Summary

  • New PM Rishi Sunak has reintroduced the Conservatives' moratorium on fracking in England, Downing Street has confirmed

  • It reverses his predecessor Liz Truss's decision to lift the ban in areas where there was local consent

  • The controversial technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock was halted in 2019 after concerns about earth tremors

  • It follows Sunak's first Prime Minister's Questions as PM, where he was grilled by Labour Leader Keir Starmer and other MPs

  • Starmer accused him of making a "grubby deal" to reappoint Suella Braverman as home secretary just six days after she resigned over data breaches

  • Sunak responded that Braverman "made an error of judgment", has apologised, and he's delighted to have her back in cabinet

  • Earlier the government said it would delay announcing its plan to repair the UK's finances from Monday 31 October to 17 November

  1. Does Williamson pose security risk, Sunak askedpublished at 12:42 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Stephen Kinnock, Labour MP for Aberavon, asks the PM about trust, which yesterday Sunak said he wanted to restore: "Yet we've seen he's prepared to shamelessly swap red boxes for political support - and there are serious consequences to this horse-trading."

    Kinnock asks whether Sunak sought or received advice on security concerns about the MP for South Staffordshire - Gavin Williamson, now a minister of state - "given he was sacked in 2019 for leaking sensitive information related to our national security?"

    Williamson "strenuously" denied leaking the information.

    Sunak says Kinnock is asking questions about events that happened "four years ago" - when "members opposite were busily supporting the member for Islington North [Jeremy Corbyn] who wanted to abolish the nuclear deterrent, leave Nato and scrap our armed forces... We won't take any lectures on national security."

  2. Sunak asked if he will support Scottish referendumpublished at 12:36 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    The SNP's Alyn Smith, MP for Stirling, says Scotland's best future is independence in Europe. He asks the Tory party to show some respect when his comment is met with laughs and jeers.

    He says the last opinion poll showed 72% of the people of Scotland wanted to rejoin the European Union - and he asks the PM, in order to maintain credibility, how long can he deny Scotland's democracy?

    Sunak urges him to respect the result of the Brexit referendum. He says while they will disagree on that issue, he remains committed to working in partnership to deliver for the people of Scotland.

  3. We will support hard-working nurses, says Sunakpublished at 12:32 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Sunak is now asked by Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, if he will introduce "wealth taxes on the very richest".

    He says it would take a nurse 20,000 years to accrue the same "vast wealth" as that possessed by the new PM.

    "We will always support our hard-working nurses," responds Sunak - pointing to measures that Conservative governments have already pledged.

    He says future "difficult decisions" will be approached in a way that is "fair and compassionate".

  4. Inflation is the enemy, says Sunakpublished at 12:30 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Labour MP Janet Daby starts her question by describing the current administration as a "topsy-turvy Tory government".

    She goes on to say that many of her constituents are contacting her worried about their "desperate" situations as a result of rising costs.

    "They are demanding a general election," she says. "Can the prime minister tell me and my constituents when there will be a general election?" she asks.

    Sunak responds by stating that inflation is the "enemy" and it is his priority to "get a grip" on it.

    "It makes everyone poorer, it erodes savings," he says.

  5. Lucas presses Sunak on fracking pledgepublished at 12:29 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Lucas

    The Green Party's Caroline Lucas asks the PM if he will reverse the decision on fracking taken by Truss to require local consent for the practice, which she says has "not been shown to be safe".

    She asks whether Sunak will stick to the Conservatives' manifesto and return to a moratorium.

    Sunak first says he is pleased the government has passed the "landmark Environment Act" and gives Lucas his "commitment" on delivering on green ambitions and the promises made at the Cop26 summit, "because we care deeply about passing our children an environment in a better state than we found it ourselves".

    Lucas nods in response.

  6. Analysis

    Smiles return to Tory benches despite pressure over Bravermanpublished at 12:27 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Chris Mason
    Political editor

    A 15 minute glimpse into the future. Sunak vs Starmer.

    It felt like the roaring return of partisan party politics.

    Conservatives have found their voices and smiles again. Both have been absent in recent weeks - their demeanour sullen, their heads sunk.

    Not today.

    Rishi Sunak played what Conservatives see as their greatest hits: Brexit, levelling up and talk of winning elections. The Tory backbenches lapped it up.

    Sunak sounded confident, but from here in the press gallery there was a sense of his nerves - his hand and leg twitching occasionally as he stood at the dispatch box.

    Keir Starmer went straight for the first flashpoint for the new government: the appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary.

    Sunak acknowledged that the woman he sent to run the Home Office yesterday had made an "error of judgement" in that very same job last week but said he was "delighted to welcome her back".

    Both Labour and the SNP see it as a deal made over the weekend to secure Braverman’s support for Sunak's leadership campaign

    And this won’t be the end of it: Labour will pursue more specific answers later today.

  7. SNP repeats Labour accusation that Sunak did deal with Bravermanpublished at 12:24 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Blackford, in his second question, asks whether Sunak will sack Home Secretary Suella Braverman for her data breach.

    Braverman resigned as home secretary over the mistake last week during the premiership of Liz Truss, before being reappointed by Sunak yesterday.

    Blackford accuses Sunak of doing a "sleazy backroom deal" with Braverman in order to get into No 10.

    In his response, Sunak alludes to a positive conversation with the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday and says he looks forward to working together "for the people of Scotland".

    He adds: "I believe in a strong United Kingdom".

  8. Sunak doesn't commit to raising benefits in line with inflationpublished at 12:22 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Media caption,

    WATCH: How Sunak answered when asked about increasing benefits by Ian Blackford

    Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party's leader at Westminster, congratulates Sunak on becoming the first British Asian prime minister, saying it was "warmly welcomed".

