The Daily Express’s chief political commentator David Williamson gives his verdict on today’s PMQs.

Senior Tory James Cleverly hit out at Sir Keir Starmer over his reply to Reform MP Sarah Pochin’s question about banning the burqa in Britain.

The former Cabinet minister wrote on X: “Unacceptable behaviour from Keir Starmer at PMQs.

“After failing to answer any of Kemi’s questions he basically said to Sarah Pochin that he didn’t like her question, so ‘wasn’t going to engage with it’.

“Refusing to answer MP’s questions isn’t an option as a government minister.”

New Reform MP Sarah Pochin used her first ever question at PMQs to call for the burqa to be banned in Britain.

She said: “Given the Prime Minister’s desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbours, will he, in the interests of public safety, follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others and ban the burqa?”

Sir Keir Starmer responded: “Can I welcome her to her place, but I’m not going to follow her down that line.

“But now she is here and safely in her place, perhaps she could tell her new party leader that his latest plan to bet £80 billion of unfunded tax cuts, with no idea how he’s going to pay for it, is Liz Truss all over again.

“Although considering I think she was a Conservative member when Liz Truss was leader, she probably won’t.”

Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir Starmer of “chaos, chaos, chaos” in a fiery moment.

She said: “Two weeks ago he was crowing about his historic trade deal and how he got zero percent tariffs on steel. Now the steel industry will face 25% tariffs unless he does exactly what president Trump tells him to.

“It is chaos, chaos, chaos. And isn’t the root of the chaos that it is about this Prime Minister, his decisions and his judgement?”

Sir Keir replied: “She gets up on a Wednesday morning, scrolls through social media… we are the only country in the world that isn’t paying the 50% tax on steel.”

Kemi Badenoch prompted laughs from the Tory benches as she said: “I asked the Prime Minister what he believes in, he had to look in his folder to find the answer.”

The leader of the Opposition went on: “The fact is the chaos is being felt in the economy. The Chancellor said she would not be coming back with new tax rises but she will have to pay for all of these U-turns which he is announcing out there, isn’t she?”

Kemi Badenoch asked: “I believe in family, but I also believe in fairness. On this side of the House we believe people on benefits should have to make the same choices on having children as everyone else. What does the Prime Minister believe?”

Sir Keir Starmer said: “I believe profoundly in bringing down child poverty.”

Kemi Badenoch asked: “Let’s move to another area of confusion. Can we get a simple answer? Will the Government keep the two-child benefit cap?”

The Prime Minister did not give a straight answer but insisted he was “determined” to bring down child poverty.

It comes amid growing calls from Labour backbenchers for the cap to be ditched.

The Tory leader said: “The Prime Minister clearly has selective amnesia. I asked him three questions about the winter fuel payment two weeks ago, and he was floundering.

“The fact is, he hasn’t answered the question I asked him. He can’t tell us who will get the payments. All we see is, U-turn after U-turn, his head must be spinning.

“Will he apologise now for taking the payments away in the first place, including to his own backbenchers, and can he tell us how he is going to pay for this?”

The Prime Minister replied: “We took the right decisions at the budget because we needed to stabilise the economy.”

He added that the Conservatives should say sorry for leaving a £22 billion black hole in the public finances.

Kemi Badenoch used her first question to ask how many pensioners will have their winter fuel payments restored after the PM last week signalled there would be a partial reversal of the deeply unpopular policy.

The Tory leader said: “Three weeks ago, the winter fuel policy was set in stone. Two weeks ago, the Prime Minister U-turned. Today, the Chancellor is rushing her plans because she just realised when winter is.

“So on behalf of the pensioners who want to know, can the Prime Minister be clear with us here and now: how many of the 10 million people who lost their winter fuel payments will get it back?”

The Prime Minister said he is “glad to see she’s catching up with what happened two weeks ago”, adding: “At the budget, we took the right decision to stabilise the economy because of the £22 billion black hole that they left.

“The signs, we took the right decisions, the growth figures are up, the interest rates have been cut, and we got three trade deals.

“So we will look, again, as I said two weeks ago, at the eligibility for winter fuel, and of course, we’ll set out how we pay for it.

“But because we’ve stabilised the economy, we on this side are committed to the triple-lock, and that increased pensions by over £400 this April. On their side, they say the triple-lock is unsustainable … I think her position is, she wants to means-test it.”

Sir Keir Starmer is at the Despatch Box in the Commons as Prime Minister’s Questions gets underway.

Sir Keir Starmer has been pictured leaving 10 Downing Street as he makes his way to Parliament for PMQs.

New Reform MP Sarah Pochin is down to ask her first question in today’s PMQs.

The Runcorn and Helsby MP, who was elected in a crunch by-election, revealed in a video on X that she had asked her constituents what her question should be.

Responding to the Chancellor announcing that the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment thresholds will be in place for this winter with the new thresholds to be announced at the Spending Review, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “This whole debacle has caused needless misery for millions of pensioners.

“We will look at the details of the changes at the Spending Review next week. In the meantime the Chancellor should apologise to all those pensioners who had to freeze this winter because of this senseless policy.”

Tom Harris was a Labour MP for 14 years but now he has revealed why he can’t support the party any more – and even voted Conservative in general elections. He said: “Labour is not a serious party of government and Starmer himself is a lawyer, not a politician.”

Read more here

This morning the Chancellor announced new rail, tram and bus schemes costing £15.6 billion.

Read the full details here.

This morning Rachel Reeves was forced into a humiliating partial climbdown after confirming changes to her hated winter fuel cut will come in time for winter. The Chancellor said adjustments to the scheme will be in place so OAPs get the money in time.

At a press conference in Rochdale, the Chancellor said: “We have listened to the concerns that people had about the level of the means test, and so we will be making changes to that. They will be in place so that pensioners are paid this coming winter.”

Read the full story here