Summary

  • Boris Johnson faced MPs amid growing pressure over the cost of living crisis

  • The prime minister held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to ask for ideas to tackle rising prices, without spending more taxpayers' money

  • Proposals included reducing childcare costs by easing health and safety rules and relaxing the frequency of MOTs

  • Sir Keir Starmer challenged the PM over forecasts, saying UK would have slowest growth among G7 nations

  • Boris Johnson said the inflation crisis was global and the government was taking steps to tackle pressures

  • The PM said there was no place for sexism or misogyny in Parliament, following claims about Angela Rayner in a Sunday newspaper

  • The paper quoted Tory MPs saying Labour's deputy leader crossed and uncrossed her legs to distract Johnson at the dispatch box

  • Following a question from MP Caroline Lucas about MPs under investigation, the PM also confirmed that sexual harassment was grounds for dismissal

  1. Vocal support for PM's condemnationpublished at 12:11 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Iain Watson
    Political correspondent

    Having spent some time focusing on ‘partygate’ at the last PMQs, before local elections the Labour leader will focus again on cost of living and the economy - something which some in the shadow cabinet have been keen to see him do.

    But first of all he raises the question of misogyny, with Angela Rayner sitting on his left.

    And Conservative MPs give vocal support to the PM when he repeats his condemnation.

  2. Tax rise will pay for more nurses - PMpublished at 12:11 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Boris JohnsonImage source, UK Parliament

    "This must be the Oxford Union debating skills we have heard so much about," jokes Starmer, before accusing the PM of "rambling incoherently" and deploying "garbled metaphors".

    The Labour leader then asks if the PM's decision to raise taxes during a cost of living crisis had made things better or worse for working people.

    Boris Johnson says the government had cut taxes on working people - citing a fall in the National Insurance contribution.

    He says the introduction of the health and social care levy would help pay for more nurses and that Labour should support it.

  3. PM denying facts, says Starmerpublished at 12:09 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Sir Keir Starmer accuses the prime minister of "denying the facts" on rising prices, branding him the "comical Ali of the cost of living crisis" - in a reference to a former Iraqi information minister.

    He says inflation in the UK is "double" what it is in the rest of the G20 group of leading economies.

    Boris Johnson says the International Monetary Fund predicts the UK will have the fastest-growing economy of another group, the G7, by 2024.

    He also points to unemployment rates and rises to the minimum wage.

  4. Chief Whip investigating Tory MP 'watching porn'published at 12:09 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    News just in.. The Sun and the Daily Mirror have reported that a "top Tory" has been caught watching porn on his mobile phone in the Commons chamber.

    The Conservatives say the Chief Whip, Chris Heaton-Harris, is investigating.

    The party has condemned the behaviour as "wholly unacceptable", and says "action will be taken".

    More to follow...

  5. Starmer: Why is PM failing on the economy?published at 12:07 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Keir StarmerImage source, UK Parliament

    Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer begins by expressing the hope that the PM has sent a "clear" message to his own MPs that "there is no place for sexism or looking down on people for where they come from" - a reference to the Angela Rayner row.

    He then notes that the UK is forecast to have the slowest growth and highest inflation in the G7 and asks: "Why is he failing to manage the economy?"

    Addressing the question about the Mail on Sunday, Boris Johnson replies by saying: "There can be no place for such behaviour".

    Moving on, he says there is a crisis of inflation around the world, but adds that the government is helping people with the cost of their energy.

  6. More to come next year, vows Johnsonpublished at 12:03 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Boris JohnsonImage source, UK Parliament

    Boris Johnson begins PMQs by outlining some of the legislation the government has passed during the current parliamentary term, which ends soon.

    He pledges there is "plenty more to come" in next month's Queen's Speech, which will set out the government's legislative agenda for the year ahead.

  7. PMQs beginspublished at 12:00 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle rises to his feet and gets today's session of Prime Minister's Questions under way.

  8. What will Starmer ask Johnson at PMQs?published at 11:58 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Vicki Young
    Deputy Political Editor

    Today I would imagine, with us being so close to the local elections, Sir Keir Starmer will focus on the cost of living

    In the end that is probably what people care about most. It's not that they don't care about rule-breaking in No 10, but the rising cost of living will be in people's minds in their day-to-day lives.

    There was talk in the cabinet yesterday about ways to ease the cost of living.

    Lots of people are saying the proposals are small fry, but they could save people a few hundred pounds.

    Starmer will need to not just criticise, but have this own proposals.

    The prime minister could also face questions from his own MPs on cutting tax.

  9. Discharging Covid patients to care homes unlawfulpublished at 11:52 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Just ahead of PMQs, there was a breaking story - the High Court in London ruled the government's approach to discharging patients from hospital to care homes in England at the start of the Covid pandemic was unlawful.

    It said the-then Health Secretary Matt Hancock failed to take into account the risk of elderly and vulnerable residents contracting coronavirus from infected people without symptoms.

    We wouldn't be surprised if someone raised the ruling during today's exchanges...

  10. Mail on Sunday Rayner row rumbles onpublished at 11:50 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Angela RaynerImage source, PA Media

    MPs may also ask about the row around Angela Rayner and the Mail on Sunday.

    The paper quoted anonymous Conservative MPs, accusing Labour's deputy leader of trying to distract the prime minister by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

    The article has been widely criticised - including by Boris Johnson, who called it "sexist tripe".

    Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle asked the paper's editor to a meeting, but David Dillion declined, saying: "A Speaker should never be involved in deciding what the press was allowed to print."

    This morning, Ms Rayner has hit back at the newspaper and said on Twitter that she expects to here from the prime minister on the issue.

  11. Cabinet ministers float cost of living ideaspublished at 11:47 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Today’s session will give MPs a first chance to react to the cabinet’s brainstorming session yesterday on how the government can help people with rising living costs.

    Ideas thrown into the pot by ministers included introducing MOT tests every other year and relaxing adult supervision safety rules in a bid to reduce the cost of childcare.

    There have also been reports the UK could voluntarily scrap some of the import taxes – called tariffs – it puts on imported food.

    But opposition parties are less than impressed. They say government actions fall short of what is required and want an emergency Budget on more household support.

  12. PM pictured leaving No 10published at 11:44 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    Boris Johnson is on his way to the Commons for this week's exchanges with Labour's Sir Keir Starmer...

    Boris Johnson
  13. Good morningpublished at 11:40 British Summer Time 27 April 2022

    CommonsImage source, UK Parliament

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

    We’re entering the final days of the current session of Parliament, with ministers scrambling to get laws passed ahead of the Queen’s Speech on 10 May.

    But ahead of next week’s local elections, the agenda in Westminster has been dominated by cost of living concerns, as voters grapple with rising food and fuel prices.

    Stay with us and we’ll bring you the latest.