House of Commons
Parliament

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn says this is "just another example of the contempt" in which the government holds police officers.

He says the Police Federation and police chiefs are taking the government to court over pay. He says there has been a real-terms funding cut in 8%, which my not be enough to fund schools.

Mrs May says there will be a further £1.2bn going into schools next year, and per pupil funding is being "protected" in real terms by the government.

The government is putting more money into public services, she states.

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Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn says non-protected departments face "a real terms cut of £4.1bn".

"The prime minister promised austerity is over, but this was a broken promise Budget and she knows it," he says.

Jeremy Corbyn says with police finances slashed, why did the prime minister "struggle to find a single penny for police officers in the Budget".

Theresa May says the government has already announced £460m for policing, and reminds Jeremy Corbyn that in their last manifesto, "Labour said their would be cuts of 10% to the police".

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Jeremy Corbyn begins his first question by echoing the PM's tribute to those killed at the Tree of Life synagogue this weekend, "the attack was disgusting, depraved and appalling", he says - adding that he will be joining the prime minister in marking Armistice Day.

Mr Corbyn says if he was a prison governor, a local authority chief executive or head teacher, he would be struggling to find anything positive in the Budget. He asks if the prime minister agrees with this analysis.

The prime minister responds that there is more money for schools and more money for prisons.

"What we have set out in the Budget is that austerity is indeed ending," she says, adding that further details will be set out in the spending review.

The end of austerity is also about putting more money into people's pockets, she says, adding that the government has given the NHS the biggest cash boost without increased taxes.

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Conservative Mark Harper says the tax burden is approaching "a 50 year high," and he says he is pleased that the government has managed to cut taxes for 32 million people. He asks for assurances in raising taxes and spending in a "balanced way".

Theresa May says that the rise in the personal allowance will leave the basic rate tax payer over £1,200 better off every year.

The rise in the national living wage will give those in full time work an extra £2,750 annually, she says.

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Prime Minister Theresa May remembers those who were killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, in the US.

Eleven worshippers were shot and killed, while six others were injured, at the synagogue in what is thought to be the worst anti-Semitic attack in US history.

Mrs May also pays tribute to those who were killed in World War I, as this is the last PMQs before Armistice Day.

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Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran asks if the government will publish information on loans and donations given to Northern Ireland political parties since 2014.

Northern Ireland Minister Shailesh Vara says the decision to publish data from July 2017 was taken on consultation with the parties in Northern Ireland who showed clear support for this.

Ms Moran says the leave campaign is under investigation for donations during the referendum, and "surely Northern Ireland deserves that transparency too".

Mr Vara says "I am sorry the lady cannot accept the broad opinion of the parties in Northern Ireland to publish data from 2017."

DUP MP Paul Girvan says "the loophole needs to be closed".

The minister says "a review will take place and afterwards a consultation will be had."

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Mike Kane and Liz Twist have both asked whether there will be additional funding provided to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to police any potential border in the island of Ireland.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley says the government "have said categorically there will be no physical infrastructure or related checks and controls at the border", and by reaching an agreement with the EU the government will allow the PSNI to continue its work.

She adds that the PSNI's case for additional resources has been submitted and is being considered.

Liz Twist suggests there are more than 250 border crossings on the island of Ireland, and the PSNI "would need a massive ingestion of cash" to patrol these. "Technology solutions do not work in patrolling this border," she adds.

Karen Bradley says the govenrmnet has been clear through their proposals for a facilitated customs arrangement that there will be no need for physical checks on the border.

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Shadow Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd says devolved matters should be dealt with by the Assembly, and social security is a devolved matter.

He suggests Ms Bradley won't be able to say "how many will lose out" through the roll out of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland, but suggests she can stop the roll out until there is an Assembly to make the decision on whether to continue the scheme.

Ms Bradley says the guidance will be issued and civil servants will make the appropriate decisions.

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Scottish Conservative MP David Duguid asks what progress has been made on restoring Northern Ireland's devolved government.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley says she has called a meeting tomorrow in Belfast to proceed with negotiations and is "actively considering when external visitation could play a part".

Mr Duguid says asks how the people of Northern Ireland will continue to have a say on what laws are passed on their behalf.

"Devolution is the best way to strengthen our precious union and this is why decisions should be made by representatives of the people in that nation," Ms Bradley says.

She says the Northern Ireland Bill provides "the space and time for the parties to come together to put the best conditions in place for an executive to be restored."

The DUP's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds says strains on the health service in Northern Ireland are "bringing anxiety and worry to people".

The Northern Ireland secretary says "we need to have ministers in place to make important decisions, but the Northern Ireland Bill will go some way to improving matters" as civil servants in Northern Ireland will have a more active role.

