That brings our coverage of today's Prime Minister's Questions to a close.

It was Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden's first PMQs, standing in for Rishi Sunak. He faced a grilling from Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner - and certainly there were plenty of barbs exchanged in both directions.

Rayner welcomed "yet another deputy PM" and said the Tories were "preparing for opposition" - while Dowden referred to Rayner and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as the "Phil and Holly of British politics"- referring to reports of a rift between Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby of ITV's This Morning.

There were also meaty clashes on topics including hospital waiting lists and child poverty - with Rayner accusing the Conservatives of "lurching from crisis to crisis" while Dowden said the government was making "good progress" on reducing the lists and that he was proud of his party's record on tackling poverty.

Want to read more? Our report on PMQs is here.

Today's coverage was written by Aoife Walsh, Malu Cursino, Jack Burgess, Richard Morris, Alys Davies, Gem O'Reilly and Emaan Warraich.

It was edited by Owen Amos, Heather Sharp and Alex Therrien.

One of the issues mentioned at PMQs was a warning over threats to the UK car manufacturing industry in the UK because of EU trade rules.

Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, has warned it may have to close UK factories if the government does not renegotiate the Brexit deal.

It warned it could face tariffs of 10% on exports to the EU due to rules on where parts are sourced from.

Downing Street has responded, saying it recognises that raw material costs have spiked since the government signed the trade and cooperation agreement with the UK. It said manufacturers across Europe were facing the same issue.

"I believe European carmakers' body the ACEA has said themselves that the European battery industry is simply not taking enough quick enough to keep in line with the more restrictive rules that are due to come into place," a spokesperson said.

No 10 added that the Business Secretary has raised the issue with the European Commission and "we hope to come to a resolution with the EU on this".

Reality Check

At PMQs, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden talked about the government's record saying: "Crime down 50%, near-record levels of employment, a record minimum wage."

Taking those in turn, we've heard the claim about crime being down 50% since 2010 a few times. It's right, but only if you use figures that exclude fraud and computer misuse, which only started being included in the figures in 2017.

And it’s a significant category - in September 2022 there were almost as many incidents of fraud and computer misuse as incidents of all other crimes put together.

There are indeed almost record numbers of people in employment, external. It was just under 33 million in the UK in January to March 2023. It's only 33,000 fewer than the all-time high recorded in the three months to February 2019.

On the third claim, in cash terms, the minimum wage is always at a record high unless it is reduced, which has never happened in the UK.

But it can go down if you adjust for inflation. The minimum wage went up to £10.42 in April, which was an increase of 9.7%, but inflation in the year to the end of March was 10.1%.

The SNP's Mhairi Back said Brexit Britain faced higher food prices, a lack of workers, and a decline in living standards.

In response, Dowden said the SNP should concentrate on the "mess they've left Scotland in"...

• Rayner said her party is "preparing to govern" while the Conservatives are "preparing for opposition"
• Dowden referred to Rayner and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as the "Phil and Holly of British politics" - referring to reports of a rift between Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby of ITV's This Morning
• Rayner asked when NHS waiting lists would fall. Dowden insisted the government is making "good progress" on waiting lists
• Rayner claimed the government has failed to provide minimum service levels in the NHS because they've "run them down and mismanaged them", after Dowden asked why she did not support them
• Rayner claimed that child poverty levels were back to pre-1997 levels
• Dowden said crime is down and there are record levels of employment thanks to the Tory government
• Dowden accused the SNP of wanting to "undo Brexit" after the SNP's Mhairi Black asked why Britons are facing higher food prices, a lack of workers and a decline in living standards
• DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson asked whether the government would protect Northern Ireland's access to the UK market. Dowden said the government is committed to providing protections
• Other issues that came up were leasehold reform, mental health services, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's use of a private jet and reading league tables

Reality Check

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Under the Tories, child poverty is nearly back at the level it was when Labour last inherited the Tory mess.”

Last year, 29% of children in the UK were living in poverty after housing costs were taken into account, according to, external the economic think tank the Institute of Fiscal Studies.

In 1997-98, when Labour came into office, 33% of children lived in poverty.

This was reduced to 27% in 2010-11 – the year the Conservatives came into office.

The Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner told MPs the government was overseeing a "conveyor belt of crisis".

But Dowden said he stands by the Conservatives' record...

Oliver Dowden was questioned by Angela Rayner on NHS waiting lists - here's what happened...

Reality Check

During PMQs, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: "Waiting lists are longer than when the prime minister made his pledge [to reduce them] five months ago."

She's right. There are 7.3 million people waiting to see a hospital doctor, which is the highest ever recorded and up on the 7 million seen five months ago.

