Keir Starmer dodges questions on two-child benefit cap in first PMQs as prime minister – UK politics live

Sir Keir Starmer is “focused on delivering the change” the public voted for, Downing Street said.Asked what the prime minister’s mood was following the rebellion over the two-child benefit cap, his political spokeswoman said:

He’s been focused, like the whole party, on delivering the change that the country voted for.

Conservative MP for Stockton West, Matt Vickers, asked about a flagship transport improvement scheme in his area, backed by the previous government.

The last government invested massively in Teesside, most recently committing £1 billion to improving transport in our area. That money will protect the future of our iconic transporter bridge, upgrade Thornaby train station, create a new transport hub at Teesside Park and much, much more.

Can the Prime Minister confirm – are we still getting our billion pounds, or is Labour turning its back on Teesside?

Starmer said:

Well he talks about turning his back, I think he’s the sole remaining Tory MP in the North East or Teesside.

I’ve already taken an early opportunity to make our commitment clear to the plans that we need for economic growth across the country, working with all the mayors who are in place, including those who wear a different rosette, and that’s the way in which we’ll take this forward.”

Ben Houchen is the Conservative Tees Valley Mayor.

Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe argued that legal and illegal immigration have had “brutal consequences” on the UK.Tthe former chairman of Southampton FC asked the prime minister:

My constituents in Great Yarmouth have little doubt that out-of-control legal and illegal immigration since 1997 has damaged and disrupted their community, and undermined their public services.Does the prime minister agree that importing millions of people, with no thought whatsoever to the brutal consequences, has failed our country? I know the good people of Great Yarmouth would much appreciate a yes or no answer to this straightforward question.

The prime minister replied:

I’m not sure I agree with his numbers. But look, I do think that it’s serious that the previous government lost control of our borders.

It’s a serious issue that requires a serious answer and that is why we will set up our Border Security Command to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade. What we won’t do is waste further time on a gimmick that cost a fortune and removed just four volunteers.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley, asked how Starmer would show his leadership on the “existential issue” of nature recovery.

He said:

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth, so I welcome the government’s signal that it’s committed to nature recovery. This is critical to humanity’s future as it affects everything from food security to public health and wellbeing.

Please could the prime minister tell us how he will show leadership personally on this existential issue and in particular, will he attend the 16th biodiversity Cop (Conference of the Parties) later this year, and will the UK Government be launching a bid to host a future UN nature summit?”

The prime minister replied:

We are committed to nature recovery. It’s a really important issue that this Government will tackle.And he talks about leadership, and I’d ask him to show some because it’s extraordinary that elected to this house as a Green politician, he’s opposing vital clean energy infrastructure in his own constituency, so I ask him – we will put the plans before this house, I ask him to back those plans.”

Ramsay has previously called on authorities to consider “other options” instead of a string of pylons across his Norfolk and Suffolk constituency.

Labour MP for Bedford, Mohammad Yasin asks the prime minister what more pressure can be applied to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza.

Yasin said: Too many innocent people are still dying everyday. There’s nowhere safe in Gaza .”

Starmer replied:

Both the foreign secretary and I have set out the urgent need for a ceasefire to [Israel]prime minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu.

We want a pathway to a two state solution, a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable sovereign Palestinian state. And I used my first overseas trip as prime minister particularly at Nato to raise it with world leaders.

Under a Labour government, this subject will be discussed, negotiated and fought for at the highest levels on the world stage. The alternative is standing on street corners protesting. Ultimately only one of those will deliver change.

SNP Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, began his PMQs contribution: “may I again warmly congratulate the prime minister on ending Tory rule”, to which a shout came from the Tory benches – “and yours”.

The SNP MP for Aberdeen South said the Conservatives were now “too close for comfort” on the neighbouring opposition benches.

Flynn continued:

In his campaign to do so [Keir Starmer] was of course joined by Gordon Brown and just five days before the general election in Scotland on the front page of The Daily Record Gordon Brown instructed voters to vote Labour to end child poverty.

