Starmer says he is not ruling out retaliatory tariffs against US
Davey uses his second question to ask about President Trump, and he says Starmer should fly to Canada as soon as possible to show solidarity with the new PM, Mark Carney, in his dispute with the US.
Starmer says Canada is an important ally.
On tariffs, he says:
I am disappointed to see global tariffs in relation to steel and aluminium, but we will take a pragmatic approach.
We are, as he knows, negotiating an economic deal which covers and will include tariffs if we succeed.
But we will keep all options on the table.
That means he is not ruling out retaliatory tariffs – even though the UK has not announced them now.
Key events
PMQs – snap verdict
“The truth is that the PM should prevail in PMQs,” Boris Johnson wrote in his memoirs. “You are the one driving the agenda. You have the initiative and the policies.”
Unlike many other things he said in that book, that particular comment happens to be accurate, and it is always worth remembering when trying to assess PMQs. It is not a level playing field. The leader of the opposition is kicking uphill.
Today was a particularly good example. There is a lot of proper news around at the moment and, in his responses to questions, Keir Starmer was more interesting and newsy than usual. We got a clear threat of retaliatory tariffs against the US (see 12.20pm) – although you would be unwise to expect them to happen any time soon (for reasons the former chancellor Jeremy Hunt explained in a Guardian inteview last month). We got to hear Starmer describe the current benefits system as “indefensible”, after reading on Monday that that was what he was telling Labour MPs behind closed doors. There were also interesting replies on Ukraine, Gaza, wealth taxes and the poor couple who got fined for reporting a stowaway migrant in their motorhome.
By comparison, the exchanges with Kemi Badenoch were not that interesting, and easily forgettable. It was not so much a clear Starmer win; it was more a case of Badenoch not really showing up in the first place.
To be fair to the Conservative, she had identified the right pitch. There is little or nothing that matters more to voters than the cost of living and the economy, and she focused all her questions on that. She is also right to say that business confidence is low, and that part of this is because last year’s budget hammered employers more than they were expecting.
But, given the economic record of her own party in office, it is quite hard to get past the obvious whataboutery that Starmer will be deploying for years to come and none of her questions today properly landed. She came closest when she asked about the spring statement taking place two weeks today, and argued that it will end up looking like the sort of emergency budget that at one point Rachel Reeves was ruling out. She is probably right. But she could not convert that into a hostile question. She would have done better asking Starmer to rule something out (like extending the freeze in taz allowances). Starmer would probably have refused to answer, but at least she would have got a headline in papers prepared to put a negative interpretation on his evasion.
Andrew Rosindell (Con) asks Starmer to agree to hold a judge-led inquiry into the murder of David Amess and the failures of Prevent that meant the killer was not stopped.
Starmer says he is meeting the family this afternoon. He wants to ensure they get answers to all the questions they have, he says.
Starmer says he is ‘really appalled’ by Israel blocking aid to Gaza
Zara Sultana (Ind) asks if Starmer still thinks Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza, even though it has cut off aid supplies to Gaza for the past 11 days, and cut of electricity supplies affecting water production.
Starmer says he is “really appalled by Israel blocking aid when it is needed at greater volume and speed than it ever been needed”.
Starmer says he is ‘concerned’ about couple fined £1,500 after reporting migrant who hide in motorhome as they crossed Channel
John Whittingdale (Con) asks about his constituents who were fined £1,500 for reporting an asylum seekers who entered the country illegally after hiding in the bike rack on their motorhome. He says they should have been thanked for reporting this, not punished. If people are fined, they will have no incentive to alert the police, he says.
Starmer says he has seen some of the details of this, and is “concerned” about the story. He says the Home Office will look into this. He will update Whittingdale on what they conclude, he says.
Starmer says wealth taxes don’t provide ‘bottomless pit’, as Labour MP says rich should pay more to protect disability benefits
Richard Burgon (Lab) says when politicians talk about tough choices, that normally means they are going to do something to penalise the poor. He says the government should introduce a wealth tax instead of cutting disability benefits.
Disabled people in my constituency are frightened. And they are frightened because they are again hearing the language of: ‘tough choices.’
And they know from bitter experience that when politicians talk about tough choices, it means the easy option of making the poor and vulnerable pay.
“So instead of cutting benefits for disabled people, wouldn’t the moral thing to do, the courageous thing to do, be to make a real tough choice and introduce a wealth tax on the very wealthiest people in our society.
