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Live Reporting
Edited by Sam Hancock and Jamie Whitehead, with political correspondent Jack Fenwick
Starmer pushed on UK's response to Middle East conflictpublished at 15:06 GMT
Next up, Labour MP Bill Esterson says Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production in the Middle East has been "severely damaged" during the war. He also says this could have a "profound effect" on prices beyond the end of June, and ask What the government's doing to deal with that.
Starmer says he is "looking at what support can be put in", and that "all the appropriate levers" are being examined. But he adds that it is "a little bit early to be too concrete".
Tan Dhesi, also a Labour MP, then asks about reports suggesting the US is "significantly ramping up" its military presence around Iran. Dhesi says the UK's deployment response to the war was embarrassing, and asks if Starmer felt embarrassed.
Starmer pushes back, saying assets had been pre-deployed to the region before the conflict began. Referring specifically to HMS Dragon, the PM says it normally takes six weeks "for the loading onto and deployment of relevant capability".
The PM also says the UK has embedded airspace battle management specialists into the region and is working with the industry to distribute air defence missiles to Britain's Gulf partners. UK defence, he goes on, is "constantly" assessed, and military and intelligence services are "working 24/7" to keep the UK and its citizens safe.
Iran war 'could go on for some time' - PMpublished at 14:50 GMT
Labour MP Liam Byrne asks the first Iran-related question - specifically he wants to know when Starmer believes the conflict will end.
The prime minister says he wants the war to stop as quickly as possible, and that he welcomes reported talks between the US and Iran that Donald Trump hailed as productive on Sunday. Starmer adds that the UK was aware of these discussions.
Asked about the impact of the war on businesses, and how far ahead they should plan for the war to continue, Starmer acknowledges that the war "could go on for some time". He says he's told his team not to fall into the "false comfort" that there could be a "quick and early end".
On energy bills specifically, Starmer says the government doesn't have concerns over energy supplies, and reiterates energy bills will be cut and held until the end of June. He also says the government has been working to ensure nobody is "profiteering" from the conflict, and will be considering a wider set of measures for the economy at a Cobra meeting scheduled for later.
- We have a separate live page taking in updates on the Iran war - you can follow that here
Starmer makes brief statement about arson attack on Jewish charity ambulancespublished at 14:41 GMT
Before taking questions, Keir Starmer makes a short statement about the arson attack on ambulances belonging to a Jewish community charity in north London.
The PM expresses his "disgust" at the "horrific" attack, which took place in the early hours of Monday.
He says the ambulances will be temporarily replaced by Tuesday, and that the NHS will then provide a permanent replacement. Starmer adds that "the rise of antisemitic hatred is there for all to see".
- We have a separate live page taking in updates on the arson attack, which is being investigated by counter-terrorism police - you can follow that here
Watch live: Starmer's Liaison Committee session beginspublished at 14:32 GMT
Breaking
The PM is in his seat, and this afternoon's session is under way.
You can watch live at the top of the page as the PM faces questions for the next 90 minutes or so, and we'll bring you all the key lines from his responses here.
Middle East, energy prices, Trump - Starmer faces questions on an array of issuespublished at 14:32 GMT
Jack Fenwick
Political correspondentWe can expect the prime minister to be grilled on various things related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East during this hearing.
The chair of the Defence Committee will likely ask Keir Starmer about the UK’s involvement in the conflict - and whether Iran is capable of firing a ballistic missile at the UK.
Ministers keep saying that the UK will not get dragged further in and will only take part in what they call “defensive operations”, but the government hasn’t been clear about the distinction between defensive and offensive - expect that to come up.
The chair of the Energy Security committee will also be involved in today’s session. There is widespread worry around Westminster about the increasing price of petrol - and what could happen to household energy bills after the energy price cap expires in July.
Senior ministers will meet later to discuss that, so let’s see if Starmer gives any suggestion about what support the government is considering.
And then there’s Donald Trump. The foreign affairs committee chair isn’t at today’s hearing as she’s on parliamentary trip to Greenland - but the prime minister’s relationship with the US president will surely come up anyway.
Before the session, Starmer says he's looking at ways to deal with price rises caused by warpublished at 14:21 GMT
Keir Starmer says he's looking at "every lever that's available to government" to deal with cost of living pressures caused by the Iran war.
After facing the Liaison Committee, Starmer is due to chair an emergency "Cobra" committee, which will be attended by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and senior ministers.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook says a "range of options" are being assessed, telling the BBC this would include on the issue of "profiteering that we're potentially seeing from fuel retailers".
Ministers will also discuss the impact on business and supply chains, alongside the international response to the conflict in the Middle East.
Starmer earlier told broadcasters: "I am asking for every lever that's available to the government to deal with the cost of living to be discussed at Cobra, hence we've got the Bank of England and others there."
- There's more on the Cobra meeting - which will also be attended by Chancellor Rachel Reeves - in our news story
The panel questioning the PMpublished at 14:16 GMT
Image caption,
Image source, UK Parliament/PAThe Liaison Committee is chaired by Dame Meg Hillier, a Labour MP
Here are the MPs who'll sit alongside Hillier - as well as the Commons committees they chair:
- Debbie Abrahams (Labour MP) - Work and Pensions
- Liam Byrne (Labour MP) - Business and Trade
- Sarah Champion (Labour MP) - International Development
- Tan Dhesi (Labour MP) - Defence
- Bill Esterson (Labour MP) - Energy Security and Net Zero
- Patricia Ferguson (Labour MP) - Scottish Affairs
- Sir Bernard Jenkin (Conservative MP) - Statutory Instruments
- Dame Chi Onwurah - Science, Innovation and Technology
- Andy Slaughter (Labour MP) - Justice
- Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat MP) - Petitions
Starmer to face MPs on Liaison Committee - watch and follow livepublished at 14:06 GMT
Image source, Getty ImagesThe conflict in the Middle East, welfare support, and fuel supplies are all themes that could come up this afternoon when Prime Minister Keir Starmer takes questions from the Liaison Committee.
The committee, made up of senior MPs, usually meets three times a year to question the PM on government policy.
Unlike PMQs where Starmer faces quickfire questions, these sessions see the prime minister pushed for more detail in various policy areas - Parliament announced last week that questions would largely focus around the "international situation and defence".
Chaired by Dame Meg Hillier, Labour MP for Hackney and South Shoreditch, the panel is made up of 11 heads of other House of Commons committees, all of them experts on topics ranging from international development to energy security and net zero.
When the panel begins to fire questions at the prime minister in a little under half an hour's time, we'll bring you the key lines and analysis. You can also watch live at the top of the page.
