Back in the chamber, Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski says in 2016 Shropshire secured £312m for modernisation of A&E services.

But says he has a "real concern" about the quality of managers in his local NHS Trust.

Deputy PM Oliver Dowden says the Department for Health "are working closely" with NHS England and the Trust.

The Trust is working "at pace" to publish the plans in the coming months, he says.

Image source, HoC

Dowden's first PMQs polite but punchypublished at 12:29 British Summer Time 17 May 2023

12:29 BST 17 May 2023

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

Oliver Dowden’s job is usually to help prepare his boss for this weekly encounter.

So how did he fare in his first outing at the dispatch box against the Labour deputy leader?

Both he and Angela Rayner landed some clearly pre-planned lines in their exchanges about party politics, such as Dowden’s description of Rayner and Sir Keir as the “Phil and Holly of British Politics” or Rayner’s description of the National Conservatism conference as a “Trump Tribute Act”.

It was polite but punchy. When the questions took a more serious turn though, I’m not sure we found out much of substance.

Angela Rayner used her questions to highlight the government’s slow progress at meeting its target on cutting waiting lists.

In response to a question about child poverty, Dowden highlighted his own personal background as a “comprehensive school boy” to defuse Labour attacks, often used against Rishi Sunak, about the Tories being out of touch.

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We're now hearing from Gavin Newlands, SNP MP for Paisley and Refrewshire, who presses the deputy prime minister on the rising cost of living.

He asks Dowden if he still believes "his government's kamikaze Brexit is delivering for the people of these isles".

In response, Dowden says he believes Breexit is still delivering.

"It is only because of the strength of our United Kingdom that we're able to afford the sort of interventions, for example, that we've had with the cost of living."

Adding that windfall tax on oil and gas companies paid for that support, and that shows the UK is "delivering on the cost of living".

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Now, DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson asks about unionists' concerns in Northern Ireland about their ability to trade freely within the UK and its internal market, despite the application of EU law in Northern Ireland.

He asks if the deputy PM would assure him that the government will protect Northern Ireland's ability to trade freely within and with the rest of the UK.

Dowden says the government is committed to providing those protections around Northern Ireland's access to the whole of the UK's market.

SNP deputy leader Black is on her feet again and is quoting the "world's fourth largest car manufacturer" (read more here), who has said Brexit is "a threat to our export business and the sustainability of our UK manufacturing operations".

She says "even Nigel Farage can admit that Brexit has failed" - and asks the deputy PM why he can't.

In response, Dowden says the UK has one of the fastest growth rates in the whole of the G7 since Brexit.

"We all know the policy of the SNP, they want to undo Brexit," he adds.

"If I were them I would start undoing the mess they've left Scotland in and start working with the UK government and focus on the priorities of the Scottish people."

Mhairi Black, the SNP’s deputy Westminster leader, is up next.

She says in 2016 the deputy PM told his constituents that it was his duty to furnish them with the facts about Brexit.

She says today Brexit Britain faces higher food prices, a lack of workers and a decline in living standards.

She asks Dowden why he is happy to ignore those facts.

Image source, HoC

Dowden says he will proudly defend the government's record in office.

He says crime is down 50%, there are near record levels of employment, and a record minimum wage.

He then asks what Labour's record is, and claims that it is four general election defeats, 30 promises already broken and one leader who let antisemitism "run wild".

"That is why the British people will never trust the Labour Party," he says.

Rayner says "the last Labour government made it their mission to reduce the number of children in poverty by a million, they achieved that".

She says child poverty is now back at the level it was before Labour took power in 1997.

The deputy Labour leader says the government is "failing the millions of people waiting anxiously for treatment".

She asks when the Conservative Party "will stop blaming everybody else and realise that the problem is them".

Dowden says "this comprehensive school boy" will not take any lectures from the Labour Party.

He adds that he is proud of the Tories' track record on tackling poverty.

Rayner says the government has failed to provide minimum service levels because they've "run them down and mismanaged them".

She now speaks about child poverty, and says a review has revealed the government is on track to make child poverty worse.

She says when she was a young mum she remembers the sick feeling in her stomach not knowing if her wages would cover her bills.

She says the Conservatives have taken a wrecking ball to measures intended to eradicate child poverty - including abolishing the child poverty unit.

Rayner says the government tried to justify this by saying they abolished child poverty targets.

She asks what level of poverty Dowden considers to be a success.

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Dowden asks if Rayner cares that much about access to healthcare, why does she oppose minimum service levels?

They will provide core emergency services with vital cover during health care strikes, he argues.

Do vulnerable patients not deserve that level of care, or is she too weak to stand up to union paymasters, he asks Rayner.

Rayner says "even before the pandemic, waiting lists were going up, so it doesn't wash that this government, after 13 years in power, is blaming everybody else than themselves".

She says waiting lists on the NHS are longer than when Rishi Sunak made his pledge to reduce them.

She asks when waiting lists will fall.

On waiting lists, Dowden says his government are making "good progress" - but Labour's deputy leader is forgetting that we had a pandemic.

Dowden says that in "Labour-run Wales" the situation is not much better.

Adding that "this side of the House [Conservative benches]" has a "plan to fix" while Rayner is busy playing petty politics.

Rayner hits back, saying the reality is that after 13 years of Tory rule they're still "lurching from crisis to crisis" and "wallowing in their own mess".

She says the PM pledged that by March NHS waiting lists would fall. She asks if the number of people on late waiting lists is higher or lower now.

Image source, HoC

Dowden says he's not quite sure what Rayner's question was.

But he says everyone knows what's going on with her and her leader - referring to Starmer.

"It's all lovely-dovey on the surface, they turn it on for the cameras, but as soon as they're off, it's a different story. They're at each other's throats," he says.

"They're the Phil and Holly of British politics", he continues - referring to Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and reports of tensions between the TV pair.

Image source, HoC

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Rayner says while Labour is "preparing to govern with a Labour majority, his party is preparing for opposition".

She criticises speakers from the Conservative Party who have spoken at the National Conservative conference this week, referencing Jacob Rees-Mogg's comments on Voter ID.

She says in eleven years "nothing has changed".

Dowden says it's a "pleasure" to see Rayner here today - but is surprised the Liberal Democrats leader isn't taking questions as "Labour's choice" for deputy prime minister.

He deflects from the question regarding Tory losses during local council elections, adding he'll take Rayner's predictions with a pinch of salt - as she predicted that Jeremy Corbyn would be the future prime minister.

Angela Rayner is up now. She starts off by welcoming "yet another deputy prime minister to the dispatch box".

She says third time is a charm, adding that she's pleased the PM has made a "working class friend".

Rayner asks Dowden who is responsible after 1000 more Tory councillors were voted out in the local elections.

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First up, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden says he's been asked to reply on behalf of the prime minister who is at the G7 summit in Japan.

He continues by congratulating Liverpool and the UK for its hosting of Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine.