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Davey heckle an attempt to punch a political bruise published at 12:45 BST Chris Mason Political editor "Behind you, Ed!" came the instant heckle as the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper, was called to ask a question. Davey has faced some internal grumbling about his leadership recently — and there was an audible attempt by an opponent to punch that political bruise. Gas would be imported from elsewhere if UK didn't use 'own reserves' - Burnham published at 12:41 BST Green MP Dr Ellie Chowns asks about the Jackdaw gas field, accusing the government of "pouring more fuel on the fire of climate breakdown".
The PM says the gas would still be needed, it would just be imported from somewhere else if we didn't use "our own reserves". "In these difficult times, when we have resources, I think the public would expect us to use them," he says, adding that the revenue will "enable us to speed up the roll-out of renewables". UK working 'on every level' to support Ukraine, Burnham says following Starlink question published at 12:38 BST Davey now turns to the war in Ukraine and recent reports that Elon Musk directly asked his Starlink system to be slowed down above the country, limiting Kyiv's ability to respond to Russian attacks.
"Does the prime minister agree that directly supporting Putin is beyond the pale?" Davey asks. Burnham says he has concerns about anything that limits Ukraine's military capacity. The PM tells Davey the government is working "on every single level" to maintain international support for Ukraine.
Lib Dems leader Davey urges Burnham to return UK to single market published at 12:36 BST Image source, UK Parliament Following the initial exchanges between Burnham and Badenoch, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is pressing the PM on the UK's relationship with the European Union. He says best thing Burnham could do to bring growth is to take the UK back into single market and customs union, adding it would "boost revenues" and would allow the government to "give people tax cuts". Burnham responds by pointing to the upcoming UK-EU summit, saying it is a chance to get betters deals for farmers and food producers and he would appreciate the Lib Dems' support on the issue.
"It is an important step to get growth in the British economy," Burnham says, calling for cross-party support in the House on the issue. On Jackdaw, Badenoch and Burnham agree on the direction - if not the pace published at 12:33 BST Chris Mason Political editor "Faff about" and "mess up" were the two punchy quotes that summed up the exchanges between the prime minister and the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch about the approval of drilling at the Jackdaw gas field. For Badenoch, the argument is one grounded in accusing the government of taking too long to come to this decision , with other decisions, not least the Rosebank oil field, still to be taken.
In other words, as she put it, faffing about. For Andy Burnham, he responded that it was the Conservatives who had messed up , as he argued — by approving the licences in question but then finding out they didn’t stand up to legal scrutiny — which led to a delay. The intriguing element of this debate today between Badenoch and Burnham is they are on the same side — the difference is about pace rather than direction.
Muttering on the Tory benches as Burnham mentions Liz Truss published at 12:30 BST Jennifer McKiernan Reporting from the House of Commons Most Labour MPs are smiling and nodding as Burnham talks up his focus on social care. But Conservatives are equally enthusiastically backing their leader as she accused the PM of only talking about, not actually making, changes. That is, until Burnham attacks the Liz Truss' mini budget, when many on the Tory back benches cross their arms and start muttering.
Badenoch says Burnham must 'cut spending, cut deficit or cut tax' in next week's Budget published at 12:30 BST Image source, UK Parliament Badenoch says next week at the Budget, the PM has a choice "he can cut spending, he can cut the deficit, or he can cut tax", adding that there's "no other way". She goes on to ask Burnham whether he will follow that plan or "bottle it, just like Keir Starmer did". Burnham says there are signs of growing strength in the British economy.
He goes on to say that before the Budget next week - on 28 October - there will be a book on the mini-Budget from 2022. "Does anybody on this side, or anybody around the country believe that this party [Tories] of all parties has the audacity to come to this house and lecture us about how to do a Budget?" British households, he adds, are "still paying the price of that disastrous Budget". For context: Chancellor John Healey's first Budget , an annual event where the government announces its tax and spending plans, will be announced next Wednesday Burnham says Middle East crisis has contributed to rising inflation published at 12:25 BST Badenoch then accuses the prime minister of talking and not making a decision, noting that inflation figures published today showed a third successive increase.
For context: Inflation, the increase in the price of goods over time, has risen from 3.1% in August to 3.5% in the year to September, hitting its highest level for a year. Badenoch says families are paying more for bills and asks the prime minister if he accepts his "failure" to control borrowing is contributing to higher inflation. Burnham says he had made the difficult decision to end the pension triple lock, allowing for financial support for older people but with "better social care support later in life".
He adds he doesn't want to see see anybody in their 20s on benefits in the UK, but rather in work and education. The prime minister says the situation in the Middle East has contributed to inflation, but adds: "The fundamentals of the British economy are getting stronger and stronger under this government." Only solution to reducing debt is to cut spending and borrowing, Badenoch says published at 12:23 BST Badenoch says the government is spending more on debt interest than schools, army and the police combined. Meanwhile, she says, the PM is worrying about "loud music on trains" - a reference to an announcement this week that passengers who play loud music on buses in England could be fined up to £100.
The only solution is to cut spending and borrowing, the Conservatives leader claims. "So will the PM get a grip, and cut the welfare bill?" she asks. Burnham says he won't apologise for doing "the small things that help people have better lives".
He says he's also taking on the big decisions that the Conservatives have avoided for years, specifically social care. Labour MPs shaking heads as Badenoch calls for more drilling published at 12:19 BST Jennifer McKiernan Reporting from the House of Commons Labour MPs are shaking their heads as Kemi Badenoch argues for more North Sea oil and gas drilling to boost the economy. They get rowdy as Andy Burnham says the IMF has highlighted the UK as having the fastest deficit reduction in the G7.
