Truss says Starmer is not condemning any of the policies announced by her new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

She then went on to continue to criticise Starmer for not dealing with "militant unions".

Starmer says Truss is asking him questions because the Conservative Party are the opposition in waiting, while Labour are a government in waiting.

He says the PM shouldn't have conducted an experiment on the British public with her economic plans, blaming Tory MPs for "putting her there".

"Why should the British people trust the Tories with the economy?" he asks.

Truss says she thinks there has to be some reflection of economic reality.

"The fact is interest rates are rising across the world, and the economic conditions have worsened. We are being honest, we are levelling with the public," she says.

Speaking about the train strikes, she says: "We are bringing forward policies that are going to make sure our railways are protected.

"He backs the strikers, we back the strivers."

Starmer says the only reason spending cuts are on table is because the Tories "crashed the economy" and working people are going to have to pay £500 more per month on mortgages.

He asks why the prime minister's response was only to say she's sorry.

And he asks why people would think that's all right and say "I don't mind financial ruin at least she apologised?"

Image source, Parliament TV

Truss says government spending will go up next year, and the year after, but they need to get value for taxpayers' money.

She says Starmer needs to reflect on the economic consequences of his policies.

Starmer says last week the prime minister promised "absolutely no spending reductions" and Tory MPs cheered it, pointing out that the new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has now said there will be cuts to government budgets.

He asks: "What is the point of a prime minister whose promises don't last a week?"

Truss responds to Starmer's second question, saying her policy is to protect the most vulnerable.

"I had to take the decision because of the economic situation to adjust our policies," she says.

"I am somebody who is prepared to front up, I'm prepared to take the tough decisions, unlike the honourable gentleman," she says, adding "he's got no plan."

Image source, Parliament TV

Starmer says last week the prime minister ignored every question put to her during PMQs and repeatedly criticised Labour's plan to put a six-month freeze on energy bills, but says the new chancellor has now made it her policy.

He asks: "How can she be held to account when not in charge?"

Image source, Parliament TV

Image source, Parliament TV

Liz Truss responds to Starmer saying she's been in office for just under two months and has delivered the energy price guarantee, reversed the National Insurance hike, and that her government is taking steps to "crack down on militant unions".

Starmer opens by noting a book about Liz Truss's time in office is being written, saying that it is due to be "out by Christmas".

He asks whether that is the book's release date or when she will be gone by?

Labour MP Justin Madders starts PMQs by asking Liz Truss why she didn't come to the House of Commons to apologise for "crashing the economy".

"Can she tell us why the chancellor lost his job while she kept hers?" he asks.

The prime minister replies that she has said sorry, admits she has made mistakes and says that she is getting on with the job.

Liz Truss is on her feet in the Commons and is taking the first question at PMQs, this week from Labour's Justin Madders.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest - and remember you can watch along by pressing play at the top of the page.

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

The prime minister has been surviving day-by-day.

Her team seem happy with how meetings with Conservative MPs have gone.

Liz Truss thinks she's in a better place this morning than she was at the start of the week.

It’s all relative though – and don’t underestimate how important PMQs is for the prime minister.

If today goes badly, it could persuade more of her MPs that they need to get rid of her. Many have been weighing up how quickly to act and will be watching closely.

If it goes well, it will buy her more time.

But today Liz Truss’s battle for survival will be very public.

It's been a long week for Liz Truss, who sacked her previous chancellor, U-turned on much of her tax-cutting mini-budget, and has been battling to salvage her authority.

Let's take a look at what Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer may focus on:

• Her leadership: Questions have swirled around the prime minister's decision-making since her ill-fated mini-budget. The news gets grimmer for her as it seems polling with Conservative Party members also appears to suggest a majority of them think she should resign
• Cost of living: This remains a huge issue for everyone up and down the country. Today's 10.1% inflation figure shows prices are rising at their fastest rate for 40 years. Labour have been criticising the government's response to dealing rising prices
• Pensions triple lock: The big story today continues to be the government's lack of clarity on the pensions triple lock commitment. Truss said in her leadership bid she would stand by the system, which raises pensions by whichever is highest out of 2.5%, inflation, or average wages. But Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said next year's pensions rate rise has still yet to be worked out

Grave risk for Truss is abject humiliation and ridiculepublished at 11:47 British Summer Time 19 October 2022

11:47 BST 19 October 2022

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, EPA

Remember, this is only Liz Truss’s third outing at PMQs. Last week she was greeted by cheers - from the Labour side.

The grave risk for her today, bluntly, is abject humiliation and ridicule.

Inside No 10 they are finding positives in the absence of potential negatives that haven’t - at least yet - happened.

There haven’t been any resignations and the prime minister feels on a better footing having met loads of her colleagues.

But everything is relative.

Any notch down from volcanic anger is still pretty hot and the next wave of anger among Conservative MPs and others is already washing in fast: the impact of spending cuts.

The consequence of nearly everything - in terms of government spending - being on the table is the capacity for concern is as broad as imaginable every day between now and the next economic statement, promised a week on Monday.

This is the next of many political dangers haunting a Downing Street living from one day to the next.

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Liz Truss is on her way to the House of Commons, where Prime Minister's Questions is due to get under way in 20 minutes.

We'll bring you all the developments from there.

It's been another tumultuous week in government so far. Here's a recap of what's been happening:

• Chancellor Jeremy Hunt axed most of last month's mini-budget on Monday, after a series of U-turns on Prime Minister Liz Truss's economic agenda
• The chancellor announced the pledged cap on the annual cost of energy at £2,500 for a typical household will now only last until April, rather than for two years
• Hunt has indicated that the government is no longer committed to the triple lock, which would see state pensions rise in line with inflation, weeks after the PM commited to the pledge
• He made no indication whether benefits would rise in line with prices and said while there be would "difficult decisions" to come on tax and spending, with support for the most vulnerable prioritised
• Asked if he would introduce a "proper" windfall tax on energy companies, the chancellor said he was "not against the principle" of taxing profits that are "genuine windfalls" - a measure Truss had previously ruled out
• Five Tory MPs have called publicly on Truss to resign, with others briefing journalists that they think her time in office is up

Here's a reminder of what Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng's original economic plan looks like after Jeremy Hunt took take an axe to it.

The chancellor has said there could be more "eye-watering" decisions ahead as he prepares to set out the government's new financial approach in a statement on 31 October.

Image source, .

Liz Truss will face Prime Minister's Questions at 12:00 for the first time since most aspects of her tax plan were ripped up.

Since her last face-off with Labour's Keir Starmer in the Commons, Truss has appointed a new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, who announced a raft of U-turns on her pledges in the mini-budget.

Conservative MPs will be watching very closely to see how the prime minister performs, particularly after she faced accusations of avoiding MPs on Monday. Labour had asked an urgent question to the PM but she sent Penny Mordaunt to answer instead - with some MPs noting that Mordaunt, a rival to Truss in the summer's Tory leadership contest, performed very well.

Good morning and welcome along. Liz Truss faces MPs in the House of Commons in less than an hour for the first Prime Minister's Questions since her new chancellor ripped up her tax plans.

Jeremy Hunt acted to shore up markets on Monday, scrapping most of the measures that had been announced last month in a mini-budget.

Truss is battling to save her premiership after just over a month in the job and today's PMQs will be a key test of her leadership and her ability to command her own side in the Commons.

Last night she told right-wing Conservative MPs that her tax U-turns had been painful.

Meanwhile, the country is facing a growing cost of living crisis with inflation reaching over 10%, and polls suggest support for Truss's Conservatives has plummeted.

Stay with us as we bring you all the developments from Westminster and beyond.