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Back to the government's migrant bill, which is expected to dominate PMQs in a few minutes.

The BBC says it has "spoken to" Match of the Day host Gary Lineker after he tweeted critically about the new proposed asylum policy.

Writing on Twitter, the ex-footballer said the language in which the plans had been set out was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".

A BBC spokesperson said the star would be "reminded of his responsibilities".

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said Lineker's comments were "irresponsible". Her Labour shadow, Yvette Cooper, said he was not right to make comparisons with the 1930s.

• Read more on the story here

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One name that might come up during Rishi Sunak's face-to-face with Keir Starmer is that of Sue Gray - the Partygate investigator who has been invited to become the Labour leader's chief of staff.

Labour has been accused of "acting fast and loose" with the impartiality of the civil service over the proposed appointment of the former civil servant.

Gray investigated parties held in Downing Street during the Covid pandemic.

Paymaster General Jeremy Quin says the Labour leader's office may have breached Whitehall's rules.

Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Quin said this was "an exceptional situation, it is unprecedented for a serving permanent secretary to resign to seek to take up a senior position working for the leader of the opposition."

In response, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner accused a "sleaze-addicted" government" of being "so self-obsessed that they are using parliamentary time to indulge in the conspiracy theories of the former prime minister and his gang".

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PM Rishi Sunak has left Downing Street and is headed to the House of Commons.

He’ll take questions from MPs at the usual time of 12pm.

We'll be bringing you the latest updates, but you can also watch the debate live by clicking the Play button at the top of this page from midday.

Jonathan Blake
Political correspondent

The small boats issue is likely to dominate PMQs this week - Labour have been scathing about the plans and we can expect to hear more of that.

But it's tricky territory for Sir Keir Starmer, he hasn't made tackling channel crossings a political priority in the same way as Rishi Sunak.

So while there'll be plenty of criticism from the opposition benches, expect the prime minister to turn it back on the Labour leader questioning what he might do.

From Conservatives, watch out for any queasiness about the government's rhetoric from more moderate tory backbenchers - as well as concern at the other end of the spectrum that the plans don't go far enough.

Other issues that might get a look in include continued revelations from Matt Hancock's WhatsApp chats during the pandemic and former senior civil servant Sue Gray's move to work for Labour, both preoccupying people in the Westminster bubble, but the PM's unlikely to want to wade into those.

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Countering Home Secretary Suella Braverman on the airwaves this morning was her Labour counterpart Yvette Cooper.

Reiterating her criticism of ministers' plans to remove those who reach the UK by illegal means, she told the Today programme that the government was being "irresponsible".

Cooper said her political opponents favoured "rhetoric" and "gimmicks", and that she expected her party to have to deal with the "Conservatives' mess" over the issue.

She said her party had its own plan to stop the arrival of migrant boats, by tackling the criminal gangs that organised the sailings.

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Home Secretary Suella Braverman was up early this morning, fulfilling the customary media round for the government.

Defending the government’s new asylum plan, she told the BBC that the British public have “had enough” of migrants arriving in small boats.

Under the proposals, migrants found to have entered the country illegally will be swiftly removed from the UK and blocked from claiming citizenship in the future.

Pressed on where the migrants would go, Braverman told the Today programme that an existing deal to send migrants to Rwanda was "uncapped" - and could potentially take thousands of people.

This would mean the number of people reaching the UK illegally could “fall dramatically”, she said.

But no-one has yet been sent to Rwanda, as that policy has faced legal challenges.

Braverman said: "I think it will be very clear by the time of the next election whether we have succeeded or not."

The row over the Illegal Migration Bill is just beginningpublished at 10:58 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2023

10:58 GMT 8 March 2023

Chris Mason
Political editor

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The government always knew this was going to cause a row. And the row is only just beginning.

The prime minister's aim is clear enough. Stop The Boats - another three word slogan.

Rishi Sunak's answer to my question about whether he will have failed if he has not stopped the boats by the next general election was a little less clear.

But there is definitely a target against which we can measure his success or otherwise.

But what of the policy itself? It is expected to be back in the House of Commons on Monday.

The aim within government is to have it heading towards the House of Lords by just after Easter- where it's likely to encounter plenty of opposition.

But the hope among ministers is that it could become law over the summer or in the early autumn.

The government then expects it to be challenged legally, at the point where they first use its powers.

PM Rishi Sunak told reporters on Tuesday he was "up for the fight" to bring in the new legislation announced by his home secretary, amid the likelihood of it encountering a legal battle.

But what exactly is the bill aiming to do?

• People removed from the UK will be blocked from returning or seeking British citizenship in future
• Migrants will not get bail or be able to seek judicial review for the first 28 days of detention
• There will be a cap on the number of refugees the UK will settle through "safe and legal routes" - set annually by Parliament
• A duty on the home secretary to detain those arriving in the UK illegally and remove them to Rwanda or a "safe" third country - this will take legal precedence over someone's right to claim asylum
• Under-18s, those medically unfit to fly, or those at risk of serious harm in the country they are being removed to will be able to delay removal
• Any other asylum claims will be heard remotely after removal

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, up from about 300 in 2018.

Image source, .

Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced yesterday plans for migrants entering the UK illegally on small boats to be detained and "swiftly removed" under new legislation.

Under the law, those entering the UK via illegal routes will be removed and blocked from returning. There will also be a cap on the numbers granted asylum.

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping small boats one of his top five priorities.

But Labour has called the legislation a "con that risks making the chaos worse", with shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accusing the Tories of "being irresponsible" in dealing with migrant policy.

The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, said it was "profoundly concerned" by the bill, calling it a "clear breach" of the refugee convention.

The Refugee Council said it was "not the British way of doing things", with its chief executive Enver Solomon saying the plans were "more akin to authoritarian nations", while Amnesty International called it a "cynical attempt to dodge basic moral and legal responsibilities".

Sarah Fowler
Live reporter

Hello and thank you for joining us for today’s live coverage of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) – good to have you on board.

The weekly head-to-head between the PM and the opposition leader tends to bring plenty of drama, and we're poised to capture that here.

Today’s showdown between Rishi Sunak and Labour's Sir Keir Starmer comes a day after the government unveiled its new asylum plan.

Earlier, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she would “stop people jumping the queue” with new legislation aimed at removing migrants who illegally cross the Channel in small boats.

But Labour and other opposition parties have been highly critical. The topic could feature prominently in today’s head-to-head in the chamber.

With me are Marita Moloney and James FitzGerald. As usual, we’ll be updating you on the event itself, as well as the key reaction and expert analysis.