Rishi Sunak has taken Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons - the final session before local elections are held in England
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been grilling the PM on rent and mortgage costs, accusing the Tories of using people's money as "casino chips"
But Sunak has hit back, saying that last year there was the highest number of first time buyers in 20 years
More than 8,000 seats will be contested at 230 councils tomorrow - elections in NI will be held in two weeks' time
The vote is expected to be a tough first electoral test for Sunak, whose Conservatives trail Labour in opinion polls
Rishi Sunak has arrived in the Commons and Prime Minister’s Questions will begin shortly - you can watch by clicking the play button above.
The PM will first take questions from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, before hearing from other MPs.
Stay with us.
This week will see the biggest round of local council elections in England and Northern Ireland since 2019, with 40 million people able to choose new councillors.
Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough will also elect mayors.
In Northern Ireland, 462 council seats are being contested across all 11 councils on Thursday 18 May.
Want to know where to vote? Click here to use our handy look up tool to check if there is an election in your area and who is standing.
If you’re on this page for our politics coverage now is a perfect time to remind you about the changes to tomorrow’s local council elections.
Crucially, these new rules come into force for anyone wanting to vote in England on 4 May.
Voters will now need photo ID for most elections from May, with the changes applying to UK general elections from October.
Ione Wells explains what you need to know, in 60 seconds.
Image source, PA MediaRishi Sunak has left Downing Street for Prime Minister's Questions in a few minutes' time.
We'll bring you all the key lines and analysis of his exchanges with Labour leader Keir Starmer here, so stick with us.
Image source, EPAAs well as local elections, the issue of ongoing strikes could come up.
There's a prospect of more disruption on the railways with 13,000 Aslef workers set to walk out after the RMT union rejected the latest pay deal from train operators.
RMT members will strike on 13 May, the day of the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Aslef members are striking on 12 and 31 May, and on 3 June, the day of the men's football FA Cup final.
In the health sector, more than a million NHS staff in England are to receive a 5% pay rise, after health unions backed a deal.
But three unions, including Unison and the Royal College of Nursing, are threatening to continue action.
And teachers in four unions in England have said they will team up on any strike action over pay - which could mean full school closures in the autumn term.
Image source, ReutersIt was all smiles and laughter last night as King Charles met Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer at Westminster Hall to attend a reception with MPs, peers and staff ahead of the Coronation.
The PM was pictured laughing alongside the Labour leader as they greeted the King.
The King was accompanied by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle who was also in high spirits.
Between 650 and 750 parliamentarians gathered in the hall for the reception, alongside staff from the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
We’re not sure we’ll see such camaraderie between the two leaders at today’s PMQs.
Chris Mason
Political editor
There are elections in parts of every region across England, apart from London. Around 70% of England's electorate have the opportunity to vote.
These elections matter because they decide who governs closest to us, who will mould the places we live and work, who will run so many of the public services we rely on.
They are also a brutal gauge of popularity, or otherwise, for party leaderships.
Since the last round in 2019, we've had four prime ministers, a change of monarch and the UK has left the European Union.
In big picture terms, here are the themes to look out for: How badly do the Conservatives do? It is widely expected that the Tories are in for a rough time.
How well does Labour do? It is widely expected that they will do well.
But, the key thing on both these things will be, the extent of the gains and losses.
Read more of Chris Mason’s thoughts here.
Image source, PA MediaTomorrow's local elections could be the biggest test of political opinion before a general election next year, so the stakes are high for all the party leaders.
Rishi Sunak needs to show he’s starting to win back the trust of voters after a period of huge turmoil in the Conservative Party.
Sir Keir Starmer is hoping Labour’s lead in the opinion polls translates into significant gains; the Liberal Democrats are targeting traditional Tory areas while the Greens are hoping to win an outright majority on a council for the first time.
The last time these council seats were contested in 2019, the Conservatives under Theresa May lost more than 1,300 councillors, with the Liberal Democrat’s the main beneficiaries.
Emma Owen
Live reporter
Hello and welcome to this week's live coverage of Prime Minister's Questions.
As usual, we'll be bringing you the latest from the session in the Commons that starts just after 12.
With local elections being held in England tomorrow, all parties will want to get their points across - so expect questions highlighting their preferred campaign issues.
We'll cover what's said here, along with analysis from our political correspondents - and you can watch the session in full by clicking on the play button above.