Andrew Humphrey
Live reporter

We're going to end our coverage of (deputy) Prime Minister's Questions now, we'll be back for more of Dowden and Rayner next week as they continue to stand in for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.

The 75th anniversary of the NHS received a lot of attention in parliament, and you can find out more about what's going on to mark the occaision today on our special index.

We also have lots of information on the cost of living crisis, which was brought into focus in the questions Dowden faced on mortage interest rates.

The page was brought to you by Chas Geiger, Oliver Slow, Charley Adams, Emily McGarvey, Heather Sharp and me.

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

The prime minister’s official spokesman has denied that the government is set to miss its pledge on climate finance.

He said the government remained “committed to the £11.6bn of climate finance over the original timeframe of 21/22 to 25/26”.

He said the figures which he had seen quoted on the aid budget were “inaccurate” and fundamentally misrepresented the UK’s international aid spending.

He also said it was “inaccurate to claim that we are not committed to this target nor that we do not intend to meet it. The budget for the ICF extends just beyond the Foreign Office".

"Indeed it covers multiple government departments and it’s deliberately phased over a number of years to enable it to flex given we know that there will be different circumstances each year.”

More now from Downing Street. No 10 has insisted Rishi Sunak's plans to combat illegal migration are "fair and compassionate", despite criticism from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

The prime minister's official spokesman said he was not going "to get into responding to individual views of which there are many on this issue".

"But the prime minister has been clear that stopping the boats, stopping the cruel cycle of vulnerable people being exploited by criminal gangs, is the fair and compassionate thing to do," he added.

Downing Street has admitted Parliament has a "long way to go" after staff warned of a predatory culture in Westminster.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said a lot of work is needed to ensure these incidents don't take place.

The PM disagrees with SNP's Mhairi Black who said Parliament is "toxic" and "poisonous", the official said, but "we recognise some individuals have had difficult times".

Asked if the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) is under fire for how long it is taking to deal with cases, the spokesperson said "it is right that the whole of Parliament comes together to find a way forward".

Read more here.

After Oliver Dowden praised SNP Mhairi Black's record in Parliament following her announcement she's stepping down at the next general election, she joked that he could be leaving Parliament at the same time as her.

The SNP deputy Westminster leader has announced she will not be standing again as an MP and described Westminster as an "outdated, sexist and toxic" working environment.

Both MPs praised the work of the NHS on the day of its 75th anniversary, the same time as King Charles III was in Scotland to mark Scottish celebrations of his coronation.

Does the UK have the fastest growing economy in the G7?published at 13:13 British Summer Time 5 July 2023

13:13 BST 5 July 2023

Oliver Dowden told MPs that the UK has had the “fastest growing economy in the G7 for the last two years”.

The Group of Seven (G7) is a grouping of advanced economies, including the UK.

The UK economy grew by 7.6% in 2021 and by 4% in 2022., external This was the fastest in the G7 in both years.

However, the UK had further to recover than other G7 countries, having still not returned to the level of economic output it had before the pandemic.

And in 2023, the International Monetary Fund predicts that the UK’s economy will grow by 0.4%, external – one of the lowest in the G7.

We’ve just finished another session of Prime Minister’s Questions at Westminster, and here are some of the key takeaways.

• With today marking the 75th anniversary of the NHS, many MPs paid tribute to the health service – Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, standing in for Rishi Sunak, called it a “treasured institution”
• Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, standing in for Keir Starmer, also praised the health service, before launching an attack on the Tory government’s record on the economy - in particular she criticised its approach to home ownership and mortgage interest rates
• Dowden consistently defended the government’s record, saying that it has chosen to invest in the economy, leading to the UK having the “fastest growing economy” in the G7 for the last two years

• Mhairi Black, the Scottish National Party’s deputy leader in Westminster, turned her attention to the NHS, drawing parallels between the views of the Conservatives and those of Labour leader Keir Starmer when it comes to using the private sector – she also said Brexit has damaged the health service
• Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, drew attention to the lack of funding for the health service in Northern Ireland, to which Dowden said funds have been allocated in this area – however he said that a fully functioning devolved government is necessary for reforms in Northern Ireland
• Richard Drax, the Tory MP for South Dorset, raised concerns about the government’s plans to place a migrant barge in Portland Port, saying the move is “not in the national interest”. He urged the government to rethink the plans, but Dowden highlighted the need to reduce the bill of housing asylum seekers in hotels

Have record numbers of homes been built?published at 12:55 British Summer Time 5 July 2023

12:55 BST 5 July 2023

The deputy prime minister told MPs earlier: “It’s under this party that we have record levels of housing being built.”

