🔴 PMQs LIVE: Prime Minister's Questions - 18 June 2025

Before we come to Prime Minister's questions, can I welcome to the gallery the Speaker of Takistan, and we now come to questions, Adrian Ramsey. Question number one, Mr. Speaker. Deputy Prime Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been asked to reply. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been attending the G7 summit in Canada. In an era of global instability, we are working with our partners to urge de-escalation in the Middle East, put pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire, and deliver security renewal for the British people. The Air India plane crash last week was devastating. Our thoughts and condolences are with everyone affected by this awful incident, and we are working closely with the Indian authorities to support those in need. Nine years ago, we lost our beloved friend and colleague, Jo Cox, who is a beacon of positivity and courage, and her legacy lives on. I must also take this opportunity to also remember Sir David Amess, much missed by the whole of the House. This Sunday marks Windrush Day. We celebrate the extraordinary contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants to our country. This morning, I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today. Adrian Ramsey Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given the strong consensus across this House on the importance of de-escalation in the deeply worrying conflict between Israel and Iran, does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that the actions of this House must match its words? And will she therefore commit that before any further military support is given to the Israeli Government, whether that's the potential deployment of the RAF jets or deployment of armed forces, that her Government will first give MPs in this House a free vote? The Deputy Prime Minister Mr Speaker, the situation in the Middle East is fast-moving and deeply concerning. There is a clear potential for significant and rapid worsening of the situation, and every step that we take we will always be guided by the safety of British nationals and the UK national interest. That's why we've deployed jets to the region so that contingency support is in place for our armed forces personnel, and it's why we're asking British nationals to register their presence, and we'll keep all advice under review. Olivia Bailey Thank you, Mr Speaker. Too many of my constituents are stuck in unsuitable housing, and after 14 years of inaction from the party opposite, local families are being split up because there are not enough affordable homes. Can I welcome this Government's plans to turbocharge the delivery of social and affordable housing, including through the new National Housing Bank, and ask my right hon. Friend to confirm that this Government will finally give my constituents the security that they deserve? The Deputy Prime Minister Well, Mr Speaker, she's absolutely right to talk about the 14 years of failure by the Conservatives. Labour's turning the tide on the housing crisis, and I'm proud to announce today our commitment to establish a new publicly owned National Housing Bank, backed by £16 billion of new finance. This includes £2.5 billion in low-interest loans for social housing to help achieve the biggest uplift to social and affordable housing in a generation. Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Wilks Thank you, Mr Speaker. I associate myself with the Deputy Prime Minister's remarks about the tragic air crash in India, and of course what she said about our dear colleagues Joe Cox and Sir David Amess. I also join her in calling for de-escalation between Israel and Iran, while noting everything possible must be done to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon. Yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition and I met with survivors and family members of the rape gang scandal – Fiona, Theresa, Lucia and Marlon. They told us how authorities deliberately covered up the systematic rape of young girls and some boys by gangs of predominantly Pakistani heritage men. They covered it up because they cared more about so-called community relations than about protecting vulnerable girls. That is disgusting. The survivors told us they will only have confidence in an inquiry if it is independently led, has full statutory powers, covers all 50 towns affected, including Bradford, if those who covered this up are prosecuted, if foreign perpetrators are all deported, if survivors are closely involved, and if it is set up before the summer recess. Can the Deputy Prime Minister give the survivors and their families those assurances? Well, Mr Speaker, first of all, can I thank him for his toll and putting the survivors and victims at the heart of this question here today. I think it's absolutely right that we all look at what's happened over the last couple of decades, the countless reports that we've had, and we look to implement that. He's absolutely right to also talk about the confidence people must have in that independent inquiry, and my friend the Shadow Home Secretary spoke about that earlier this week in regards to Baroness Casey's report. So we will take that forward at speed, Mr Speaker. It will be independent, it will have statutory powers, and we will implement the Jay report, which he would have