Starmer says getting people back into work is a “moral imperative”.
On the subject of a wealth tax, he says the government has put a windfall tax on energy companies, taxed non-doms and put a new tax on private jets.
But there is no “bottomless pit”, he says.
We must kick start growth to get the economic stability that we need.
Andrew Snowden (Con) asks if Starmer will back the Tory bill to order the Sentencing Council to change its recent guidelines.
Starmer says the last Tory government approved these plans. He says Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, is threatening to take the Sentencing Council to court over this. He suggests Jenrick should take legal action against himself too, because the Tories were responsible.
Starmer says he is not ruling out retaliatory tariffs against US
Davey uses his second question to ask about President Trump, and he says Starmer should fly to Canada as soon as possible to show solidarity with the new PM, Mark Carney, in his dispute with the US.
Starmer says Canada is an important ally.
On tariffs, he says:
I am disappointed to see global tariffs in relation to steel and aluminium, but we will take a pragmatic approach.
We are, as he knows, negotiating an economic deal which covers and will include tariffs if we succeed.
But we will keep all options on the table.
That means he is not ruling out retaliatory tariffs – even though the UK has not announced them now.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, also asks about plans to cut disability benefits.
Starmer says Labour inherited a system that was “shocking”.
One in eight young people, not in education, work. or trained. That is a lost generation. That is [the Conservatives] inheritance … They’ve got plenty to say now. They did nothing for 14 years.
Starmer says current benefits system is ‘indefensible, economically and morally’
John Slinger (Lab) asks about disability benefits, and says the government is right to want to get more people into work.
Starmer replies:
I come from a family that dealt with disability through my mother and brother over many years, so I do understand the concerns that have been raised by him, but we inherited a system which is broken.
It is indefensible, economically and morally, and we must and we will reform it.
We will have clear principles. We will protect those who need protecting. We will also support those who can work back to work. Labour is the party of work. We are also the party of equality and fairness.
Badenoch says the spring statement will be the emergency budget that Starmer said would not be needed. The government will blame global circumstances. But it will be a result of their decisions, she says. She says this is “a high tax, low growth, job killing government”.
Starmer says the Tories are in no position to give lectures on the economy.
Badenoch says she speaks to businesses every day who worry about going bust. Prices for food are going up by 4%. And that is before she mentions the family farm tax.
Starmer says the government is supporting farmers. For the first time in ages, wages are going up by more than prices, he says.
Badenoch says in Birmingham people vote Labour but just get trash piling up, like what Starmer comes out with at the despatch box.
How can pensioners expect to make ends meet?
Starmer says wages are rising by more than inflation.
Badenoch claims Starmer has “no idea” what is happening in nursery. She refers to 60p breakfast clubs.
She says the average council tax bill is going up.
Why should families pay more for less?
Starmer says Badenoch should welcomes breakfast clubs, not denigrate them.
He says Tory councillors wanted to lift the caps on council tax, so they could raise council tax even more.
Badenoch says Starmer needs to get out more. Up to 300,000 jobs could be lost. How is more expensive childcare good for families?
Starmer says the government is putting in childcare, including breakfast clubs in Badenoch’s constituency.
And she did not mention the £22bn black hole, he says.
Kemi Badenoch says Starmer will meet the family for Sir David Amess later today. She says the PM must “get the response to his murder right”.
Has the PM been given an estimate of how many people will lose their jobs because of the budget?
Starmer says Amesss was a deeply loved MP. He says he is meeting Amess’s family, and will make sure they get answers to the questions they ask.
He says new jobs are being created. Wages are up, and there have been three interest rate cuts.
Starmer says resolving issue of abducted Ukrainian children must be part of ‘lasting’ peace deal
Mike Martin (Lib Dem) says the ICC has issued arrest warrant for President Putin and some of his allies over the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. Will a peace deal have to involved the return of the children and Putin’s prosecution?
Starmer says a “lasting, just” peace must involve dealing with the issue of the children. He says he is raising this with allies.
He avoids the point about Putin being prosecuted.
Keir Starmer starts by saying he welcomes the progress in talks between the US and Ukraine. On Saturday he will convene a meeting of European leaders, he says.
He thanks the people who responded to the ship collision off the Yorkshire coast.
And he says the employment rights bill going through the Commons this week shows the government’s Plan for Change in action.