But analysts of the NHS say it's not all bad news. Despite strikes in March, the NHS treated more people than they did the month before or at the same time a year ago.

Waiting lists went up because the number of people needing treatment rose even faster.

No major blows from Labourpublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 17 May 2023

12:49 BST 17 May 2023

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

Oliver Dowden has got through his first PMQs standing in for Rishi Sunak.

He’s likely to be pleased, as there didn't seem to have been any moments that were too sticky.

Labour might be disappointed they didn’t land any major blows - but they did get the opportunity to hammer home some of their key issues such as NHS waiting lists and, notably, child poverty which was raised by several Labour MPs.

PMQs without the PM is always a slightly odd event. This one seems to have passed off uneventfully.

Image source, .

Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie speaks in support of the tourism sector in Wales, asking if Dowden agrees that the UK government's tips bill, external would support the sector - in comparison to Labour in Cardiff's proposed tourist tax, which she says would undermine visits and jobs.

Dowden says he is happy to give that commitment to Crosbie. He adds that he's spent many happy family holidays in Wales - and plans to do so next year.

Image source, .

Labour's Rachael Maskell says mental health services are in crisis, and asks why the government sits on its hands while patients across the NHS are being failed. She asked for an urgent meeting.

In response, Dowden says is sure one of his ministerial colleagues would be happy to have that meeting.

He adds the government has made mental health services a priority, and has put more money into mental health services.

Image source, .

Labour MP Chi Onwurah is next up. She says half the children in Newcastle central are growing up in poverty.

She says over the last five years the delivery of food parcels to children in north-east England has risen by over 250%.

She asks the deputy prime minister why is "his government making it so hard for our kids".

Dowden replies by claiming the government have lifted 1.7 million people out of absolute poverty altogether.

Matt Hancock offers his congratulations to Dowden on a "brilliant first performance" at PMQs.

The former health secretary then asks whether the government will stay "laser-focused" on both the issues that matter to people like the cost of living and the NHS, as well as on the issues of the future like AI, which he says needs regulatory attention.

Dowden replies, saying he feels "incredibly optimistic" about the future of the UK in industries "across the piste" - including the digital and film and television industries.

"We're genuinely world-leading," he says, and are creating "high-quality jobs" we would want our children and grandchildren to have.

Image source, HoC

Tory MP for Hertsmere Robin Walker says it's "excellent news" that England has jumped up league tables and is now fourth in the world for reading.

But he adds that attendance is very important, and brings the deputy PM's attention to a 10-minute bill that "delivers on key recommendations" from the Education Select Committee.

Dowden echoes Walker's remarks about England's ranking, saying the reading rate was testimony to the work done by his government.

He says he'll look into the 10-minute bill.

The backbenchers' questions have now come to an end in the House of Commons, but stay with us as we catch up on a few more things that were asked and chew over what's been said.

Conservative MP Simon Clarke says "incredible regeneration work is taking place on Teesside by our mayor, Ben Houchen".

He says Labour is attempting to "smear" the Teesworks project. He says it was always the case that the private sector should invest alongside the local government, and asks for confirmation that the plans have been "checked and approved by the government".

He says Labour should apologise "for talking down Teesside".

Deputy PM Oliver Dowden says "this is the UK's first freeport" which he says will create jobs and attract billions of pounds of investment.

He says most people will "see through Labour's attempts to talk down Teesside, where local leaders are working tirelessly to improve that region for the first time in a generation".

Image source, .

Labour's Clive Efford speaks about the rise in people accessing food banks. He says the numbers have risen every year bar one since the Conservatives have been in power.

He asks if that is a record Dowden proudly defends.

Dowden says he is proud the government has given record numbers of people the opportunity to get jobs, as that is the surest way out of poverty.

He says up to 3.6 million jobs have been created under the Conservatives.

Labour's Matt Western asks why Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently flew by private jet while angry rail commuters faced cancellations and longer journey times.

He says the public think that the PM has his "head in the clouds".

In repsonse, Dowden says that the head of the train drivers' union sits on Labour's National Executive Committee.

Labour lets the rail unions drive their policies and won't stand up to them, he adds.

Labour's Marsha de Cordova is up next.

She asks why the government has done "another U-turn" and broken a promise to leaseholders to scrap the "outdated" leaseholder system?

Dowden says he wants to assure her that the government is committed to reforming the leaseholder system to give homeowners greater control, and to give cheaper access to leaseholder renewal - including a 999-year extension with zero ground rent.

He adds that further reforms will be set out later in this Parliament.

Image source, HoC