That's it for now. Today's live page was brought to you by Aoife Walsh, Marita Moloney, Chas Geiger, Laura Gozzi and Lora Jones.

It was edited by Jasmine Taylor-Coleman, Heather Sharp and Andrew Humphrey.

We're going to end our live coverage of the Treasury Committee session soon. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been facing some tough questions from MPs.

Here's a recap of some of the key points we've heard as he's discussed his Autumn Statement:

• He said he was "very concerned that if taxes are too high it makes it difficult to be a modern, dynamic economy"
• There were a few allusions to the dramatic mini-budget by his predecessor, Kwasi Kwarteng, which caused market turmoil without any official forecasts. "There is one thing worse than a forecast. And that's not having a forecast," Hunt said.
• The chancellor said he was keen to see social care reforms that have been delayed for two years taken forward, but he said the delay would give the most direct help to people in need of care. He added that the pressures on the NHS would not be eased if people were taking up beds who could be looked after in the community
• He reiterated that he does not want to move away from the current Brexit agreement to a "Swiss-style" deal, as has been reported in recent weeks.
• The chancellor also said multiple times that economic growth would be a key pillar of policy going forward, with his desire to see the UK become the next "Silicon Valley" in the long-term.
• But he acknowledged that making sure the least well-off are "brought along" and given the skills they need would remain a challenge.

Reality Check

We're hearing claims again about how the UK compares to other economies on economic growth.

At PMQs, Labour leader Keir Starmer told MPs: “Britain faces the lowest growth of any OECD nation over the next two years.”

He was referring to economic forecasts from the OECD, which is a club of 38 member countries.

Its latest report , externalon Tuesday predicted that the UK economy would shrink by 0.4% in 2023 and grow 0.2% in 2024, which is the lowest in the OECD.

The prime minister responded by saying the UK had: “This year the fastest growth in the G7.”

The G7 is a smaller group of big economies.

The OECD expects the UK to grow 4.4% in 2022, which is indeed the fastest in the G7, although the UK had further to recover, having still not reached the level of economic output it had before the pandemic.

So, they were both right with these claims, but were looking at different periods and different economic forecasts.

Labour MP Rushanara Ali asks, after 12 years of low growth under the Conservatives, what the point is of the chancellor's party. She says the British people are paying a "moron premium" with the Tories in government.

Hunt replies that you can take a snapshot of economic statistics to tell any story you want - and then goes on to defend the Tories' record in government.

He says the UK has had the third highest growth in the G7 group of nations since 2010 - despite three global economic shocks: the financial crisis, the pandemic and the energy crisis.

But he adds he is concerned about longer-term challenges such as low employment levels, productivity and skills gaps - saying there's "a lot of work to be done".

Chris Mason
Political editor

"There is one thing worse than a forecast. And that's not having a forecast," the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt tells MPs, when asked about the value of economic forecasts.

The Conservative MP John Baron was sceptical about their value, given often they turn out to be wrong.

He even quoted the economist John Kenneth Galbraith who once said “the only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable”.

But Hunt sought to defend the Office for Budget Responsibility, the government’s independent forecaster, and the value of publishing forecasts, which his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng decided against.

Hunt said “the OBR’s record has been more accurate than the Treasury’s own forecasts before the OBR existed".

Hunt is then asked by Danny Kruger how confident he is that energy prices will go down - a contingent part of meeting the loosened fiscal rules announced in the Autumn Statement.

He announced last week that underlying debt must fall as a percentage of GDP within five years, instead of three, and that public sector borrowing must be below 3% of GDP.

The chancellor tells the committee that to be sensible, there needs to be "a central scenario based on our best guess of what's going to happen to energy prices" and to produce a set of accounts based on that but also recognise that when it comes to next year's Budget and Autumn Statement, "these things may change".

On what might happen if there's less money than expected in the spring, he says it's not helpful to speculate on what might happen or what might go wrong.

"I think you have to be honest with people and say the situation might change and our response might have to change, but on the basis of the facts now, I think we have a good plan, the right plan that brings down inflation, shows we can balance the books and repay our debts," Hunt says.

Conservative MP Harriett Baldwin, chair of the Treasury Committee, asks the chancellor about his commitment to delivering HS2 to Manchester.

