Andy Burnham and Kemi Badenoch clash over oil and gas licences, and public finances, at Prime Minister's Questions - recap of the back and forth
Badenoch began by asking Burnham if the government would overturn Labour's manifesto commitment not to grant new fossil fuel licences
Earlier, the government announced it was approving drilling in the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea - where a licence was granted in 2022, before being delayed in the courts
Accusing Burnham of "dithering" over the decision, the PM says his government fixed what the Conservatives had "messed up"
Badenoch also presses Burnham on UK public sector debt, which has passed £3tn, calling on the PM to cut the welfare bill
The prime minister cites the IMF, which recently praised the UK's efforts to reduce the deficit, and questions how the Conservatives have the "audacity" to "lecture us about how to do a Budget"
The PM also says his government is looking at removing standing charges from gas bills - here's what they are
The prime minister has now entered the Commons and taken his seat on the government benches.
He is set to be grilled shortly by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
You can watch live at the top of this page, and we'll be providing text updates on all the key points.
Chris Mason
Political editor, in the House of Commons
The House of Commons is filling up for Prime Minister’s Questions.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant is currently facing questions about his brief.
It’ll be interesting to hear, in particular, what the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch decides to ask about.
She agrees with the government on the Jackdaw decision, if not its speed - she would have liked it to happen much quicker.
But Andy Burnham could counter he has delivered what the Conservatives failed to.
Could Badenoch instead - or as well - ask questions about inflation and the national debt, also in the news today?
Matt Chorley
Presenter, BBC Radio 5 Live
Image source, House of CommonsDuring the first three sessions of PMQs with Andy Burnham at the dispatch box, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has made repeated appeals for brevity.
But is the PM really any more verbose than his predecessors like Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson?
Armed with a stopwatch for a dive into the archive, I've found that the new prime minister does seem to give fuller, longer answers – by some margin.
The weekly session of PMQs is scheduled to start at midday on Wednesdays when the Commons is sitting, and last for 30 minutes. However it routinely runs for 10, 15, even 20 minutes longer. And that has caused problems.
" Can I just say I admire the prime minister?" Hoyle said during Burnham's first PMQs.
"At least he's answering detailed questions. My problem is I'm not going to get through the list, and both of us will be in trouble with the backbenches when we don't make it."
Chris Mason
Political editor
The decision to grant approval for drilling at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, and the further delay in a decision about the Rosebank oil field, are case studies in the slow-motion awkwardness the UK has collectively had, over years, about energy.
Since becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham has talked about a desire to be "pragmatic" about the North Sea as he puts it, which is why this decision about Jackdaw isn't a surprise.
Jackdaw was first approved four years ago, Rosebank three years ago. But after a legal challenge by environmental campaigners, it was ruled that consent had been granted unlawfully and there needed to be a more detailed assessment of the environmental impact.
Politically, today's decision is considerably easier for the government than the decision on Rosebank.
Most Labour MPs are comfortable endorsing Jackdaw. It is also a project backed by the Conservatives and Reform (who argue a decision should have been taken much sooner) and the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats. The Green Party of England and Wales are opposed.
On Rosebank, though, the argument is much more contentious within the Labour Party.
What we can expect in the coming hours and days is a resumption of all the arguments these projects have already provoked.
Crowds have gathered outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in Westminster to protest the UK government granting consent for gas to be produced from the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.
The demonstration was organised by Fossil Free London, with the group's founder Robin Wells saying the approval "is an outrage and it's basically climate denial".
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, ReutersThe prime minister has just left No 10 Downing Street and will now make the short trip to the House of Commons.
Prime Minister's Questions will kick off at midday.
Image source, ReutersEarlier today the Office for National Statistics estimated UK national debt to have passed £3tn for the first time (debt, however, is slightly lower as a percentage of GDP than a year ago).
The ONS says the government spent £24.5bn more than it took in last month, the highest figure this year and slightly more than September of last year.
UK borrowing this financial year - which began in April - is lower than last year, but remains slightly higher than the government anticipated.
Image source, PA MediaChancellor John Healey will set out Labour's tax and spending plans when he delivers his first Budget on 28 October.
So far he has refused to rule out tax increases after acknowledging government borrowing costs are at "historic highs".
Earlier on Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics said national debt is estimated to have exceeded £3 trillion for the first time - we'll have more on that in the next post.
The government has remained tight lipped about what will be in the Autumn Budget, although the Times reports that Healy will not raise Capital Gains Tax.
The chancellor and Prime Minister Andy Burnham face a difficult balancing act, trying to offer more support to households and meet commitments on defence spending, while also sticking to Labour's manifesto commitments on tax and the government's self-imposed fiscal rules.
Bank bosses have told the BBC they expect Healey to raise taxes on the sector. Further details on the Your First Home scheme, aimed at helping first time buyers in England to purchase a property, are also expected.
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesChancellor John Healey says he wants to avoid an investor exodus from the UK
The prime minister will take to the dispatch box today while the shadow of his first Budget, to be announced by Chancellor John Healey on 28 October, looms large.
This week, as first reported by the Times, the chancellor dismissed calls from some Labour MPs to increase Capital Gains Tax (CGT) - which is imposed on the profit people make when they sell an asset that has increased in value.
Cabinet ministers Wes Streeting and Louise Haigh both previously voiced support for raising CGT before Andy Burnham became PM in July.
Healey is under pressure to find measures to ease the cost of living and fund an increase for defence at his spending review next year.
Meanwhile Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said Labour will not have the "courage" to make the public spending cuts she argues are necessary to bring down debt and fund defence.
Image source, ReutersJackdaw will contribute less than 3% of UK's total gas needs
The government approved gas extraction from the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea on Wednesday morning, a long-awaited decision delayed by legal challenges and drawing criticism from environmental campaigners.
The site was approved by the Conservatives in 2022, and now after final approval could start to supply gas to British homes and businesses "from as early as the end of this month".
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh says it won’t lower energy bills this winter, while the chancellor says a new Energy Wealth Fund will use tax revenue from oil and gas to invest in a "green transition".
Greenpeace says Jackdaw's approval is the wrong decision for bills, energy security and the climate. Zack Polanski, Green Party leader in England and Wales, says the decision is "climate vandalism".
Image source, PA MediaSharp increases in petrol and diesel prices have pushed UK inflation up to 3.5%, news that comes just a week before Chancellor John Healey's first Budget.
The rate of inflation rose to 3.5% in the year to September, from 3.1% in the year to August, marking the third successive increase.
The cost of filling up a vehicle has soared in recent months as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine continue to squeeze global oil supplies.
The inflation figures came as UK government borrowing jumped to its highest level for a year, adding to pressure on Healey as he gears up for the Budget.
Image source, House of CommonsPM Andy Burnham will be quizzed by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at PMQs, hours after the government approved drilling at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.
Badenoch has accused the government of "faffing about" with the decision, while the Greens labelled it "climate vandalism".
Burnham will be taking questions in the House of Commons a week before the government is due to set out its tax and spending plans in the Budget. On Tuesday, Chancellor John Healey dismissed calls from some Labour MPs to increase Capital Gains Tax.
Earlier, the latest figures showed that surging fuel prices had seen the UK inflation rate rise to 3.5% in the year to September - its quickest rate since October 2025.