PMQs: Rishi Sunak takes weekly questions in parliament – watch live

Food Service, a key business in my constituency. The news last week that the UK government are slashing their energy support for businesses was devastating. They're already struggling under soaring energy bills and interest rate hikes and coronavirus business interruption loan scheme repayments. Can he clarify: will any support be forthcoming on energy bills repayments, and will any savings the Treasury make due to falling wholesale gas prices be ring-fenced for targeted support for SMEs and vulnerable households?

Energy costs are part of this Tory winter of discontent, bookending 13 years of deliberate austerity. Workers are striking and real incomes are in free fall. Following the last budget, funding for Welsh public services will be worth 3 billion pounds less over the next three years. Enough is enough, and cutting key workers' salaries is not the right answer. I urge the Treasury to reverse this decline by establishing a truly fair funding system for Wales which recognizes our nation's needs, taking into account age, disability, and poverty levels.

Mr Speaker, I have regular discussions with cabinet colleagues on research funding for universities in Wales, and we are committed to making the UK a science superpower backed by almost 40 billion pounds, the largest ever R&D budget. And last week, actually at the suggestion of the honorable member, I was very pleased to visit the cutting-edge research at Bangor University. I remain committed to Welsh universities capitalizing on the funding opportunities available.

I think the Secretary of State for Defence has seen for himself that Welsh universities can and do deliver world-class research, because I think he would accept that the research funding that actually gets allocated is less than one would expect. And except that this is not a simple matter, it's not a matter of counting heads. But what practical help can he give to increase research support in Wales, particularly for new and innovative projects such as the ones that he saw in Bangor?

Will my right honorable friend agree with me that international collaboration is something in which Britain and indeed Wales has a proud history, and will he continue to keep the pressure up on the European Commission to allow us to associate with the Horizon program, which would make such a difference for the future of British science?

Christopher Black, number four. Mr Speaker, thank you. First of all, I would congratulate the honorable gentleman on his knighthood in the New Year's Honours list. Mr Speaker, we remain committed to working with the Welsh government on the delivery of investment zones for Wales. This is alongside the freeports program, which will facilitate growth and innovation through benefits like tax reliefs for businesses.

Well, that's all very well, but the government has basically completely binned its investment zone policy. I've had a letter from a government minister saying it's all being refocused. It's not about housing and planning anymore, it's about productivity, improving growth and job creation. But there are no details available. All the bids have been binned. So isn't this just further evidence that we don't have a government in this country anymore? We've just got a bunch of rap scallions squatting in ministerial offices.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Congratulations to the member for Caronda on his knighthood. What are the lessons of industrial policy over the last 30 years in Wales? Certainly when you look at the number of failed food parks, science parks, technology parks, is that using taxpayers' money on its own does not create economic activity out of thin air. So does the minister agree with me that whatever interventions we make or the Welsh government make has to work with the grain of the private sector? And to that end, does he recognize that the overriding strength of the Celtic Freeport bid is that it does work with real projects, real industry to deliver floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Over the spending review period, the UK government is providing the Welsh government with 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK government spending in other parts of the UK. And as a result of the Autumn Statement, Welsh government funding is increasing by around 1.2 billion pounds over the next two years. This is on top of the additional two and a half billion pounds a year average over the three-year spending review.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The UK government's Shared Prosperity Fund shortchanges Wales by a billion pounds over three years, even though the Secretary of State and his predecessors repeatedly promised that Wales would receive not a penny less to replace EU funds. Those funds were used by the Welsh government to deliver 5,000 apprenticeships a year. So why is the minister now letting down young people in Wales like this?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Despite the Welsh government receiving the largest devolution funding settlement, it has the worst performing Labour-run NHS. Instead of spending on what matters, it plans to spend 32 million on a 20-mile-an-hour blanket speed policy. Such a policy will also cost the economy 4.5 billion. So will my honorable friend agree with me and 94% of my survey constituents to say this is yet another example of Labour waste of money?

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. As my honorable friend for the left has just reminded the House, the Secretary of State, Minister, and his predecessors repeatedly promised that Wales would receive not a penny less to replace EU structural funds. Not only has he failed to deliver that promise, but record inflation his government is presiding over has done a double whammy on the Welsh government budget. Is the minister aware that higher education has been shut out of his government's flagship levelling up process, and hundreds of jobs are now at risk, possibly as many as 600? So why is his government continually letting down people, including young people, across Wales?