Baldwin says there's been concerns from colleagues who "aren't particularly happy about the capital spending being allocated to HS2".

Hunt says he decided to proceed with HS2 to Manchester as Britain has "profound difficulties in the way we execute large infrastructure projects".

He adds that poor national infrastructure is a key reason why Britain has "such large regional imbalances in wealth" as there is a greater concentration of wealth and higher living standards in London and the south east relative to other parts of the country,

Developing good transport links would mean that those wanting to benefit from higher standards of living wouldn't have to move to London, Hunt adds.

The chancellor is asked about the way he raised what some describe as "stealth taxes" in his Autumn Statement.

Hunt says the main rates of income tax were not increased because, as a Conservative, he wants to bring them down and not raising them now was "important symbolism".

But, he adds, he made no attempt to hide the fact that he was increasing taxes overrall by £25bn as part of his package.

This was done chiefly by extending until 2028 the freeze on income tax thresholds, which with pay rises and inflation means most earners will pay more tax on what they earn.

Jeremy Hunt is the asked about the Conservative manifesto of 2019, specifically on social care.

Last week's Autumn Statement announced that a cap on the amount people in England pay for social care is to be postponed by two years. It means some people will continue to pay more than the proposed £86,000 cap for lifelong care needs.

Committee chair Harriett Baldwin asks the chancellor about a breach of the manifesto in his announcement, that people won't have to sell their homes to pay for care.

Hunt responds that he was keen to proceed with planned reforms to the system but the pressures on the NHS will not be eased if people are taking up beds who could be looked after in the community.

He says delaying the reforms will give the most direct help to people in need of care over the next two years.

"It was a delay in implementing a manifesto pledge on the basis of the extreme circumstances we had with a pandemic," he adds.

The chancellor is asked by chair of the Treasury Committee, Harriett Baldwin MP, about recent reports in the Sunday Times that some in government want to move towards a Swiss-style deal with the EU, with less trading friction and more migration.

He says he does not want to move away from the Brexit trade and cooperation agreement (TCA). He says that has been his position as chancellor and in the past too.

He adds that he believes that technology can help with delays and additional red tape following the UK's exit from the European Union.

When pressed further, he repeats his support for the TCA. Read our guide on the Brexit terms you need to know here.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has begun addressing the Treasury Committee.

The Committee will ask the Chancellor questions on the Autumn Statement.

We'll bring you the latest developments.

Image source, PA Media

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will appear before the Treasury Committee shortly, where he will answer questions on last week's Autumn Statement.

Hunt has faced criticism since his package of tax rises and spending cuts was announced, both from the Labour Party as well as from Conservative MPs.

Former cabinet minister Esther McVey fired a warning shot at the government over plans to increase taxes, saying it was the "last thing" a Tory government should be doing.

Also voicing dissent last week was former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith who said "it is absolutely a fact of life that tax rises will make the recession deeper", while former minister Sir John Redwood warned that tax rises would be unnecessary and counter-productive.

Meanwhile, Labour said Hunt "picked the pockets" of the entire country with "stealth taxes" in his Autumn Statement.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves branded the tax rises and spending curbs "an invoice for the economic carnage" created by Liz Truss's mini-budget.

Hunt insisted his plan would get the UK through an economic "storm" amid forecasts from that the UK economy will shrink by 1.4% next year, and his plan was also praised by the International Monetary Fund for balancing the need to bring prices down and protect people's earnings during a difficult time for the economy.

Image source, Reuters

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab is facing an investigation into his behaviour after two formal complaints were made against him.

He has been accused of bullying officials when he held previous roles as justice secretary and foreign secretary. He has denied the allegations. But when formal complaints were lodged last week, he asked Rishi Sunak to launch an inquiry into his conduct.

Raab said he would "thoroughly rebut and refute" the claims against him, adding that he had "never tolerated bullying" and had "always sought to reinforce and empower" civil servants.

This type of investigation would normally fall within the remit of the PM's adviser on ministerial conduct. But that position has been vacant since Lord Geidt quit in June, after conceding then-PM Boris Johnson might have broken ministerial rules over Partygate.

Read more: Lawyer to investigate Raab bullying claims

Chris Mason
Political editor

The government has appointed Adam Tolley KC to investigate complaints made about the conduct of Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.

