Starmer says Tory ministers have ‘serious questions’ to answer about Afghan data leak
Keir Starmer starts by saying MPs across the house have always supported the UK supporting Afghans who helped the British army.
Yesterday the government set out the failings that Labour inherited.
Starmer says ministers in the last government have “serious questions” to answer.
Yesterday, the defence secretary set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited – a major data breach, a superinjunction, a secret route that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds.
Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.
He welcomes the fact the defence committee plans to hold an inquiry.
Key events
Graham Stuart (Con) says the Labour manifesto was, like the Salt Path, beautifully written, and a pack of lies. Could the PM recommend some summer reading.
Starmer says Tory MPs seem to be on recess already.
Brian Leishman (Lab) asks about plans to close the Alexander Dennis bus factory in Falkirk.
Starmer says this is deeply concerning. Labour mayors are ordering Scottish buses. But the SNP government is buying buses from China, he says. They should be supporting Scottish jobs.
Blake Stephenson (Con) asks about health reorganisation in mid Bedfordshire.
Starmer says the 10-year plan highlights the importance of local accountability.
Tim Roca (Lab) asks about plans to appoint an envoy to help people subject to arbitrary detention abroad.
Starmer says the government is “working at pace” to get the envoy role set up.
Julian Smith (Con) says the Send reforms should include more autism training for teachers.
Starmer says the government will consider this suggestion. He says the Send system is clearly broken. He hopes MPs can work together to get it right.
Nav Mishra (Lab) asks about social housing in Stockport. He wants his constituency to be prioritised. And will the government suspend the right to buy.
Starmer says the government is delivering the biggest increase in social housing for a generation.
He says right to buy is not being abolished. But it is being reformed to protect local housing stock.
Paul Waugh (Lab) asks if Starmer agrees that digital ID should be rolled out to deal with the problem of illegal working.
Starmer says digital ID will help. Digital visas are being rolled out, he says.
Desmond Swayne (Con) asks about the Legacy Act.
In response to an early question, Starmer defended the government’s plan to repeal it.
Starmer says the Legacy Act was struck down by the courts in Northern Ireland, leaving veterans exposed to the risk of prosecution.
Ed Davey suggests UK should be sanctioning Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu over ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, says if Starmer holds a public inquiry into the Afghan data breach, the Lib Dems will support it.
He asks about the Mann/Mordaunt report into antisemitism.
Starmer says the government will respond. It must fight antisemitism whereever it is.
Davey says the Israeli plan for Gaza would amount to putting Palestinians in a prison, and would be “ethnic cleansing”. He suggests the UK should be sanctioning the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Starmer says the government is appalled by what is happening in Gaza.
Civilian deaths should be fully investigated, he says.
Badenoch runs though an end of term scorecard for the government (ahead of the recess).
The economy is contracting, inflation highest in the G7, unemployment up every month under this government, spending out of control, borrowing costs more expensive than Greece. And this is just the first year.
The Labour party should be ashamed of what it is doing to the country.
She says Labour MPs will have to explain this to their constiuents.
And Starmer says Labour MPs will be happy to defend their record. Labour are just getting started, he says.
Badenoch says Starmer has a special law affecting his pension (which is true, from his time as DPP). She says the budget is months away. The markets may not wait, and the cost off borrowing for the government may rise over the summer.
Starmer says the Tories left a terrible mess. Their chair (actually Rachel Maclean, the strategy director) said they should stop apologising. But we have not heard an apology, he says.
Badenoch says the government is considering taxing pension contributions. Would that be a tax on working people?
Starmer says he is not going to write the buget in advance. Business confidence is at a nine-year high, he says.
Badenoch says Darren Jones suggested working people were people with a payslip. Does that mean the self-employed are going to be hit?
Starmer accuses Badenoch off cherry picking.