Yet last night Labour MPs from Scotland were instructed to retain the two child cap which forces children into poverty. So prime minister, what changed?

Keir Starmer replied:

I’m glad he mentioned Gordon Brown because the last Labour government lifted millions of children out of poverty, something we’re very very proud of and this Government will approach the question with the same vigour with our new taskforce. Already we’ve taken steps, breakfast clubs, abolishing no fault evictions, decent homes.”

Flynn was reprimanded by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle for holding a print out of the Daily Record headline he referred to, with Hoyle saying: “Props are not allowed to be used. Never mind put it down. We don’t need any more.”

Keir Starmer’s “honeymoon” period is over before it has begun, an SNP MP said, after seven Labour rebels were stripped of the whip for backing an SNP motion to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

Speaking during PMQs, Pete Wishart, the SNP MP for Perth and Kinross-shire said:

The prime minister has achieved something that we didn’t think would be possible in such a short period of time.

In less than three weeks, he has had a significant rebellion and he has suspended seven of his Members of parliament, all for standing up for child poverty, this from a Labour Government.

The headlines are awful for the prime minister this morning, poverty campaigners are furious with the prime minister, is his honeymoon over before it’s even begun?”

Starmer replied that he would not be taking “lectures” from the SNP on what the people of Scotland want after the party returned from the general election with a “handful” of members

He added:

Perhaps the SNP needs to account for the 30,000 extra children in poverty in Scotland.”

Davey went on to say there was a “once-in-a-century chance to fix social care”.

He asked the prime minister:

There’s another care crisis that’s probably even bigger and that’s the crisis in social care. I’m sure like me he’s met millions of people around the country, have heard about millions of people for whom this is their biggest issue and has been for decades.

After a once in a century election does he not think there’s an opportunity for a once in a century chance to fix social care and thus help our NHS. So can I ask him to set up a cross-party commission on Social Care so we can address this urgent matter?”

Keir Starmer replied:

He’s right, it is a crisis. I’m sorry to have to report to the House it’s not the only crisis that we’ve inherited. There’s a crisis and a failure absolutely everywhere after 14 years of failure that this government of service will begin the hard yards of fixing, including on social care.”

Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, used his first question to prime minister Keir Starmer to ask about the carer allowance repayments.

Starmer replied:

[Davey] has of course been a tireless advocate for carers and I don’t think any of us could be other than moved when we saw a video of him and his son that was put out during the election campaign. He talks about Team GB, I’m glad he’s in a suit today because we’re more used to seeing him in a wetsuit.

But in relation to this issue we have a more severe crisis than we thought as we go through the books of the last 14 years. [The Conservatives] don’t like it, there was a reason the electorate rejected them so profoundly.

So we’ll review the challenges that we face. We do want to work with the sector and where we can across the House to create a national care service covering all these aspects and we’ll start with carers and those that work in the care sector with a fair pay agreement.”

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said that the prime minister “has many messes that he has inherited”. One of these, said Davey, was the “scandal over the carer’s allowance repayments”. He asks if Keir Starmer will meet with him and other family carers to “try and resolve this matter?”

Rishi Sunak said at the despatch box:

Thanks to the complex legal and diplomatic work that the UK has led over the past several months, together with our allies Canada and America, the prime minister will I hope now find that there is a sound and established legal basis to go further on sanctions and seize Russian assets, and use them to fund Ukrainian reconstruction.

That work has taken time but I hope he is able to take a look at it, and can he confirm for the House that this work is something that he will take forward, because if he does, I can assure him that the opposition will support him in doing so?”

Prime minister Keir Starmer replied:

I’m grateful for this opportunity to say how united we were on the question of sanctions across this House.

The use now made of what has been seized and frozen is an important issue on which I think we can move forward, and I know the Chancellor is already beginning to have some discussions about how we can take more effective measures.

Again, I will seek to reach out across the House as we do this important work together.”