Starmer admitting Tories ‘were right all along’ on Waspi women, says Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch says for years cabinet minsters played politics with Waspi women. Now they are admitting “that we were right all along”.
And, turning to another group of pensioners, she asks how many have applied for pension credit.
Starmer says the government has been driving up eligibility for pension credit.
And, because it stablised the economy, the government has been able to keep the triple lock. The shadow cabinet called it unsustainable.
Key events
Luke Evans (Con) asks if he welcomes the fact that Chris Middleton’s charity song about the winter fuel payment cut will beat Ed Davey’s song in the contest for Christmas number one, proving the Lib Dems can never win.
Starmer says he is not going to adjudicate between rival songs.
Will Forster (Lib Dem) asks if there will be an independent review into the circumstances that allowed Sara Sharif to be murdered.
Starmer says it is important to learn any lessons, particularly in relation to home schooling. There is a process going on, he says. He says an announcement will be made in due course.
Diane Abbott (Lab) says “we” promised the Waspi women they would get justice. Does Starmer understand why they feel let down?
Starmer says of course he understands. But 90% of women knew their pension age was going up. He says, in the circumstances, he cannot justify spending money on compensation.
Richard Foord (Lib Dem) says Russia may use any ceasefire in Ukraine as an example to re-arm. What will the government do to stop this if there is a ceasefire.
Starmer says the UK will continue to support Ukraine, putting it in “the strongest possible”, whether there are negotiations or not.
Dave Doogan (SNP) says the Waspi women decision is another example of Starmer saying one thing and doing another. Does he understand why the people of Scotland now view him with such contempt?
Starmer says the SNP are now sitting at the back of the chamber, because they lost so many MPs at the election (a line he has used several times before in response to SNP criticism).
Jack Rankin, the Conservative MP for Windsor, asks if the government will block the attempt by Windsor and Maidenhead council to raise council tax by 25%.
Starmer says Rankin is right to raise this (implying that the government would oppose a council tax rise of this kind – although he does not say this). He says local government has had a good settlement.
Jo White (Lab) asks what is being done to tackle the nuisance caused by off-road bikes.
Starmer says this problem got out of control under the last government. He says he is giving the police new powers to deal with this.
Jodie Gosling (Lab) asks about children in care, and refers to a case where a child was moved nine times. Will the government ensure that children get consistent care?
Starmer says the children’s wellbeing bill will put children’s interests at the heart of government policy.
Ian Byrne (independent) asks is MPs will get a vote on not paying compensation to Waspi women.
Starmer says he has set out the financial situation. He says the last government had 14 years to pay compensation, but didn’t.
Blake Stephenson (Con) says his local train services are underperforming. He asks if this is because the government gave train drivers a pay rise without demanding anything in return.
Starmer says the last government left the trains in an appalling state.
Starmer confirms government giving councils in England almost £1bn to tackle homelessness
Kirith Entwistle (Lab) asks about what the government is doing to tackle homelessness.
Starmer says the government is giving councils almost £1bn to help them tackle homlesness.
This is something announced earlier today by the government. It says:
More people will be prevented from becoming homeless with the largest-ever investment in homelessness prevention services, thanks to swift government action to get the country back on track to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.
Nearly £1 billion is being pumped into council budgets to help break the cycle of spiralling homelessness. More resources will be available for workers on the frontline who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing as well as seeing more homeless families out of temporary accommodation.
Councils will now be better equipped to step in early to stop households becoming homeless in the first place. This includes mediation with landlords or families to prevent evictions, help find new homes, and deposits to access private renting.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, asks if Starmer will back the young carers chair. Will he support this, and giving young people more access to music generally.
Starmer praises the project, and jokes about Davey singing his Christmas single outside No 10. There are meant to be laws about anti-social behaviour, he says.
Badenoch says Starmer is about to give away our hard-won Brexit freedoms. She says Labour is punching the British people in the face, in one case literally. Will the PM tell the truth?
Starmer says he will do that now. The Tories left a £22bn black hole in the accounts, he says. He says Labour is getting on with the job, with record funding for the NHS, money for trains and buses, and potholes, and a higher minimum wage.
Badenoch says the Tories voted yesterday to exempt hospices from the “jobs tax”, the national insurance increase. Will the government exempt them?
Starmer says the government will announce funding plans for hospices in the new year.
He says Badenoch wants all the advantages of the budget, but none of the disadvantages.
Badenoch claims that Starmer needs to misrepresent her to make his point. She does not need to do that to talk about him.
Did the chancellor tell him about the impact of the national insurance cut on charities?
Starmer says Badenoch is defending the winter fuel payment. But he says she used to say some people did not need it.