Next, Laura asks Dowden about former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who appeared in a video clip with Steve Bannon, an American Republican strategist, this week.

Bannon was talking about founder of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson, called him a hero and didn't challenge it, Laura says.

She asks Dowden if he thinks Truss should have known better.

Dowden says that we only saw a small clip. He adds that when the cameras are on and there's a big debate going on it's sometimes possible to catch every word.

He says he would have called it out.

Laura says Anderson's comments were similar to former home secretary Suella Braverman's comments in the Telegraph newspaper.

Braverman said that the "truth is that the Islamists, the extremists and the antisemites are in charge now".

Laura asks if what Braverman said could be taken as being offensive too.

Dowden says he disagrees with what she says, but it's in a different category.

He says it doesn't cross the line in the way that Anderson's comments do.

Next question Laura puts to the deputy PM - would Tory MP Lee Anderson have kept his job if he had apologised?

"Yes," Dowden replies.

It's right that we debate this, Dowden says, but "the more fundamental thing is what's going on" in our society.

He talks about his Jewish constituents who are afraid to walk the streets and show the symbols of their religion.

He mentions the pro-Palestinian protests where "they witness week after week antisemitic tropes, people taking part in those marches and not calling them out".

"Now we've seen in our parliament debates being influenced because of that threat of violence," he adds.

Dowden says it's time to take a step back and say this is about our attitudes to what we accept.

Laura asks Dowden again if he believes Anderson's remarks were Islamophobic.

Dowden says the fact they could be taken in that way is the reason why those comments led to the chief whip asking for an apology.

When Anderson failed to give that apology, the whip was removed, Dowden says.

Dowden adds that he thinks he's been clear, and that Anderson was given the chance to apologise.

Asked if he did apologise would Anderson have kept his job, Dowden says yes.

Laura Kuenssberg begins her interview with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden by asking him about Lee Anderson and his comments.

She asks if he thinks the comments were Islamophobic.

He says "Words matter... he didn't chose his words correctly and having failed to apologise", the whip was removed from him.

Laura presses Dowden on whether he agrees that the comments were Islamophobic.

Dowden does not answer directly, but says he doesn't think Anderson wanted to be Islamophobic.

"That's why the PM asked for the apology, he says, and adds that the appropriate steps were taken by the PM to deal with the situation.

Laura starts off by asking Andy Burnham about reports £5bn will be put into improving transport links in Britain. He says this was seen 10 years ago. He says people in the north of England will wonder if the government are "taking us as though we're mugs".

Laura asks Therese Coffey about whether she believes Lee Anderson should have been booted out of the party. She says she believes the party took swift action, but she doesn't believe Anderson is racist.

She asks Halima Begum, ActionAid UK chief executive and former head of the Runnymede Trust, what calling someone an Islamist represents to her. She says if her former colleagues were here on the panel they would "almost certainly say that is Islamophobic, if not racist".

She says the remarks cast a "judgement on all Muslims as though they are terrorists".

Image source, .

And we’re live - Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg is now on air on BBC One, the BBC News Channel and BBC iPlayer.

You can press Play above to watch the show.

And we’ll bring you live text updates, clips, reaction and analysis right here on this page.

As always, you’ll be able to watch Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg live at 09:00 GMT without leaving this page - just hit Play at the top.

If you’re on your phone and can’t see the button, simply refresh your feed and it should appear.

The programme will also be available on BBC One and iPlayer - and we’ll bring you live updates, clips, reaction and analysis right here.

Stay tuned.

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Oliver Dowden is the deputy prime minister and a Conservative MP for Hertsmere. Speaking on the programme for the government, he is likely to be asked about MP Lee Anderson who had the whip suspended for refusing to apologise for comments about Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

It was also the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine yesterday, and today's interview follows a fractious week in the Commons. All topics likely to come up.

Lisa Nandy is Labour's shadow international development secretary. She has been the Member of Parliament for Wigan since 2010.

Commenting on the week in the Commons, she has criticised the SNP for failing to discuss the wording of its motion with Labour beforehand. She said the Labour amendment was an opportunity to "elevate this debate" and get away from party politics.

There's also the safety of MPs and the Rochdale by-election to be discussed... watch this space.

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Sir Ed Davey is Liberal Democrat leader and has been since 2020. He served as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate change in the Cameron-Clegg coalition from 2012 - 2015.