known about as the Shadow Minister in charge at the time, and we'll get on with taking the action. I hope members of his party will take his toll in making sure the whole House put the victims first and we all work together to get to the bottom of this bill. Well I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for her answer. It is vital that scandals like this are never again covered up because of the racial background of perpetrators. And Baroness Casey's report said, people who downplay the ethnic dimension are letting victims down, to use her words. So I do have to raise the language the Prime Minister used in January when he, I'm afraid to say, smeared campaigners as jumping on quotes, a far-right bandwagon, simply for calling for the very inquiry he has now been forced to set up. Standing up for rape victims is not far right. So will the Deputy Prime Minister apologise for what the Prime Minister said? Well I say Mr Speaker that the Prime Minister did not just raise issues but acted on them. He brought the first prosecutions against screaming gangs, called for action to address ethnicity issues in 2012. And the Honourable Member will know that the data that the previous Government collected was inaccurate and not complete. And Casey recognised this and it's one of the recommendations that we will be taking forward. The Prime Minister made those comments specifically about Tory Ministers who sat for years in the Government and did absolutely nothing about this scandal. Smearing campaigners, standing up for rape victims as far right is completely unacceptable and the Prime Minister should never have said that. And I commend his predecessor, the Member for Richmond, for the grooming gangs taskforce he set up which led to 550 arrests in its first year. Now Baroness Casey's report also said that a significant number of rape gang perpetrators were non-UK nationals or were asylum seekers, many of whom entered the country illegally. And we know of course that most illegal immigrants crossing the Channel are young men, contrary to what the Shadow Chief Secretary said last week. So does the Deputy Prime Minister now accept that the small boats crisis is a crisis of public safety as well as a border crisis? Deputy Prime Minister. Well Mr Speaker, this is a very serious issue and more needs to be done. Let me update the House. Working with our allies, we've carried out a series of major arrests to tackle smuggling gangs behind this vile trade. In the past month, a ringleader that smuggled almost 4,000 migrants has been jailed for 25 years. We could go further thanks to the law enforcement agreements we struck with Germany, Italy, Serbia and the Balkan states. In stark contrast to the Honourable Gentleman, he was the man at the heart of the Home Office when immigration soared, we lost control of our borders and spent £700 million of taxpayers' money on persuading just four volunteers to be removed from Rwanda. I take no lectures. If she wants to find out who's lost control of our borders, I suggest she looks to her immediate right. Because ever since the Home Secretary scrapped the Rwanda deterrent before it even started, illegal immigration across the Channel has gone up by over 30%. And so far this year, 2025 has been the worst year in history for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel. That is on her watch. That is down to her Government. The Prime Minister is now planning crisis talks with President Macron, finally admitting in his own words that the situation is deteriorating. The Government's laughable plan to smash the gangs lies in tatters. So will she now, at last, accept that we need a removals deterrent so every single illegal immigrant arriving on these shores is immediately removed? Will she commit to that, yes or no? If they want to argue that 40,000 arrivals since 24 July are down to the scrapping of the Rwanda scheme, they need to explain why there were more than 43,000 arrivals in the same period, starting in July 22, when the Rwanda agreement was in place. It's absolute rubbish, Mr Speaker. They lost control of our borders. We're getting control of our borders. He needs to apologise. I don't see how she has the brass neck to claim she's got it under control. When the numbers crossing the Channel this year are the highest in history. She asked about the Rwanda deterrent. I'll repeat, she obviously wasn't listening to what I said earlier. The Rwanda scheme never started. And when—indeed, illegal immigrants in Calais said they were— Order! Order! Mr Speaker, I want to hear the question, and I'm sure our constituents want to hear the question and the answer. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Rwanda scheme never started. Illegal immigrants in Calais were saying before the election how much they wanted the Prime Minister to get elected because he would help them get here. When Australia started a similar scheme about 10 years ago, it worked within a few months. Now, Mr Speaker, as a consequence of the Government losing control, they are now accommodating growing numbers of illegal immigrants, many of whom cross the Channel, in asylum hotels and flats. The Home Office's suppliers are now actively offering above-market deals to landlords to get hold of their properties to be used for illegal immigrants. In the meantime, hard-pressed young people here are unable to rent or buy. So why is this Government prioritising housing for illegal immigrants above housing for our young people? So again, Mr Speaker, I gently say to the right hon. Member opposite that under their watch, immigration increased fourfold until it reached almost a million in a single year. They also created the backlog—400 hotels, which we have reduced to just over 200 hotels in the first 12 months of us being in Government. One million pounds a day spiffed up the wall because they were so incompetent. We are building the homes that they have failed to deliver over 14 years of consecutive failure by their Government. They should apologise while we get on with the job of rebuilding Britain. Goodness me, she has got a cheek. Housing started in quarter four last year and went down. Her mission to rebuild Britain is not going very well. She talks about asylum hotels but she obviously has not looked at the most recent numbers. The number of people in asylum hotels was higher in March this year than it was at the time of the last election, and she gave no answer about the priority being given to illegal immigrants over people living here already. A Zimbabwean paedophile due for deportation was recently allowed to stay in the UK because a court found he might face some hostility back in Zimbabwe, apparently breaching his article 3 rights. What about the rights of children here to be protected from this dangerous paedophile? Who is looking out for their rights, not the Government? There are thousands of cases like this involving foreign criminals, so there is a solution. We need to scrap the Human Rights Act for immigration matters so that this sovereign Parliament decides on the law our courts apply, but her party voted against that. I have a simple question. Why did the Government side with foreign criminals and not the British public? Again, they had 14 years of failure on these issues. We also include 4,500 foreign national offenders who have been deported since we came into office—more than they did in the same period. I take no lectures from the Johnny-come-lately, who could not do anything when he was in office. And Elise Midgley. Last Saturday marked eight years since Grenfell, eight years fighting for justice. The Hillsborough families, including Margaret Aspinall from Hyton, have campaigned for 36 years for the Hillsborough law—decades. Can the Deputy Prime Minister tell me today whether this Labour Government will bring forward the Hillsborough law without delay? Will it honour the promises made to victims of state cover-ups, and will it finally deliver justice for the 97? I thank my hon. Friend for her question and for the work of campaigners such as Margaret in their fight for justice and for mentioning Grenfell, which, of course, with the eighth anniversary was not so long ago. We remain fully committed to bringing in a Hillsborough law. The state has failed victims and their families too many times in the past, and that is precisely why our focus is now on getting the legislation right. I can assure her that measures will be brought forward as soon as we are confident that they will deliver the justice victims deserve, and we want to do this at pace. Desi Cooper, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. Thank you, Mr Speaker. On behalf of my party, may I associate myself with the Deputy Prime Minister's remarks about the Air India crash? In a week when we remember the murder of Joe Cox and David Amiss, our party's thoughts are with their friends and families and all those in this House who lost their beloved friends. We also remember those who died in the Grenfell tragedy. In 2003, we Liberal Democrats were incredibly proud to lead the campaign against the Iraq war, a war in which the UK blindly followed the US in a move which was not backed by the United Nations. In light of reports that President Trump is seriously considering joining the war between Israel and Iran, launching a US strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, can the Deputy Prime Minister confirm that if President Trump does do this, that today's Labour government will not blindly follow the US into war again? Well, Mr Speaker, the one thing I will say is that we agree with President Trump that Iran must never have nuclear weapons. But we've been consistent in urging Iran to engage in the diplomatic process and work with the United States, and we continue to support that diplomatic approach. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm grateful to the Deputy Prime Minister and we support those efforts. Today, the government is set to unveil its plans to cut personal independence payments and carers allowance, a prospect which one of my constituents described as terrifying. Liberal Democrat analysis of the government's own data suggests that 1.3 million disabled people are at risk of losing some support. So can the Deputy Prime Minister honestly say, hand on heart, that this is the change that 1 million disabled people and their carers were promised? Well, Mr Speaker, Labour is a party of work and also the party of fairness and social justice. We've announced a plan to get Britain working again and we're clear on the principles, Mr Speaker, and I want to be clear on that. Those who want to work should be able to work and those who can never work should be protected. The current system we've inherited doesn't support those that need that support and also doesn't allow and enable those to get opportunities for employment. I have personal experience of it, I know what the Honourable Lady is saying, I know how some people are fearful of the changes, but this Labour government put its values into place and will ensure that people are supported into it where they can and where they can't, they are supported. We are the party of the welfare state, Mr Speaker, we set it up back after the Second World War and we believe it should be there for people who need it, but we should also help people into work. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Mr Deputy Speaker, I welcome the... Mr Speaker, there's too many deputies in the place today. Mr Speaker, I welcome the government's announcement on grooming gangs. I'm sorry for stumbling, I've been floored by the point scoring that's going on around them, on all sides. I wonder if the Deputy Prime Minister is aware that the victims and survivors of grooming gangs are being denied compensation by the Criminal Injuries Agency on bizarre technicalities. They also deny all children of online abuse compensation. For me, this is a grave injustice and they think they're better than the judge and jury, so I wonder what the Deputy Prime Minister plans to do, because personally I think they should be abolished. Deputy Prime Minister. Well Mr Speaker, my Honourable Friend is a long-standing advocate for child protection and I pay tribute to her campaigning on these issues. We share her determination to do what is right for the victims and the survivors and we recognise that no sum of money can ever fully compensate for the horrors that they've experienced, and we are committed to funding efforts to tackle child sexual abuse in the future and support survivors to rebuild in their lives, and that's why we'll make it easier for victims to make personal injury claims through the civil courts by removing the three-year time limit, and we're redoubling funding for therapeutic support services. Garland Denny. Mr Speaker, this week is Refugee Week, an opportunity for this House to show solidarity with those fleeing war, persecution and oppression. Compassion and welcome are core British values, but for decades the Home Office has been undermining those values, as my new report No Way Home shows, by treating migration as a crime rather than making it work for our communities and for newcomers. So will the Deputy Prime Minister read the report and consider its recommendation to remove migration from the responsibilities of the failing Home Office? Deputy Prime Minister. Well Mr Speaker, I'll commit to reading the Honourable Lady's report because I think it's important we take on information on these issues. We inherited the asylum system under exceptional strain, which cost up to £9 million per day, and we'll end the use of hotels through suitable self-sufficient accommodation for asylum seekers, minimising the impact on local communities, and we'll protect and support asylum seekers when demonstrating value for the taxpayers. Jodie Gosley. Thank you Mr Speaker. On the 1st of July, Warwickshire County Council will permanently remove one of Nuneaton's two fire engines. Their decision is based on dubious data that does not accurately represent the current risk to residents, without accounting for local factors such as high deprivation. The cuts will put Nuneaton's lives in danger. Will the Deputy Prime Minister please look into this matter to confirm there has been sufficient scrutiny and a thorough risk analysis to ensure safety for the good residents of Nuneaton? Deputy Prime Minister. Well I thank my Honourable Friend for raising this important issue, and I know that the Fire Minister would be happy to discuss this further, and I'm committed to ensuring fire and rescue services across the country have the resources that they need to keep communities safe. The deployment of fire engines though is decided locally, so this really is a question for Warwickshire County Council, now led by Reform, so the Member for Clacton should have a word with these county councillors in Nuneaton and get them to explain why Reform are cutting fire services. Mr Speaker, I remember when the Deputy Prime Minister was a fierce critic of austerity and a proud champion for the disabled, but today her government is introducing its £5 billion disability cuts bill which will push another 250,000 people into poverty. Does she agree that everyone has the right to oppose such devastating cuts? So is it the Prime Minister's intention to remove the whip from any Labour MP who does the right thing and votes against these disability cuts? Deputy Prime Minister. Well I gently say to the Honourable Member that we've given, he talked about austerity, we've given the biggest amount of increase to Scotland and I've covered this point in an earlier question Mr Speaker, we're absolutely committed to ending child poverty, we've already introduced free school meals, we're already supporting families, we've given a living wage rise to over millions of workers that need it, we're getting on with the job Mr Speaker of rebuilding Britain. He's had decades of failure under Scotland, they deserve better. Thank you Mr Speaker, Derbyshire's Derwent Valley is the home of the industrial revolution and it is also now a UNESCO world