The prime minister’s official spokesman told reporters Tolley‘s report would be published "in a timely way" but didn’t commit to a timeframe either for the completion of the work or its publication.

Any final judgement on whether Dominic Raab was in breach of the ministerial code will remain with Rishi Sunak.

"The prime minister will remain the arbiter of the code," the spokesman said.

The government promised Adam Tolley "will have access to all the information he wishes to see".

There is a separate process that is ongoing, we are told, for the government to recruit an independent adviser on ministerial interests.

Image source, PA Media

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been facing MPs in the Commons Home Affairs Committee for the first time since her appointment.

The committee heard that she was warned four times in September and October her department was potentially breaking the law by keeping migrants at Kent's Manston centre.

Previous reports suggested Braverman was told that failing to provide alternative accommodation was in breach of the law.

She told the committee she would not comment on leaked documents but said she was aware from September Manston had a problem.

Manston was designed as a holding site for a maximum of 1,600 migrants who arrive on small boats - each for a maximum of 24 hours - but at its peak there were 4,000 people there.

Read the full story here.

Reality Check

At PMQs, Labour leader Keir Starmer told MPs: “Britain faces the lowest growth of any OECD nation over the next two years.”

He was referring to economic forecasts from the OECD, which is a club of 38 member countries.

Its latest report, external on Tuesday predicted that the UK economy would shrink by 0.4% in 2023 and grow 0.2% in 2024, which is the lowest in the OECD.

The prime minister responded by saying the UK had: “This year the fastest growth in the G7.”

The G7 is a smaller group of big economies.

The OECD expects the UK to grow 4.4% in 2022, which is indeed the fastest in the G7, although the UK had further to recover, having still not reached the level of economic output it had before the pandemic.

So, they were both right with these claims, but were looking at different periods and different economic forecasts.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has just finished his first PMQs since last week's Autumn Statement. Here's a round-up of what happened:

• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer focused his line of attack on the economy, saying the PM is in total denial about the country's financial state
• In response to a question about why the UK has the lowest growth of any OECD nation, Sunak said since entering No 10, he has strengthened the economy, given more money to the NHS and schools, and done a deal to tackle illegal migration
• Starmer and Sunak also blamed each other's parties for doing nothing over non-doms
• The issue of Scottish independence also dominated today's session, following the Supreme Court ruling that the Scottish government cannot hold an referendum without the UK government's consent
• As the BBC's political editor Chris Mason noted, the fireworks of PMQs in recent months have been replaced by a calmer and more conventionalset of exchanges
• After PMQs, the SNP's Ian Blackford put an urgent question to the government on the Supreme Court's decision - which Scottish Secretary Alister Jack welcomed as "clear and definitive"

• Blackford said the ruling raised questions about the future of the UK and the "myth" that it as a voluntary union
• Jack called for Scotland to set aside "divisive constitutional issues" and work together on the issues that matter to people

Labour leader Keir Starmer began PMQs with a statement about gay rights in Qatar, saying "shame on Fifa" that players at the World Cup could not express their solidarity with LGBTQ fans.

Then attention turned to the economy. Starmer asked why the UK was the first country into recession and "the last country out".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the UK was forecast by the OECD to have the highest growth and it was "crystal clear that the challenges we face are completely international in nature".

Watch the video above to see their full exchange.

Jack again responds to Blackford.

He says the claim that the 2020 election gave the SNP a mandate for a referendum is "misleading", and says that in the 2022 local elections less than a third of the Scottish electorate voted for the SNP.

Chris Mason
Political editor

It felt like a bit of a nil-nil draw today - the tribal grind of established policy positions and scrutiny.

One thing stuck out as an oddity at the start.

That was Keir Starmer doing the kind of thing prime ministers sometimes do - which is to offer a view on something that has happened in the last week which isn’t connected to a question.

Starmer criticised football’s world governing body Fifa, to broad agreement across the chamber. He then asked a question about something totally unrelated.

The recurring question was the one about Scottish independence after the decision of the Supreme Court - and lots of SNP members got to ask questions.

Even a former prime minister, Theresa May, got stuck in.

But overall, I’m not sure we learnt a vast amount today.

The fireworks of recent months have been replaced by a calmer - dare I say it - conventional PMQs set of exchanges.