Image source, HoC

For his final question, Starmer turns to calls from MPs to close down anonymous accounts on social media - but he says such a measure would not have prevented the murders of Jo Cox, PC Keith Palmer nor Sir David Amess.

"If we are to get serious, we need to stop online spaces be safe spaces for terrorism," he adds, saying "unaccountable, arrogant social media companies" needed to take responsibility.

The Labour leader calls on the PM to work cross-party with Labour on the problems.

Johnson says he would be "delighted" to join Starmer in tackling online harms and extremism, saying "that is what the government is doing".

He also claims the Conservatives are investing "record sums" in counter-terrorism.

But he again calls for Labour to support measures to stop the early release of extremists.

Image source, HoC

"After the week we've just had I really don't want to descend to that kind of knock about," the Labour leader says in reply to the PM's previous response.

He says there are clearly problems with the government's counter extremism strategy and that the country has seen "a spate of lone attacks with the perpetrator invariably radicalised online".

And he asks what "urgent plans" the government has to fix these "glaring problems"

Replying to Starmer's first point, Boris Johnson says he is "all in favour of a collegiate approach".

In that spirit he urges Labour to "withdraw its opposition to our plans to stop early release of serious extremist offenders".

He says the government will do "everything we can" to support the counter extremism programme.

Starmer next turns to a report after the Manchester bombing, which makes recommendations to "plug gaps" in the law that extremists can exploit.

But he says the former head of counter terrorism policing has had no feedback on the report from the Home Office.

He adds: "Giving the seriousness of matter and the clear need for action, why has the government not responded?"

The PM says the home secretary works with all parties to tackle extremism.

He also praises intelligence services for foiling 31 terrorist plots since 2017.

But Johnson says it is his government that has made changes, liking stopping terrorists and extremists being released from jail early - something he claims Labour voted against.

Image source, HoC

Starmer says the bill needs to introduce criminal sanctions.

He repeats that directors of companies need to be made "criminally liable" for the content that appears on their platforms.

Johnson replies that the bill will include criminal sanctions for those who are allowing "this foul content".

He adds that he hopes the opposition will support the bill.

Image source, HoC

The Labour leader points to the app Telegram specifically, calling for tougher sanctions.

He says it has been described as the "app of choice" for extremists, allowing them to watch videos of murders of minority groups.

But Starmer says directors of apps that let this content be shared do not face criminal sanctions, asking why.

Johnson says it is his government that has brought forward the Online Safety Bill, but promises they will "continue to look at ways to toughen up and come down hard" on those who publish the content.

Image source, HoC

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer begins by paying tribute to Ernie Ross, the former Labour MP for Dundee.

Turning to his questions, he notes it is three years since the government promised an Online Safety Bill.

He says abuse online is "worse than ever" and asks the prime minister to commit to bringing forward the first debate of the bill by the end of this calendar year.

Boris Johnson says the bill is of "huge importance" which will "crackdown on companies that promote illegal content".

He says the Online Safety Bill will be introduced before Christmas.

Image source, HoC

Labour’s Rachael Maskell asks about how women with "lived experience" will be involved in designing new policies to improve women's safety.

She says recent cases, including that of Sarah Everard, have taken a toll on confidence in the police.

Boris Johnson says women's safety is one of the most important issues facing the country - but adds that women "can and should" have confidence in the police.

He says there is a need to sort "systemic problems" in prosecuting rape, and points to work the government is doing to promote better street lighting.

Image source, HoC

The House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is now on his feet announcing the beginning of Prime Minister's Questions.

Stick with us for all the updates.

Image source, Reuters

We have just had it confirmed that the Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, will be hosting a press conference this afternoon.

It comes after seven days of daily Covid cases pushing over 40,000 and the number of patients in hospital rising by 10% in a week.

The NHS Confederation is calling for some measures to be reintroduced if England is to avoid "stumbling into a winter crisis".

But Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says the government's approach is working.

We will see what his cabinet colleague has to say later...

Image source, Reuters

The prime minister has just left No 10 to head over to the Commons - giving us our cue to standby for the start of this week's PMQs.

Do stay with us.

Image source, PA Media

During tributes to Sir David Amess on Monday, MPs called for tougher measures to tackle online abuse.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government's Online Safety Bill would offer an opportunity for all MPs to come together to close "the corrosive space online where we see just dreadful behaviour".

But what measures does the draft legislation provide to tackle the threats and abuse? And should more be added to address the toxicity politicians face on social media?

Jennifer Scott has been looking at the bill and whether its proposals will work.

What might come up at PMQs?published at 11:51 British Summer Time 20 October 2021

11:51 BST 20 October 2021

Ione Wells
Political correspondent

It’s the first PMQs since Parliament took its annual break for the party conference season.

The mood has been sombre this week, with MPs paying tribute to two MPs who have died since the Commons last sat - Sir David Amess, who was killed on Friday, and James Brokenshire.

It’s likely that MPs will continue to pay tributes throughout today, but also discuss some of the issues that have been raised in the wake of his death - including concerns for MPs' safety and the amount of abuse politicians face online.

Since MPs marked Sir David’s death on Monday, there have been calls to add new measures to the government’s own draft Online Safety Bill.

It’s possible that this - and tackling online abuse - will be put to the prime minister by the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The government also faces pressure today from health leaders to implement further Covid restrictions in England as hospitalisations, deaths and Covid cases are rising.

Image source, Getty Images

Immediately after PMQs, MPs will pay tribute to James Brokenshire, the Tory MP and former Northern Ireland secretary who died earlier this month after a long battle with lung cancer.

After the tributes, Labour's Harriet Harman will ask an urgent question on sexual misconduct in the Metropolitan Police "and in the police generally".

Her question will be answered by a minister from the Home Office.

Image source, Reuters

With just under two weeks to go until the UK hosts the global COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, MPs could look to raise the government’s plans to get to net-zero by 2050.

This week the government published a raft of documents in this area, including a strategy for replacing gas boilers for heating buildings, and a Treasury analysis of what net-zero measures could cost.

Net zero is the point at which the country is taking as much of these climate-changing gases out of the atmosphere as it is putting in.

Our colleagues at BBC Reality Check have been looking at whether the UK is on track to meet its target.

Read more here

Image source, PA Media

Hello and welcome to our coverage of this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions.

There are lots of news stories that MPs could look to raise with Boris Johnson from midday:

• The NHS Confederation, which represents health service organisations, has called for new restrictions to be introduced in England immediately, in the face of rising Covid cases. It says there is a risk of the country stumbling into a winter crisis for the NHS
• Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has said there are no plans to introduce new restrictions, but the government is looking at the data on an hourly basis
• A UN report says oil, gas and coal producing nations - including the UK - aim to extract more fossil fuel up to 2030 than is compatible with keeping global temperatures at safe levels
• Managers running care services, supporting people in the community in England, say staff shortages are so acute they're having to make difficult decisions about who they can help. It's estimated that nearly five thousand requests for help have been turned down in the past six weeks