Davey might also be asked about the Post Office scandal - he was business minister from 2010 to 2012 and had oversight of the Post Office. He has apologised to the victims but has faced criticism over his role.

An ex-deputy postmistress from London has said she will stand against Ed Davey at the next general election.

Image source, UK Parliament/PA

Image source, Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

As usual, we’ll also have a panel of guests joining Laura Kuenssberg in the studio to discuss this morning’s interviews and political news.

We’ll be hearing from:

• Conservative MP Therese Coffey, who was deputy prime minister under Liz Truss in 2022. She resigned from her role as environment secretary during Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's cabinet reshuffle
• Andy Burnham, mayor for Greater Manchester since 2017. Prior to his role as mayor, Burnham was a Labour MP. He was culture secretary under Gordon Brown, and served in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet
• And they'll be joined by Halima Begum, chief executive of ActionAid UK

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Another topic of discussion that might come up today is whether former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will stand at the next general election, after the RMT Union announced it would back him.

Corbyn is the independent MP for Islington North - a seat he has held since 1983.

Last year, the 74-year-old was banned from standing for Labour, having been suspended from the parliamentary party over an antisemitism row in 2020.

RMT leader Mick Lynch said the union would back Corbyn should he run for his seat again as an independent.

"We will support all sorts of people in this election, because we're not affiliated," Lynch told the War on Want conference.

He added: "We will support Labour candidates. We will support socialist candidates. "We will be supporting Jeremy Corbyn in the next election."

Read more on this story.

One of the people we'll be hearing from on today's programme is Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

She has told the BBC that leaders risk ignoring lessons from the 1930s and 1940s if they do not bolster support for Ukraine.

In a striking warning, Kallas has said that war could expand "very fast in Europe, so no country is left untouched" if Vladimir Putin wins.

The leader of Estonia, which borders Russia, called on Ukraine's allies to "do the utmost to help".

Kallas has also urged Nato countries to increase their defence spending.

Currently, Nato members are asked to contribute 2% of their GDP to defence.

Kallas wants Nato countries to increase defence spending to 3% of their GDP.

Stick with us to follow Kaja Kallas being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg later on the programme.

One topic that we're expecting might come up this morning is the US and UK’s latest strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

The Pentagon says US and UK fighter planes carried out strikes on 18 Houthi sites in Yemen - the fourth such joint operation by the allies.

The US says Saturday's strikes were directed against storage facilities, drones, air defence systems, radars and a helicopter of the militant movement.

The UK says the allies acted to "further degrade" Houthi capabilities.

There have been sustained attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on shipping in the important Red Sea trade route.

Read more here.

Image source, PA Media

Let’s cast our minds back to Wednesday, a designated SNP opposition day.

Usually, this would entitle the party to propose a motion for debate, with the government allowed to suggest amendments.

But Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was accused of "playing party politics" by going against parliamentary convention to allow a vote on a Labour motion for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza.

The Speaker said he allowed the vote so MPs could express their view on "the widest range of propositions" - but critics said the move had allowed Labour to take over the Gaza debate.

His decision meant Labour MPs could call for a ceasefire without backing the differently-worded SNP motion, which itself had the potential to divide the party - and put leader Sir Keir Starmer in a tricky spot.

Subsequently, the Commons dissolved into chaos, prompting even more shouting than usual and leading to some SNP and Conservative MPs walking out.

Sir Lindsay has since apologised - twice - for "making the wrong decision", but more than 60 MPs have called for his resignation following the parliamentary debacle.

Image source, Reuters

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned of the dangers of polarisation and hatred in politics, following a fractious week in Westminster.

He was speaking after Tory MP Lee Anderson was suspended from his party for refusing to apologise for comments about Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

The prime minister did not directly address the remarks, but talked about protests and the safety of MPs.

Labour's leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for Sunak to "get a grip" of his party.

Ashfield MP Anderson has been criticised by both Labour and Tory MPs after he told GB News Islamists had "got control" of Khan and that he had "given our capital city away to his mates".

Read more on this story

Jack Burgess
Live reporter

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of today’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

This week’s political interviews are with the Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, Labour's shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy and the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey.

We’re also expecting to hear from Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who has been calling upon Nato countries to increase their defence spending.

The show kicks off at 09:00 GMT, so stick with us for regular updates, reaction and analysis.

You can also watch live on BBC One and iPlayer, or by clicking the Play button at the top of this page.

Image source, EPA-EFE