Wendy Chamberlain. Mr Speaker, I have regular discussions with cabinet members on a range of transport measures. Over 340 million pounds has been provided for rail enhancements in Wales, including Cardiff Central Station and for the electrification of the Severn Tunnel.

Wendy Chamberlain: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The government's failure to end rail strikes impacts all of us across the UK. Like Scotland, transport is devolved in Wales, but we need people coming from England into our countries to give much-needed revenue for tourism and hospitality in Wales. An agreement has been reached, but their own railways can't function on strike days because of UK management responsibilities. So will the Secretary of State outline what he's doing to resolve these damaging strikes and get railways up and running again?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Direct train services between South Wales and Devon are a key part of our rail infrastructure and mostly operated by older, less reliable rolling stock. What does he see for the prospects of getting new, more modern trains operating these routes?

The Menai Bridge supplies the lifeblood of tourism to Anglesey and the wider region. Given Welsh Labour's negligent handling of the maintenance of this bridge and now its closure for months, how does my right honorable friend think Welsh Labour is doing on their manifesto commitment to rebuild tourism in Wales?

I'm grateful to my right honorable friend for his answer. During COVID, a number of Welsh nationalists, not all but some, used that opportunity in the closure of the Welsh border to incite anti-English feelings. And now we hear that Plaid Cymru, working with Labour, are going to introduce a hotel and other tax. What does he think that does for English investment into Wales?

On the subject of investment between England and Wales, progress on speeding up the Wrexham to Bidston line is about as slow as the trains on the Wrexham to Bidston. So can I ask the Secretary of State for Wales what he personally has done to improve rail connections between North Wales and Liverpool?

That completes Welsh questions. Before we come to Prime Minister's Questions, I would like to point out that the British Sign Language interpretation of proceedings is available to watch on Parliament Live TV. We start with questions to the Prime Minister. Kate Knifton, question number one.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. As the project champion for the North Midlands Manufacturing Corridor, next week I'm bringing together business leaders and local councilors from across the region in Parliament to set out to Department for Transport officials the importance of the A50/A500 corridor. The Prime Minister understands the importance of investing in our infrastructure and unlocking the potential of our towns and cities. So will he urge government colleagues from BEIS and DfT to attend the meeting and to hear more about the benefits this investment would bring to our region?

We now come to the Leader of the Opposition.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I join with the Prime Minister in his comments about the dreadful case of Carrick? Mr Speaker, it's three minutes past 12. If somebody phones 999 now because they have chest pains and fear it might be a heart attack, when would the Prime Minister expect an ambulance to arrive?

The Prime Minister can deflect all he likes, but for the person suffering from chest pains, the clock started ticking straight away. Every minute counts. That's why the government says an ambulance should be there in 18 minutes. In that case, it would mean just about 20 past 12. Now I know he doesn't want to answer the question I asked him, so I'm going to ask him again: when will that ambulance arrive?

He obviously doesn't know or doesn't care. I'll tell him: if our heart attack victim had called for an ambulance in Peterborough at 12:03, it wouldn't arrive until 10 past two. These are our constituents waiting for ambulances I'm talking about. If it was Northampton, it wouldn't arrive until... Order, Mr Speaker. I hope you want to see the rest of the questions out because I want you to be here, but you're going to have to be better. Come on. Because I'm talking about our constituents. So it wouldn't arrive until 20:20 if they were in Plymouth. It wouldn't arrive until 20 to three. That's why someone who fears a heart attack waiting more than two and a half hours for an ambulance is not the worst-case scenario, just the average wait. So will he stop blaming others, take some responsibility, and just admit under his watch the NHS is in crisis, isn't it?

He won't answer any questions and he won't take any responsibility. By one o'clock, our heart attack victim is in a bad way. Sweaty, dizzy, chest tightening. This is a heart attack, and they're shouting. This is your constituent. By that time, they should be getting treatment. But an hour after they've called 999, they're still lying there waiting, listening to the clock tick. How does he think they feel knowing an ambulance could be still hours away?

