45 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    CummingsImage source, HoC
    Image caption,

    Dominic Cummings heavily criticsed the government's response to coronavirus during a joint session of the Commons Health and Social Care and Science and Technology Committees.

    Just as PMQs was warming up, Boris Johnson's former aide Dominic Cummings used his online blog to publish a number of claims about the government's handling of Covid-19.

    Cummings has released old WhatsApp exchanges with the prime minister in which Boris Johnson appears to describe Health Secretary Matt Hancock as "hopeless".

    Cummings has previously publicly targeted the health secretary for failings during the pandemic.

    In another exchange with Boris Johnson, from the same day, Dominic Cummings raises concerns about Matt Hancock and testing capacity to which the Prime Minister replies “totally [expletive] hopeless.”

    Read more here.

  9. Trade deal 'includes high animal welfare standards'published at 12:44 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    OswaldImage source, HoC

    The SNP's Kirsty Oswald says the UK-Australia trade deal will set back animal welfare standards.

    Boris Johnson says attacks on Australia on the this front are unfair and that the agreement incorporates high standards.

  10. Scientists co-ordinating to 'depress morale' over Covid - Tory MPpublished at 12:43 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    WraggImage source, HoC

    Conservative MP William Wragg says there has been a "co-ordinated chorus" from government scientific advisers appearing in the media "to depress morale" about the Covid pandemic.

    He asks whether the PM will delay the easing of restrictions in England again, and asks him to "convince us" that he believes the country can "live with Covid" in the long-term.

    In response, Boris Johnson says "academic and scientific freedom are an invaluable part of our country".

    He adds that the scientists themselves have made clear the UK will need to live with Covid-19.

  11. End cladding scandal now, Labour MP tells Johnsonpublished at 12:40 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    HayesImage source, HoC

    Labour's Helen Hayes says more than 200 buildings in England are still fitted with unsafe Grenfell-style cladding. The government has "failed to end the cladding scandal", she adds.

    Boris Johnson says he is "on the case" of companies being urged to remove the dangerous materials.

  12. Northern Ireland wants stable government - PMpublished at 12:36 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    SmithImage source, HoC

    Former Northern Ireland Secretary and Tory MP Julian Smith says the Northern Ireland faces "challenges" in nominating a new first minister and deputy first minister. He urges parties to stick to the agreement they reached.

    Boris Johnson agrees and says people in Northern Ireland want a "stable, functioning and mature executive".

  13. Tory MP challenges PM on Covid restrictionspublished at 12:34 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    DaviesImage source, HoC

    Conservative Philip Davies says the PM's "popularity" comes from being on the side of the people rather than the establishment.

    But he is "trusting" the wrong people on delaying an end to Covid restrictions in England, he adds.

    But Boris Johnson says these won't "last forever" and the government wants to "save many thousands more lives" by "vaccinating millions of people."

  14. PM challenged on shellfishpublished at 12:33 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    MangallImage source, HoC

    Conservative Anthony Mangnall says the Food Standards Agency has released new recommendations on how to regrade British waters and challenge results.

    He asks if Boris Johnson will work to implement these new changes before their current recommended date of September.

    Boris Johnson says he will do "everything I can" to accelerate this as he wants British shellfish to be exported around the world.

  15. Hospitality sector needs more thought - Moranpublished at 12:31 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    MoranImage source, HoC

    Lib Dem Layla Moran says the government's "bungling" of the pandemic and problems caused by Brexit are causing staff shortages in the hospitality sector. She cites a constituent called Keven who is having problems finding workers for his business.

    The PM says the government will keep an "open-minded" approach to bringing "talent" into the UK to fill skills shortages.

  16. We will take 'necessary steps' over NI border checks - PMpublished at 12:31 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    DonaldsonImage source, HoC

    The DUP's Sir Jeffrey Donaldson asks Boris Johnson whether he is committed to "fully restoring" Northern Ireland's place in the UK's internal market.

    It comes amid an escalating row between the UK and EU over the implementation of border checks on goods arriving into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, agreed under the 2019 Brexit divorce deal.

    Boris Johnson again accuses the EU of a "totally disproportionate" interpretation of the agreed rules.

    He says that unless the UK "sees progress" in ongoing talks with the EU, it "will have to take the necessary steps to do exactly what he says".

  17. Blackford: PM 'talking tripe about trade deal'published at 12:28 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    The SNP's Ian Blackford says Australian farmers will benefit far more than those in the UK from the trade deal reached this week. Any improvement in trade equates to one 200th of what was lost via Brexit, he argues. He calls the PM's words on the subject "tripe"

    Boris Johnson says Blackford is "out of his mind" if he wants to go back to being "controlled" by the EU.

    At this point, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle asks for proceedings to be "turbocharged", with shorter contributions all round.

  18. PM has sold out Scottish farmers and fishermen - Blackfordpublished at 12:26 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    BlackfordImage source, HoC

    Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader, says Jo Cox made a "tremendous contribution" to the House of Commons before she was killed. And he sends "good wishes" to Scotland and England ahead of Friday's Euro 2020 match.

    He calls the UK's trade deal with Australia "disastrous", with the details being "celebrated" in Canberra but not London.

    Blackford accuses the government of "selling out" Scottish fishermen and farmers.

    Boris Johnson replies that it is a "great deal" for all sectors and that Blackford's view is "tragic". The deal is an "opportunity to turbocharge" exports, he adds.

  19. MP raises Do Not Resuscitate orders during the pandemicpublished at 12:25 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    Conservative MP Paul Bristow says that people have still been receiving Do Not Resuscitate orders if they have learning difficulties during the Covid pandemic. He says these cases have "no place in our care" and should be "independently investigated".

    Boris Johnson says "such decisions on Do Not Resuscitate should be made only in accordance with the decision" of the family and carers.

  20. Labour can't decide what it thinks on borders, says Johnsonpublished at 12:24 British Summer Time 16 June 2021

    For his final question, Sir Keir says the government's response has shown a pattern of being "too slow", "indecisive," and "under delivering" in response to the pandemic.

    "We all want these restrictions to be over," he says, but says the prime minister's "indecision at the borders has blown it".

    Boris Johnson replies that the Labour leader "can't decide what he thinks from one week to the next" - and accuses him of changing he stance on borders.

    He adds the government is "getting on" with delivering its "cautious but irreversible roadmap to freedom".