    He says people are facing a "winter of uncertainty ahead" and asks the PM to guarantee that benefits will rise in line with inflation.

    Sunak doesn't answer the question directly, but says he has "always acted in a way to protect the most vulnerable", saying the Conservatives are a "compassionate party".

  9. Postpublished at 12:18 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Sunak responds by saying Starmer talks about mandates and elections but "it's a bit rich coming from the person who tried to overturn the biggest democratic vote in our country's history" - an apparent reference to the 2016 Brexit referendum.

    He says the Tories' mandate is based on the manifesto they were elected on, and reminds Labour they lost the last general election.

    He pledges to work for a stronger NHS, better schools, safer streets, control of borders and levelling up.

  10. Postpublished at 12:17 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Starmer, in his final question, says Sunak "says one thing and does another" when it comes to levelling up in the north.

    He repeats his call for a general election.

    He points out that Sunak was beaten in the summer leadership contest by Liz Truss - who herself was "beaten by a lettuce".

    That's a reference to a contest run by the Daily Star to see if the former PM could remain in office longer than a vegetable could last.

  11. Postpublished at 12:17 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Sunak claims Starmer "rarely leaves north London. But if he does," he says, "he will know that there are deprived areas in our rural communities, in our coastal communities, and across the south". He adds that this government will "relentlessly support them".

    He says he's "the first to admit that mistakes were made" in last few weeks, but goes on to say "that is the difference" between him and the Labour leader.

    He says he was honest over the summer about the difficulties the country faced, but that Starmer was not.

    "He promised his party he would borrow billions and billions of pounds, he told his party what it wanted to hear," he says.

    "Leadership is not selling fairy tales, it is confronting challenges and that is what the public will get from this government."

  12. Postpublished at 12:15 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Starmer responds that the PM is pretending he is on the side of working people - but in private he says "something different", referring to the video which emerged in the summer of Sunak in Tunbridge Wells saying he diverted public money from "deprived urban areas".

    "Rather than apologise or pretend he meant something else, why doesn't he do the right thing and undo the changes he made to those funding formulas?," Starmer says to loud cheers from the Labour benches.

  13. Postpublished at 12:14 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Rishi Sunak says difficult decisions will have to be taken to restore economic stability and confidence.

    He says the chancellor will set that out in the Autumn Statement in a few weeks.

    He says the goverment will always protect the most vulnerable, as it did in Covid.

    He says he's glad Labour has finally realised spending does need to be paid for.

    "It's a novel concept for the party opposite." he says.

    He says "we will restore economic stability in a fair and compassionate way".

  14. Postpublished at 12:14 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Starmer says he wants to "test" Sunak's pledge to protect the most vulnerable in society.

    With a dig at Sunak's wife Akshata Murty's tax history, he asks if the new PM will abolish non-domiciled tax status.

    "Why doesn't he put his money where his mouth is?" Starmer asks.

    "Non-dom" is short for "non-domiciled individual".

    It's a term that describes a UK resident whose permanent home, or domicile, is outside the UK.

    "Non-dom" is a description of tax status, and has nothing to do with one's chosen nationality, citizenship or resident status (although it can be affected by these factors).

    Sunak's wife, Akshata Murty, came under the spotlight earlier this year after it was revealed that she has "non-dom" status as a taxpayer.

    She later agreed to pay UK taxes on her worldwide income.

    You can read more about that here.

  15. Postpublished at 12:13 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Sunak responds to Starmer's assertion that he puts "party first and country second", and he suggests perhaps the Labour leader should explain why a few years ago he was supporting the member of Islington North, a reference to Jeremy Corbyn.

    He goes onto say that his "record is clear" and that when times are difficult, he will always protect the most vulnerable, as "they are the values of our compassionate party".

    "We did it in Covid and we'll do it again," he says.

  16. Postpublished at 12:12 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Starmer says Sunak is "so weak he's done a grubby deal and threatened national security because he was scared to lose leadership election", again refering to Braverman's reappointment to the cabinet.

    With Tories, it's always "party first, country second", Starmer says.

    "The Tories have crashed the economy and someone has to pay for their mess," he says. Does the PM agree that it shouldn't be working people who carry this burden and "that those with the wider shoulders should step up?", he asks.

  17. Postpublished at 12:11 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Sunak says he has just addressed the issue of the home secretary's reappointment.

    On fighting crime, Sunak says he hopes Starmer will welcome the news today that there are "over 15,000 new police officers" on our streets.

    He says the home secretary will support them to tackle burglaries, while Labour will be backing a "lunatic protesting fringe that are stopping working people carrying on with their lives".

  18. Postpublished at 12:09 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Starmer again presses Sunak on the reappointment of Braverman.

    He points out that the new PM has promised to govern with "integrity, professionalism and accountability", but points out that he has put in charge of the Home Office a woman forced to leave her job just a week ago.

    He asks: "Have officials raised concerns about his decision to appoint her?"

  19. Postpublished at 12:08 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Media caption,

    Keir Starmer's first PMQs question to PM Rishi Sunak

    Sunak responds by thanking Starmer for his kind and generous welcome, adding that he knows they will no doubt have "robust exchanges".

    Moving to the re-appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary, he says she made an error of judgement, but she had recognised that.

    He adds that he is delighted to welcome her back into a "united" cabinet that brings "experience and stability to the heart of government".

    He says she'll be focused on "cracking down on criminals" and "defending borders", while the party in opposition remains "soft on crime" and in favour of "unlimited immigration".

  20. Postpublished at 12:07 British Summer Time 26 October 2022

    Starmer

    Starmer welcomes the PM - the first British Asian PM - saying that it's a reminder that "Britain is a place where people of all races and beliefs can fulfil their dreams".

    Then Starmer asks: "Was the home secretary right to resign last week for a breach of security?"