Mark D'Arcy
Parliamentary Correspondent

Until this week, most recent Budgets had been delivered on a Wednesday, making PMQs a sort of appetiser to the main event.

This time it will, inevitably, be a commentary on the Budget, with Labour doubtless hammering away at whether it continues, rather than ends, austerity.

The Conservative side will be keen for a show of unity and enthusiasm, the first installment of which will probably come from the former Chief Whip, Mark Harper, the first Tory MP on a list of questioners which is heavy with Opposition names.

Watch out for another former minister, Robert Halfon, further down the list. He made his name campaigning against increasing fuel duty, because of its impact on lower paid workers, and will be pleased that the duty remains frozen.

On the other side of the coin, the Transport Select Committee Chair, Labour’s Lilian Greenwood, is also on the list, and she is unimpressed with the extra money for tackling potholes – setting less than half a billion pounds against an estimated £9bn backlog of work.

Kremlinologists should study the behaviour of Tory questioners for clues about their mood. As ever, the Speaker has to balance out the party numbers, so that Opposition-heavy list of questioners will mean plenty of opportunity for Conservative MPs to “bob” and catch his eye.

Post Budget, will the questions be “helpful” or hostile? The buzz is that one or two not very helpful questions may come from that quarter, on the need to improve social mobility.

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Northern Ireland questions begins with Labour MP Ged Killen asking about the allocation of savings accrued from the reduction in the MLA pay.

Northern Irish minister Shailesh Vara says his department plays no role in the allocation of savings, with responsibility held by the Assembly commission. He adds that the secretary of state has written to the commission to bring the reduction in pay into effect.

Independent MP Lady Sylvia Hermon asks how much it has cost to pay MLAs the full salary since the collapse of the Assembly in 2017, and whether the minister thinks it was money well spent.

Mr Vara says he does not know how much it has cost, but "when the talks did collapse, there was an element of good will" and a hope that the parliament would reform again, which meant they did not consider cutting pay straight away.

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The day begins for MPs with questions to Northern Ireland ministers, before the prime minister takes the stand for PMQs.

There are no urgent questions or government statements today, so Conservative MP Luke Graham will then table his Banking and Post Office Services (Rural Areas and Small Communities) Bill as a ten minute rule motion.

After that, the Budget debate continues and Conservative MP Charles Walker concludes the day with his adjournment debate on air pollution in relation to the A10 and Broxbourne.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Labour's Angela Smith says that farmers still have certainty within the EU, as they know that CAP payments are likely to be cut, whereas British farmers have no certainty beyond 2022.

Mr Gove says to her that EU farmers have less certainty at the moment over the future of CAP.

With that, the committee session closes.

Select Committee
Parliament

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The SNP's Alan Brown says that food producers are "scathing" that a new regulator would be set up for food production supply chains, and he says farmers want more powers for existing regulators.

Mr Eustice says this model is set up specifically to deal with the larger supermarkets, in order to track their suppliers.

He adds that the UK already has a body which submits data on food production to the EU, the bill makes sure that this data is now submitted to UK bodies.

Select Committee
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The DUP's David Simpson asks why more emphasis on food security hasn't been placed in the bill.

Mr Eustice says there are a very wide range of powers to make sure that food security in ensured.

Mr Simpson says that farmers and food producers need to have more security so they can invest in their farmland.

A lot of people express these views, Mr Gove says. He adds that farmers in Northern Ireland could export different pork products to the Far East, allowing more domestic food production of pork cuts UK consumers prefer.

Select Committee
Parliament

Neil Parish says that there are differences in food production in the US, in that farming practices are different.

Towards the end of a chicken's life, for instance, it is given antibiotics and chlorine washed after slaughter.

Mr Eustice says that the UK has reduced antibiotics use by 60% in the past few years. He adds that this is a "very innovative sector" in the UK.

Mr Parish raises concerns that the cheaper production costs of US chicken will cause unfair competition on UK farmers.

The Chief Medical Advisor, Dame Sally Davies, external, is looking into this for the UK government, Mr Gove says, and the Environment Department supports her work.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Mr Gove, responding to a question from Labour's Kerry McCarthy, says that there will be no reduction in food standards after the UK leaves, and that UK food standards will continue to follow EU rules.

Ms McCarthy asks how trade deals will be agreed with larger countries on food production. She asks what will happen in Parliamentary scrutiny of new trade deals, as EU trade deals can currently be vetoed by the Commons.

The US is currently requesting that UK beef is checked for E.coli, Mr Eustice says, and if that is a requirement that the US wants to place, then the UK will be willing to do that.

Ms McCarthy asks why cases of food poisoning are so much higher in the States than in the EU.

Mr Gove says he would need to look at the data on the causes of food poisoning in the US, and that this "definitely warrants investigation".