heritage site. That community showed a Victorian sense of purpose which delivered improvements to people's everyday lives. So can my right Honourable Friend set out how the government's £39 billion investment in housing will instil that same drive while maintaining the unique character of the East Midlands only UNESCO world heritage site? Deputy Prime Minister. Well I thank my Honourable Friend for his question, I know he's a champion for regeneration across his constituency and he's working hard to get homes built in his patch for his constituents. Our plan for change will deliver the biggest boost in investment in social and affordable housing in a generation and for the first time in recent memory Mr Speaker we will give providers in his constituency a decade of certainty over the capital funding to build ambitious housing projects that honour Derbyshire's history. I think Timothy. Thank you Mr Speaker. The Home Secretary says we should judge her success in smashing the gangs by whether the number of channel crossings falls but under this government the numbers are up by more than 30%. So by which date should we judge the Home Secretary and if she fails will she be fired? Deputy Prime Minister. Well Mr Speaker they continually vote against the measures that we're taking to smash the gangs. We're getting on with the job Mr Speaker, working internationally to disrupt the abhorrent work of these smugglers and gangs while he harps on from the sideline. He should apologise for their record in government which is abysmal. Mr Speaker since becoming an MP I've received thousands of pieces of casework from constituents who are stuck on social housing waiting lists. I've recently had an email from a woman with severe mobility issues effectively trapped in her front room while she waits and waits for suitable social housing. Even when a home becomes available she'll be forced to compete with other residents because there simply aren't enough affordable options. What will this new funding that recent funding announced by the government mean for my constituent and others like her who have already waited too long for a decent home? Deputy Prime Minister. Well I thank my Honourable Friend Mr Speaker for highlighting the case because it's not an isolated case. We inherited a really dire situation in this far too many people that don't have a safe and secure home that meets their needs. My Right Honourable Friend the Chancellor's announced a record funding almost double the level provided by the previous government who ended up handing back the cash for social and affordable homes and Labour's plan for change renewing our country and investing in Britain's future. When the government quite rightly gives full and unequivocal support to Israel in its bid to end the scourge of Iran's nuclear weapons programme forever will the government also work with our allies to try and convince the Israeli government that it's not in the long-term security interests of Israel to carry on with this policy of illegal settlements in the West Bank which is simply leading to radicalisation and desperation throughout the region. Have not the overwhelming majority of Palestinian people have the right to yearn for peace and security in their own homeland as the Jews yearn for their homeland for 2,000 years? Deputy Prime Minister. Mr Speaker I thank the Father of the House for his important question. Settler violence and expansion in the West Bank is appalling and completely unacceptable. Alongside our allies we have sanctioned individuals responsible for inciting this extremist action but a two-state solution is the only way to bring peace that the Israelis and the Palestinians deserve and this is only achievable if the hostages are released, aid surged in Sagada and the ceasefire is restored and we'll do everything we can to make that happen. Scotty. Thank you Mr Speaker. In Scotland over 10,000 children are stuck in temporary accommodation including many in my constituency of Stirling and Strathallan. Too many families facing soaring rents, long waiting lists and dwindling options. It's just one of so many policy failings that we're all losing count and losing patience as public confidence in the SNP ability to govern collapses. What advice would she have for the Scottish SNP Government as they continue to preside over a chronic failure to invest in the social and affordable housing Scotland so desperately needs? Well my Honourable Friend is right Mr Speaker. Homeless levels are far too high which has a devastating impact on those affected. Under the SNP 10,000 children in Scotland shamefully have no fixed home to call their own. A record high. Our decisions have given Scotland a record settlement and the largest since devolution. We saw in Hamilton Mr Speaker how Scots are fed up with the SNP's excuses. They've been in power for nearly two decades and have nowhere left to hide from their failure. Welsh farmers are taking hit after hit from Tory trade deals to Labour taxes and now on top of that blue tongue restrictions affecting Wales and England will hamper cross-border trade. Over 550 farms on the border and key livestock markets rely on summer trading. Once in a year opportunities like the Royal Welsh Show are crucial and the disruption will be devastating. So will the Deputy Prime Minister commit to working with Welsh Government on a scheme