‘We stand up for hard-working Britons,’ says PM
Sir Keir then brings up the appointment of Richard Sharp to the BBC and asks if it was a coincidence.
The Prime Minister said the appointment was fully supported by a committee which had Labour MPs on it.
Mr Sunak hits back by accusing Labour of siding with the unions and militant environmental groups while the Government “stands by working Britons”.
The Prime Minister then says that the unions and Just Stop Oil “bank role” the Opposition.
In response, Sir Keir said after 13 years of power the attempt to blame Labour for the strikes was “pathetic”.
Questions now move to allegations surrounding Dominic Raab
Following exchanges over Mr Zahawi, the Labour leader referred to 24 allegations regarding alleged bullying by the Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.
He references reports that some were “left suicidal” but in response, Mr Sunak said he “takes action when these things happen”.
Mr Sunak then accused Sir Keir of “never standing up for a principle that matters”.
Further questions concerning Nadhim Zahawi
Sir Keir Starmer starts the sessions with a question regarding Nadhim Zahawi.
The Prime Minister insists the proper process was followed and he appointed an independent adviser as soon as he was aware of the allegations about his tax affairs.
PMQs begins
Rishi Sunak has now begun the session with the Prime Minister paying tribute to Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, whose wife passed away over the weekend.
‘Time to come clean over Raab allegations,’ say Lib Dems
Ahead of PMQs, the Liberal Democrats have called on Rishi Sunak to publish theadvice he was given about Dominic Raab before appointing him.
Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem’s deputy leader, said: “It’s time for the prime minister to come out of hiding and face the music.
“The public deserves to know the truth about what he knew and when, including the full disclosure of any advice given to him by the Cabinet Office.
“Raab is just the latest of Sunak’s appointees who has been caught up in scandal.
“If Rishi Sunak was serious about integrity, he would give the Tolley Inquiry the full cooperation it deserves, by providing his own formal evidence.”
We have not ruled out taking the Government to court over new bill, warns union
The Trades Union Congress has not ruled out taking the Government to court in a bid to strike down the minimum service levels bill if it passes into law.
Speaking on a civil servants picket line outside HM Treasury, TUC assistant general secretary Kate Bell told the PA news agency the legislation “unnecessary, unfair and almost certainly illegal”.
She added: “We think it is notable that even Jacob Rees-Mogg, who would not normally describe himself as a friend of trade unions, was criticising this bill pretty heavily as being a pretty shoddy piece of legislation.
“We will take every measure we can to defend the right to strike and we are looking very carefully at how we will be able to, if this bill does go through, tackle it legally.
“That right to strike… is embedded into UK law… it is very clear that we do have those rights protected and we will be doing everything we can to defend them.”
She was speaking as she visited the Treasury to hand in the TUC’s budget submissions, which she said would give public sector workers a fully funded pay rise and provide a longer-term plan to grow the economy.
Rishi Sunak to face Keir Starmer at PMQs
Welcome to the Evening Standard’s PMQs live blog.
The Prime Minister will face questions regarding the future of Dominic Raab who is under investigation following claims he bullied staff. The Deputy Prime Minister has denied the allegations and said he always acted professionally.
Rishi Sunak has already sacked Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative Party chair after a report found he did not declare an investigation into his tax affairs.
PMQs also falls on a day where teachers and train drivers have walked in the latest day of industrial action.