They start pointing at the Conservative benches and laughing as Badenoch warns Labour could be out of government at the next election. Badenoch presses Burnham on government borrowing published at 12:18 BST Badenoch carries on pushing Burnham about drilling in the North Sea, saying that the world is facing a "global energy crisis" and that there is a "red warning light" flashing on the government's accounts. This morning, total government debt hit £3tn, its highest ever - read more on that here .
Badenoch asks what the PM is doing to get borrowing down. Burnham replies that he is "not sure" that Badenoch has read the International Monetary Fund's report last week which he says concluded that Britain is the "stand out nation" for deficit reduction. Jackdaw decision 'will support us in difficult time' - Burnham published at 12:16 BST Badenoch asks Burnham whether he accepts that every barrel of North Sea oil the UK produces is a barrel of oil European partners won't buy from Russia.
In response, the prime minister says the decision strengthens the UK's energy security and it will "support us in a difficult time". He says the reason why the previous Tory government "messed up" gas and oil licence decisions is because they are quasi-judicial decisions. "The energy secretary considered this decision against our climate obligations and concluded it was consistent.
She will oversee the same process in relation to future decisions," he says. Burnham says he has asked ministers to look into removing standing charges from gas bills published at 12:13 BST Media caption, The PM tells the Commons that he has asked his ministers to look into removing standing charges from gas bills Burnham responds by saying to the leader of the Conservatives that Labour has made a decision "that her government messed up", saying this is why there was a delay to Jackdaw being approved. He accuses the Tories of not carrying out the process "properly", saying his party had made a "pragmatic decision".
The prime minister adds today's decision will allow the government to do two things: "build a bridge to a renewable future", as well as doing more to help people with bills. Burnham finishes his response by saying he has asked the chancellor and energy secretary to looking into removing standing charges from gas bills, adding they will report back. Badenoch accuses Labour of 'dithering' over Jackdaw published at 12:10 BST Image source, UK Parliament Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch begins by thanking the PM for approving the Jackdaw gas field, a long-awaited decision which came this morning.
She accuses the government of "dithering" over the decision. The Conservatives first approved it in 2022, but it was delayed by legal challenges from environmental groups. Badenoch asks Burnham whether he'll overturn Labour's ban on new oil and gas licences.
Prime Minister's Questions begins - watch live published at 12:02 BST Image source, House of Commons Andy Burnham is now on his feet in the Commons for the start of Prime Minister's Questions - his fourth since becoming PM. Watch live at the top of this page. PM arrives in the Commons ahead of PMQs published at 12:01 BST The prime minister has now entered the Commons and taken his seat on the government benches.
He is set to be grilled shortly by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. You can watch live at the top of this page, and we'll be providing text updates on all the key points. Jackdaw, inflation, national debt?
Interesting to see what Badenoch asks about published at 11:58 BST Chris Mason Political editor, in the House of Commons The House of Commons is filling up for Prime Minister’s Questions. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant is currently facing questions about his brief. It’ll be interesting to hear, in particular, what the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch decides to ask about.
She agrees with the government on the Jackdaw decision, if not its speed - she would have liked it to happen much quicker. But Andy Burnham could counter he has delivered what the Conservatives failed to. Could Badenoch instead - or as well - ask questions about inflation and the national debt, also in the news today?
Burnham already in trouble with Commons Speaker for talking too much published at 11:54 BST Matt Chorley Presenter, BBC Radio 5 Live Image source, House of Commons During the first three sessions of PMQs with Andy Burnham at the dispatch box, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has made repeated appeals for brevity. But is the PM really any more verbose than his predecessors like Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson? Armed with a stopwatch for a dive into the archive, I've found that the new prime minister does seem to give fuller, longer answers – by some margin.
The weekly session of PMQs is scheduled to start at midday on Wednesdays when the Commons is sitting, and last for 30 minutes. However it routinely runs for 10, 15, even 20 minutes longer. And that has caused problems.
" Can I just say I admire the prime minister?" Hoyle said during Burnham's first PMQs. "At least he's answering detailed questions. My problem is I'm not going to get through the list, and both of us will be in trouble with the backbenches when we don't make it." Read more: Burnham risks wrath of Commons Speaker for talking too much at PMQs Burnham's Jackdaw approval not a surprise published at 11:48 BST Chris Mason Political editor The decision to grant approval for drilling at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, and the further delay in a decision about the Rosebank oil field, are case studies in the slow-motion awkwardness the UK has collectively had, over years, about energy.
Since becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham has talked about a desire to be "pragmatic" about the North Sea as he puts it, which is why this decision about Jackdaw isn't a surprise. Jackdaw was first approved four years ago, Rosebank three years ago. But after a legal challenge by environmental campaigners, it was ruled that consent had been granted unlawfully and there needed to be a more detailed assessment of the environmental impact.
Politically, today's decision is considerably easier for the government than the decision on Rosebank. Most Labour MPs are comfortable endorsing Jackdaw. It is also a project backed by the Conservatives and Reform (who argue a decision should have been taken much sooner) and the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats.
The Green Party of England and Wales are opposed. On Rosebank, though, the argument is much more contentious within the Labour Party. What we can expect in the coming hours and days is a resumption of all the arguments these projects have already provoked.
Climate activists protest Jackdaw gas field decision published at 11:45 BST Crowds have gathered outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in Westminster to protest the UK government granting consent for gas to be produced from the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. The demonstration was organised by Fossil Free London, with the group's founder Robin Wells saying the approval "is an outrage and it's basically climate denial". Image source, Reuters Image source, Reuters Image source, Reuters
Source: BBC