to compensate for the losses? Deputy Prime Minister. Well I gently say to the Honourable Member you don't deliver for Wales by voting against an extra 1.6 billion for public services like I did at the Senate. We will be making sure that we support Wales and support Welsh farmers and we'll continue to do that as a UK Government. Andrew Banks. Thank you Mr Speaker. In the spending review last week the Government backed Peterborough with support for our new pool and sports quarter in the city. This commitment has the power to turn years of campaigning into a reality but that's not all. The Government has also recently approved the business case for our new station and given us new police. So can I ask the Deputy Prime Minister does she agree that this is just the start and that places like Peterborough that were forgotten for too long by the party opposite are now top of this Labour Government's agenda? Well I thank my Honourable Friend for his comments and flagged by the two ladies that have made sure that those things happen. The Chancellor has guaranteed funding to accelerate projects like Peterborough's new sports quarter including Mr Speaker a new Olympic sized swimming pool and I can also confirm today that subject to the business case approval we will provide nearly £48 million of funding for a new city centre quarter and a refurbished eastern station building. Paul Holmes. Recently a small family business in my constituency was burgled by a prolific offender who was serving an eight-month suspended sentence. The man was caught, arrested, charged and appeared at court where he was given another eight-month suspended sentence and released. The business was offered £200 in compensation. Does the Deputy Prime Minister think that's justice served or is this Government now soft on crime and soft on the causes of crime? Well first of all Mr Speaker I'm really sorry to hear about that. Hard-working business people that spend a lot of their time building up a business should expect the full force of the law to protect their property and protect their interests and can I also while I've got the opportunity congratulate the Honourable Member for running Humboldt Valley's very first pub competition this year. I hope I'm going to get an invite but he's absolutely right Mr Speaker to say that we've got to have increased police numbers and making sure they're responsive to people's concerns. We're doing that, his Government let them down. Go Paul. Mr Speaker the past day marked eight years since 72 people lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire. Eight years without justice but finally the prospect of some systemic change following the public inquiry. So I welcome the Government's commitment to barring all the sighted companies from accessing public contracts and its full support to the police investigation to deliver real accountability. Can the Deputy Prime Minister also reassure our community that alongside the Hillsborough law the Government will consider some independent oversight so that victims from the Post Office to Hillsborough to Grenfell know inquiry recommendations will actually lead to real change. Deputy Prime Minister. I thank my Honourable Friend. The Grenfell fire was a national tragedy and we must never forget the 72 lives that were lost and it was an honour to pay my respects at the eighth anniversary at the weekend. We do remain fully committed to introducing the Hillsborough law including a legal duty of candour for public services and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply. I know my Honourable Friend speaks with passion and authority on this as I speak to the Grenfell community. I know this is something that they really want to see happen as quickly as possible and we're exploring reforms to inquiries to get to the truth more quickly and deliver the meaningful change that these victims deserve. Bishop Chaloner School has been helping to educate Bromley pupils for nearly 75 years but it will close its doors in July due to Labour's decision to impose VAT on independent schools. Given the Deputy Prime Minister's well-publicised views on independent schools does she welcome this closure or would she like to apologise to the parents, pupils and staff? Well Mr Speaker, I've said for a long time that the taxpayers of this country shouldn't be subsidising tax breaks for private schools. I welcome all schools that give children a great education but I'm also determined to ensure we've got qualified teachers in every classroom for every child, something their government failed to do. Thank you Mr Speaker. As a trained physics teacher and a former engineering lecturer can I ask the Deputy Prime Minister what this government is doing to help people improve their maths skills after they have left school? I came across an awful case the other day, a 61 year old man who believed he'd counted up 7 billion of government spending when there was really only 27 million. What can we do for people like the leader of Reform UK who evidently can't add up? My Honourable Friend highlights an important fact, Reform's sums simply don't add up. He'll be pleased to know that we're investing £136 million for skills boot camps and I will be sure to send the details to the Honourable Member for Clapton. That completes Deputy Prime Minister's questions, we'll let the front bench change over.