This isn't hypothetical. This is real life. Stephanie from Plymouth was battling cancer when she collapsed at home. Her mum rang 999 desperate for help. She only lived a couple of miles from the hospital, but they couldn't prioritize her. She was 26 when she died waiting for that ambulance. A young woman whose life was ended far too soon. I can't even fathom that pain. So on behalf of Stephanie and her family, would he stop the excuses, stop shifting the blame, stop the political games, and simply tell us: when will he sort out these delays and get back to the 18-minute wait?

So that's his answer to Stephanie's family. Blame others, never take responsibility. Just like last week, he won't say when he's going to deliver the basic minimum service levels people need. Over the 40 minutes or so that these sessions tend to last, 700 people will call an ambulance. Two will be reporting a heart attack, four will be reporting a stroke. But instead of the rapid help they need, many will wait and wait and wait. So if he won't answer any questions, will he at least apologize for the lethal chaos under his watch?

On Monday, the independent Net Zero review was published by a man of a friend, the member for Kingswood. Does my right honorable friend join me in welcoming many of those recommendations, and in particular to provide clarity and continuity to all those working to decarbonize our economy, especially those supporting the social structure climate action group in my constituency?

Stephen Flynn. To promise is one thing, to keep it is another. The Scottish government kept their manifesto promise to the people, and thanks to support from members of all political parties in Holyrood, the GRR bill was passed. Surely in that context, the Prime Minister must recognize that it is a dangerous moment for devolution when both he and indeed the Leader of the Opposition seek to overturn a promise made between Scotland's politicians and Scotland's people.

Let me be crystal clear: this is the Conservative Party seeking to stoke a culture war against some of the most marginalized people in society, and Scotland's democracy is simply collateral damage. And on that issue of democracy, let's reflect. On Monday, the UK government introduced legislation to ban the right to strike against the express wishes of the Scottish government. On Tuesday, they introduced legislation to overturn the GRR against the express wishes of the Scottish government. And this evening, they will seek to put in place legislation that rips up thousands of EU protections against the express wishes of the Scottish government. Are we not now on a slippery slope from devolution to direct rule?

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The care, education, and support that children receive in their earliest years has the biggest impact on their future life outcomes. And that's why the affordability, accessibility, and quality of childcare is so important for families in Aldersbury and right across the country. Yet despite significant investment by the UK government since 2010, for too many families the childcare system remains inflexible, complex, and expensive. So can I ask my right honorable friend to restate to this House his commitment to address this essential and pressing issue so that every child can have the best start in life?

Implying NHS workers are deliberately putting people in danger. The Health Secretary putting dedicated nurses against vulnerable patients. Does the Prime Minister really expect the public to believe that the very people who've dedicated their lives to saving lives are so reckless? Or is it not the case that this government have pushed them to their absolute limit and they have no other option but to strike?

David Simmons. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Ruislip, Northwood, and Pinner has a great many car-dependent older and disabled constituents, many of whom are horrified to read that the Mayor of London may have manipulated the outcome of his own consultation in order to impose an unwanted 12 pounds 50 daily charge every time they go to a medical appointment or attend hospital. So does my right honorable friend agree with me that any further rollout of ULEZ should be paused until these matters have been fully investigated?

The Prime Minister showed his cards this week by ramming through the striking nurses bill. He has literally gone from clapping nurses to sacking them. His Transport Secretary has said that the bill is unworkable, and the Education Secretary has said that it is not needed. Why does he still want the bill?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Continuing a theme, evidence is now very clear that the London Mayor's sham consultation has suppressed 5,000 negative responses from members and supporters of Fair Fuel UK, of which I am the APPG chairman. Now what angers me is this is a tax against my residents in South Thanet, it's a tax against Kent residents, it's a tax against all of the home counties. This is true taxation without representation. And I ask: when will my right honorable friend assure me he will do all that he can to stop this, because it is a tax that is a fill-up against a failed mayor's budget and a failed mayor?

During a period of 12 months, two of my constituents have lost their lives after being attacked by dangerous dogs: a 10-year-old boy and a senior citizen. Fatalities have also occurred in other parts of the country. It is clear that the Dangerous Dogs Act is woefully inadequate. The government has commissioned studies, it has debated the subject at length, but it has done nothing. My question is: when will the government take action on the issue of dangerous dogs?