The measure of new homes generally used is net additional dwellings, external for England, which is the difference between the number of new homes completed or converted and the number demolished.

The figure of 242,700 for 2019-20 was a record for the figures, which go back to 1991.

But we also have figures for housing completions, external and this data goes back to 1946.

The record on this measure was in 1968, when there were at least twice as many homes completed in England than in any year under the current Conservative government.

Labour MP Sarah Jones started her question by criticising the "absentee prime minister" who she said embarassed himself on Tuesday at the Liason Committee.

She says Rishi Sunak acted like a "stroppy school boy".

Referencing NHS waiting lists and mortgage rates, Jones asked if the prime minister has bitten off more than he can chew.

Dowden described the remarks as a rant rather than a question.

He defended the government's record in growing the economy and record low levels of unemployment.

Here's a chance to catch up with the exchange between Dowden and Rayner on the government's council house building record.

Labour MP Helen Hayes raised the case of one of her constituents, a first year university student, who took his own life in May.

He'd signed a private sector tenancy with his parents as guarantor, but the tenancy included a clause that said the responsibilities of the guarantor are unaffected by the death of a tenant.

The lettings agency is insisting on enforcing this, Hayes says, and asks the Deputy PM to support an inclusion of a clause in the rental reform bill to outlaw this practice and protect bereaved families.

Dowden says this sounds totally abhorrent and he is very happy to look into the details and discuss measures to address this.

A little earlier Conservative Sir Edward Leigh said the RAF would apply tonight for consent to move the grave of Wing Commander Guy Gibson's dog [at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire].

He says the Home Office is proposing to have 2,000 migrants "cooped up" next to 1,000 of his constituents on or near the base.

Leigh urged the government to at least house the migrants on a separate part of the base, get on with £300m of levelling up and "let the dog lie in peace".

Dowden said that the government has to address the "unacceptable cost" of housing migrants in hotels, but ministers will take note of Leigh's observations.

Before we catch up with a few more of the questions Dowden was asked, here's a bit from the beginning of PMQs, when Labour's Angela Rayner pressed him on rising interest rates.

You can read more about interest rate rises and how they affect you here.

Prime Minister's Questions has ended in the House of Commons now, but stay with us as we catch you up on a few more questions and bring you more updates and analysis.

Karen Bradley, the Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands, discusses her efforts to advertise the Moorlands as a tourist destination - she invites Oliver Dowden and House Speaker Lindsay Hoyle to visit attractions such as Hetty's Tea Room and Alton Towers.

Dowden says Hetty's Tea Room sounds more like his kind of place rather than Alton Towers, while Hoyle jokes that he and Dowden can "both go on the big rides together".

Image source, House of Commons

Labour's Stephen Doughty raises the Horizon science programme, saying there is great research taking place in Cardiff and across the country.

He asks if the government is still committed to negotiating a deal.

Dowden replies by saying the government will wait to get the "best deal for British people and British universities".

You can read more about the science programme here.

Labour's Gerald Jones highlights that this is Sarcoma Awareness Week, saying 15 people a week are diagnosed with this rare form of cancer.

He asks the government to help raise awareness of this disease and funds for vital research to combat it.

Dowden says he's happy to help and health ministers will discuss this with Jones.

Are waiting lists coming down?published at 12:39 British Summer Time 5 July 2023

12:39 BST 5 July 2023

Dowden said earlier: "Waiting lists are coming down."

He is right that the number of people waiting in England for more than two years or 18 months is coming down.

However, the overall list of patients awaiting treatment has not been reduced. It rose to a record high of 7.42 million people in April 2023.

The current NHS plan expects the overall waiting list to be falling by March 2024.

Labour MP Carolyn Harris raises a question about the gambling industry, saying commitments made to tackling advertising promotions and advertising in the government's gambling white paper do not go far enough.

Dowden says he shares concerns about gambling promotions, and says a good set of proposals are in place in the white paper.