Sunak claims defence spending plan won’t affect government’s ability to keep cutting taxes
At the press conference the opening statements are over, and Rishi Sunak and Olaf Scholz are now taking questions.
Q: [To Sunak] Are you really being honest with people about the funding of your defence spending plan?
Sunak does not accept he is misleading people.
He says the government will reduce the size of the civil service.
The government is making a choice, he says.
He thinks it is important for Britain to stand up for its values.
He says this announcement is consistent with the government’s ability to “keep cutting taxes”.
He mentions tax cuts already announced, but he seems to be hinting that the defence spending announcement does not mean that further tax cuts won’t be included in the Tory election manifesto.
Key events
Q: Why won’t you deliver cruise missiles to Ukraine?
Scholz says Germany has sent missiles to Ukraine. But he is clear about his decision not to send cruise missiles.
Q: What is going to have to go to allow you to prioritise defence spending? Are more tax cuts off the table? And can you rule out further cuts to public services?
Sunak says the government has record investment in the public services, including the NHS. That is not going to change, he says.
The state pension is going up, he says.
But he says he has made a choice.
He says he will not write the next manifesto now. But he has a funded plan to increase defence spending. And, alongside that, he can “continue to invest in public services and cut people’s taxes”, he says.
This firms up what Sunak was saying earlier. See 12.53pm.
Sunak seems to be saying the defence spending announcement does not mean he is ruling out promising tax cuts in the Tory election manifesto.
Sunak praises Germany’s record on support for Ukraine. But he says every country can bring something different to the table.
On Nato defence spending generally, he says it is clear the world is becoming more dangerous. The UK recognises that it has to do more.
Germany has raised its defence spending. The UK is putting its defence spend up to 2.5%. Other European countries are doing the same. This is an “inflection point”, he says.
Q: [To Scholz] Are you convinced that Donald Trump is committed to Nato?
Rishi Sunak says US administrations have often said Nato countries should increase defence spending. That is now happening.
Scholz does not refer to Trump, but he defends Germany’s record on defence spending, which is rising.
Sunak claims defence spending plan won’t affect government’s ability to keep cutting taxes
At the press conference the opening statements are over, and Rishi Sunak and Olaf Scholz are now taking questions.
Q: [To Sunak] Are you really being honest with people about the funding of your defence spending plan?
Sunak does not accept he is misleading people.
He says the government will reduce the size of the civil service.
The government is making a choice, he says.
He thinks it is important for Britain to stand up for its values.
He says this announcement is consistent with the government’s ability to “keep cutting taxes”.
He mentions tax cuts already announced, but he seems to be hinting that the defence spending announcement does not mean that further tax cuts won’t be included in the Tory election manifesto.
PMQs – snap verdict
PMQs is has finished, and the press conference in Berlin is just starting.
We should have a live feed at the top of the blog soon.
As for PMQs? Very snap verdict – Angela Rayner has not been taken down by “housegate”, and she is still functioning effectively as an attack machine. It wasn’t her best performance, and if the best line she can come up with about Rishi Sunak is that he is a “pint-sized loser”, she really needs to try harder. Surely it’s time to abandon jibes about height. But she dealt with the attacks on her housing arrangements fairly effectively. She raised the issue before he did, and used it as a pivot into a question about the renters (reform) bill, where Dowden ended up giving a thin defence of legislation that does not do what it is meant to do. Rayner said:
I know this party opposite is desperate to talk about my living arrangements, but the public want to know what this government is going to do about theirs.
And she was right.
Chi Onwurah (Lab) says a constituent who gets the carer’s allowance made a mistake, and now faces a bill for £4,000. But the science secretary, Michelle Donelan, works as a part-time woke detector. She made a mistake, and cost the taxpayer tens of thousands, but has not had to pay that back. Why?
Dowden ignores the Donelan part of the question, but says the DWP should look into cases where mistakes have been made.
John Baron (Con) welcomes the extra money going on defence. But he says some of the funding should go on wages to help with recruitment.
Dowden says the government is putting the money in to allow the army to deal with the challenges the country faces. He says recruitment is going up.
Sally-Ann Hart (Con) asks about her local Labour council.
There has been a lot of that today. The local elections are a week tomorrow.
Dowden claims there are serious concerns about Labour councillors in Hastings.
Jeff Smith (Lab) says Dowden said earlier that Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt restored economic stability. Who does he think caused the instability?
This causes widespread laughter, and even Dowden seems to see the funny side. He ignores the question and says, when the Tories took office, Labour left a note saying there was no money left.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, asks about shoplifting in his constituency, and he mentions particular problems being faced by a Boots store. This is not a petty crime, he says. The government should take this more seriously.
Dowden claims the government is already taking this seriously.
Matt Western (Lab) asks about the Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen. He says Houchen has given away assets that should have belonged to the community to businessmen via his Teesworks development programme.
Dowden says Houchen has never imposed a precept on local taxpayers as mayor.
Sarah Jones (Lab) says Susan Hall, the Tory candidate for London mayor, has endorsed Islamaphobic tropes on social media, defended Enoch Powell and said black communities have a problem with crime. Can Dowden really support her?
Dowden ignores the points Jones raised, and attacks Sadiq Khan’s record on crime.
Virginia Crosbie (Con) asks if the government will support a third bridge to Anglesey, her constituency.
Dowden criticises the Welsh government for not prioritising new roads.
Dowden criticises SNP’s Mhairi Black for comparing Israel to Russia as she asks why MPs not outraged by mass graves in Gaza
Mhairi Black, the deputy leader of the SNP, says when mass graves were discovered in Ukraine, the Commons was united in condemndation. Yesterday Palestinian officials uncovered two mass graves outside the bombed hosptials in Gaza. This is also a war crime, isn’t it?
Dowden says the government expects Israel to investigate allegations of misconduct, and that is what it is doing. But he says he is surprised Black is comparing Israel to Russia.
Black says the mere suspicion of war crimes should be enough for arms sales to be suspended.
Dowden says Israel is investigating these deaths. And he says the government recently considered the case for arms sales to Israel, and decided they could continue.
Rayner says both parties want defence spending to go up to 2.5%. But it is the Tories who have cut the size of the army to its smallest size since the Napoleon era.
She refers to reports claiming Dowden is recommending an early election to minimise Tory loses. When Dowden ditched Boris Johnson, did he realise the party was getting rid of its best election winner for a “pint-sized loser”.
Dowden ends with another jibe at Rayner’s housing arrangements.
Rayner says, unlike Dowden, she thinks housing is an issue for people. She says Tory councils have also faced bankruptcy proceedings.
People are at risk of losing their homes because of Liz Truss’s mini budget. But Truss says it was her proudest moment. Since she won’t apologise, will Dowden?
Dowden says the PM and the chancellor have brought inflation down. And they have promised the biggest increase in defence spending for a generation. Labour won’t say if it will match it. Rayner voted to scrap Trident, she says.