Karen Bradley. District Council run by the Conservatives has an excellent track record of delivering for my constituents whilst keeping council tax low. We have put a bid into the Levelling Up Fund, and I know that that money would make such an incredible difference to my constituents. So will he use his good office to encourage the Department for Levelling Up to look favorably on us this week?

Sarah Green. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Many of my constituents in Chesham and Amersham are struggling to keep up with their energy bills this winter. When they do fall behind, too often families are punished by being switched over to prepayment meters, which are more expensive, which does nothing to help the financial situation. Will the Prime Minister back our call to ban energy companies from forcibly installing prepayment meters and stop energy companies from switching smart meters over to prepayment meters remotely?

Will my right honorable friend join me in paying tribute and thanks to the several thousand people at MOD Defence Equipment and Support at Abbey Wood in my constituency, who worked tirelessly to ensure that the military equipment and supplies that we have pledged to the people of Ukraine are dispatched quickly and efficiently? And does he agree with me that events in Ukraine are a reminder yet again of the need to invest more in our own sovereign defense manufacturing capability?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It's almost a year to the day since the then Business Secretary, at a visit to the BritishVolt site in my constituency, promised the company a hundred million pounds and proudly boasted to the national media that he couldn't think of a better project that better demonstrated levelling up. Yesterday, the company and our administration haven't received not a penny of financial support from the government. Will the Prime Minister agree with me that there's not a single project in the country that better demonstrates the government's lack of industrial strategy, failure of levelling up, and abandonment of the Northeast?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister has long been a friend to business. As Chancellor, he listened to businesses in Stoke-on-Trent Central about their issues. Stoke-on-Trent has a wide range of manufacturing, fabrication, and engineering excellence. Does he agree with me that growing these activities is a vital strand of our levelling up ambitions? And may I invite him to revisit my constituency to meet with them?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. When I had breast cancer, I had phenomenal nurses. When I had to be rushed to A&E, the ambulance crew looked after me. Eunice and GMB, they're on strike because no one's negotiating with them. For the first time in the Royal College of Nursing's history, they have balloted and they are on strike today. I spoke to the General Secretary of the RCN. She's adamant she wants to end the dispute. She just needs a meeting with the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister show leadership and meet with the RCN? Just a simple yes or no.

As we approach Holocaust Memorial Day, colleagues can sign the early day motion, they can sign the book of commitment, they can attend the various commemorative services. I have to report some very sad news to the House: that the well-known Holocaust survivor Ziggy Shipper died at the age of 93 in the early hours of this morning. He was a survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Stutthof concentration camps. He spent his life in this country spreading his message of hope to young people. My honorable friend will join with me in thanking Ziggy for his life, for his message, which is very vitally important as we sit here today: do not hate.

Ram Sunderland. Will the Prime Minister join his Conservative predecessors in guaranteeing that the HS2 project reaches Manchester, or does he still believe that investment should be taken from poorer areas in the north and given to the more affluent parts of Kent?

There's been a 40% increase in patients on roll with GPs in Biggleswade in the last 15 years, but last week proposals for Biggleswade Health Hub were not progressed despite support, financial support, from Conservative-controlled Central Bedfordshire Council. So can my right honorable friend advise me what is the status of our manifesto commitment to infrastructure first, and will he and his ministers work with me to bring together the various parts of the NHS to bring the Biggleswade Health Hub back on track?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister is well aware of the world of injustice simply because he commented on it earlier in a question: long-standing higher tariffs and higher social charges. Why then has he allowed a situation where hundreds of thousands have been forced into penury at a time when winter is upon us and prices are rocketing, and where we face a situation of 8.4 million people facing fuel poverty in April? All he requires to do is to instruct Ofgem to ensure that there's an equalization of tariffs between debit and credit, and also that his government takes steps to provide a fund for those who have seen debt arise because of his government's failures. Will he aim to manifest the injustice of the poor paying most?

