Starmer pushes back, joking that with Sunak's time away in recent weeks he has "forgotten" how PMQs works - after the Speaker's intervention.

"He talks about his plans," Starmer continues. "The NHS staffing plan, he nicked it from Labour. It's the same old story, they mess up the NHS and look to Labour to fix it.

"Come the election the country will be doing the same."

Starmer says Sunak hasn't said how he'll pay for his NHS workforce plan.

Sunak replies by saying if Starmer looked at what was happening this year, the country has seen the government's plans are starting to work.

He says huge progress is being made on GP and ambulance waiting times.

Sunak adds that all progress is being held up by one thing - NHS strikes.

He also asks Starmer if doctors should accept the independent pay review body's recommendation, but is admonished and told it's not opposition questions by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.

Starmer says the PM knows the answer to the NHS waiting list, adding "it is the highest it has ever been".

The Labour leader adds: "Has he figured out why after nine months his government is failing more patients than ever before?"

Sunak says the reason the total is higher today is very simple - the NHS has been disrupted by strikes.

He calls on Starmer to urge consultants and junior doctors to end their action and accept the government's pay offer.

Sir Keir Starmer stands up and welcomes the prime minister's apology to LGBT veterans for their "historic mistreatment".

He says one of his constituents is in Parliament to hear the apology in person.

Starmer then turns to wishing England's Lionesses well ahead of the World Cup and follows up by asking the PM about what the latest NHS waiting list figure is.

Image source, HoC

Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid begins PMQs by asking Rishi Sunak about the delayed suicide prevention strategy.

Javid, who lost his brother to suicide, said it was the biggest killer of men under 50 and women under 35.

Sunak said an updated strategy would be published "later this year".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the ban on LGBT people serving in the armed forces was an "appalling failure of the British state" that was "decades behind the law of this land".

"Today, on behalf of the British state, I apologise", he says.

Image source, Hoc

Making his apology, Sunak acknowledges many LGBT veterans endured the most horrific sexual violence.

He adds he hopes everyone affected will be able to feel proud to be part of the British veteran community

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has opened up PMQs by making an official apology to LGBT veterans, who were forced out of their jobs as a result of being gay.

Rishi Sunak stands up at the dispatch box, let's hear what he has to say.

Chris Mason
Political editor

Prime Minister’s Questions has something of a novelty value today.

It’s the first proper one for three weeks after Rishi Sunak’s absence from the last two occasions.

He was at the Nato summit last week. And the week before he was at a church service to mark the anniversary of the founding of the NHS.

And it’s the last one until September — with parliament’s summer recess beginning tomorrow.

It is fast approaching noon, so it means Prime Minister's Questions will start shortly.

Stay with us as we bring you the first exchanges between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer and you can watch a stream from the Commons at the top of this page.

Image source, .

The Conservatives have announced their candidate for mayor of London this morning.

Susan Hall was selected to run against current mayor, Labour's Sadiq Khan, in next May's election, winning 57% of party members' votes.

She was up against only one other contender, Mozammel Hossain.

You can read more here.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is also facing an internal Westminster rebellion over two-child cap policy.

Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett has tabled an Early Day Motion "opposing the continuation of the cruel and unnecessary two child limit for benefits".

He tweeted, external, urging MPs to support his call to scrap the policy, and 15 Labour MPs have signed up so far.

Mr Trickett says House of Commons research , externalshows axing the policy "would lift 270,000 households out of poverty - at a cost of £1.4 billion", adding "it's a no-brainer".

Image source, Christian Calgie

More now on the Labour two-child benefit cap row, with the SNP attacking the policy.

The party has handed out ceramic mugs reading: "Controls on family sizes. What's the point of Labour?"

Daily Express political correspondent Christian Calgie tweeted about how the mugs were given out to journalists with a note from SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.

That reads: "The Labour Party has a new range of mugs in production.

"They're made in China - just like Sir Keir Starmer's latest policy..."

Image source, Getty Images

Rishi Sunak has just left Downing Street and is heading for the House of Commons.

Stay with us as we build up to the final PMQs before the summer recess.

Image source, PA Media

While Sir Keir Starmer won't be asked any questions, the PM or SNP may bring up his flip flop on two child policy.

The Labour leader has refused to abolish the two-child limit on claiming some benefits - which, according to the Child Poverty Action Group, could lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty overnight.

Starmer has been questioned on his stance by his own party, and is likely to be challenged at a Labour meeting this weekend.

Read the full article here.

Voters will go to the polls in three by-elections for Westminster seats this Thursday.

They are all constituencies currently held by the Conservatives.

New MPs are being elected in the North Yorkshire seat of Selby and Ainsty, in the constituency of Somerton and Frome and in west London - Boris Johnson's old seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

You can see the full list of candidates for each constituency here:

• Somerton and Frome
• Selby and Ainsty
• Uxbridge and South Ruislip

You may have seen this morning that interest rates are predicted to rise less sharply, after the UK saw a surprise drop in inflation in June.

The Bank of England has put up rates 13 times since December 2021 to try to cool soaring price rises, driving up borrowing costs for millions.

Experts say it is now under less pressure to act after inflation – the annual rate of price rises - slowed to 7.9% in June, down from 8.7% the previous month.

It means UK inflation has dropped to its lowest level in more than a year.

Falling fuel prices contributed to the slowdown in June, while food prices are rising less quickly.

However, the UK's inflation rate remains almost four times higher than the Bank's official 2% target - and above other major economies.

• Read more about inflation and interest rates here

Image source, .

Chris Mason
Political editor

On Thursday Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces a triple by-election test, after three of his own MPs stood down.

Political parties like to manage expectations before elections. In other words, talk down their chances. But there is no mistaking the gloom in senior Conservative circles about the three contests to become an MP in different corners of England.

Each race is fascinating because each offers an insight into the different varieties of race that will help shape the outcome of the next general election, expected next year.

I have been to North Yorkshire, to Somerset and to west London to talk to voters. And I have talked to senior campaigners from the main parties too.

And yes, there aren't many optimistic Tories.

"Why would you go out and vote for us, right now? What is the incentive? The incentive is to give us a kicking, because these contests aren't about picking a government," one minister tells me.

Another Tory figure is even more blunt.

"Of course we are going to lose. In one it is about lies. The other about drugs. And the third about not getting a peerage. How do you defend any of that?"

Read more about my visit to the three constituencies here.