Laura Farris. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Every single country in the G7 requires some level of minimum service to be provided when strikes take place in essential public services, often with laws that actually go much further than that. Does my right honorable friend agree that the British people should be entitled to the same basic level of protection when strikes take place in these services? And does he think the former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair had a point when he said last year the big defect at the birth of the Labour Party was its tie to organized labour?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. This month the right honorable member for Stratford-upon-Avon was forced to pay millions to HMRC to settle a tax dispute. Was the Prime Minister aware of the investigation when he appointed him to his cabinet? And as Chairman of the Conservative Party, will the Prime Minister demand accountability from his cabinet members about their tax affairs?

I would like to begin by putting on record this House's heartbreak at the tragic death this morning of our friend, the Minister of Interior Affairs in Ukraine, and his deputy, and all those who were killed in that tragic accident. I'm sure the House is united in that feeling. Turning to more local affairs, as many have pointed out, the government I understand is in the final furlongs of giving out its levelling up bids, and I must ask him to look kindly upon building the Borough Market of the Midlands and building a future Meditech Hub in Rutland. So can he assure me that not just urban but also rural areas will be levelled up?

The Scottish Parliament was one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world. The Prime Minister continues to block the Scottish Parliament's clear mandate to allow Scottish people to choose their own future. On Monday, he sent his MPs to deny Scottish workers the right to strike despite overwhelming Scottish public opposition. On Tuesday, he sent his Secretary of State for Scotland to block an act of the Scottish Parliament voted for by 70% of MSPs, including Tories. Does he still think that David Cameron's ridiculous vow holds any water whatsoever?

The British people rightly expect us to be able to control our borders. So I was very pleased that the Prime Minister made one of his five priorities the need to stop the boats in the Channel. Can he reassure me and my constituency, Newcastle-under-Lyme, not only will we bolster the patrols on the French beaches, but we will make sure the people who do make that dangerous journey and arrive are removed?

Imran Hussain. Mr Speaker, last night the BBC revealed the Foreign Office knew the extent of Narendra Modi's involvement in the Gujarat massacre that paved the way for the persecution of Muslims and other minorities we see in India today. Senior diplomats reported that the massacre could not have taken place without a climate of impunity created by Modi, and that he was, in the FCO's own words, directly responsible for this violence. Given that hundreds were brutally killed and that families across India and the world, including here in the UK, are still without justice, does the Prime Minister agree with his diplomats in the Foreign Office that Modi was directly responsible? And just what more does the Foreign Office know of his involvement in this grave act of ethnic cleansing?

That completes Prime Minister's Questions.

Jonathan Reynolds. Thank you, Mr Speaker. To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy if he will make a statement on the UK's gigafactory capacity, given the announcement of BritishVolt entering into administration.

When the BritishVolt site was first announced in 2019 with the promise to build the UK's second ever gigafactory and create 8,000 jobs in Northumberland, it was lauded by the government as their flagship example of levelling up. The member for Spelthorne, then Business Secretary, said BritishVolt is exactly what levelling up looks like, and government ministers fell over themselves to take the credit. And so now they must also accept some accountability for its failure. Because much like their levelling up strategy, all we have been left with is an empty space instead of what was promised. The collapse of BritishVolt into administration is, in no uncertain terms, a disaster for the UK car industry. But what is even more worrying is that it is a symptom of a much wider failure. The automotive manufacturing sector currently employs over 182,000 people, and if we are to continue to make cars in this country, we must make electric batteries in the UK. The Faraday Institute says we need 10 factories by 2040 to sustain our automotive sector. So even if BritishVolt were going ahead, we would still be nowhere near where we need to be. And these factories are being built in competitor countries, and that is because they have governments with the vision and commitment to be the partner private firms need to turn these factories from plans on paper into a reality. So surely the government must accept that we do now need an industrial strategy. Will the minister update the House on the government's plans to urgently increase the battery-making capability of the UK? Can he tell us when did the government first have concerns about BritishVolt's ability to deliver the factory, and why did these concerns not come to light when the department conducted its extensive due diligence investigations into BritishVolt's plans? What conversations has he had with other companies to secure the site and ensure the factory is built in Blyth? And will he now commit to Labour's plans to build eight new gigafactories across the UK and expand the rollout of charging points to support electric vehicle manufacturing? Wherever you look, the Conservatives are failing this country, whether it's public services or our iconic British industries. And unless this government wakes up to the scale of the transition that is required, we will not only risk many of the good jobs so many of our communities rely upon, we will miss out on one of the greatest economic opportunities this country has ever had.