That's all from Prime Minister's Questions for today, where delays to the government's defence investment plan was the main area of opposition scrutiny. Here's what happened:

• Starmer opened PMQs by saying people were "rightly sickened" by Monday's knife attack in Belfast, adding that the "violence and arson that followed are totally unjustified"
• Badenoch said the scenes of disorder there were "deeply, deeply disturbing", adding that "people have a right to be angry... but no one has a right to burn families out of their homes or to burn public property and attack the police"

• The opposition leader then focused her questions on defence - asking why the delayed defence investment plan has not been published yet and accusing Starmer of "dithering"
• Starmer said it would be published before the Nato summit in July and they want to "get this right", accusing the Tories of having cut defence spending while in government and saying Labour is increasing it
• Badenoch asked Starmer if he would raise taxes to pay for it - Starmer did not directly say, but said he would take no lectures from the Conservatives on the economy accusing them of having "crashed" it

• Lib Dem leader Ed Davey also tried to pin Starmer down on how the spending would be funded, asking about possible cuts to the NHS - Starmer wouldn't be drawn on that, saying only he would "take the necessary measures to defend our country"
• Davey also asked about the role of social media platforms in the disorder in Belfast, with Starmer pledging to "crack down on anyone who is fuelling this division"

We're ending our live coverage now - you can follow the latest from Belfast in our other live page here.

Is Labour cutting defence spending by £3.5bn?published at 12:57 BST

12:57 BST

By Ben Chu

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claimed earlier that the government is cutting £3.5bn from defence spending.

This appears to be based on a Sky News report from April that defence chiefs had been asked to find £3.5bn in "efficiency" savings in 2026-27., external

In the June 2025 Spending Review the government committed to increase the defence budget from £62.2bn in 2025-26 to £65.5bn in 2026-27, external, a rise of £3.3bn.

It’s possible for departments to be asked to make some savings relative to what they otherwise would have spent, even as an overall budget rises in cash terms.

The government has committed to take Nato-qualifying defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, external, up from 2.3% in 2024.

Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who also chairs the defence select committee, raises concerns about the current state of the world, from Russia to the US.

Dhesi then asks the PM if he will agree to a 3% GDP spend on defence during the upcoming defence investment plan.

Keir Starmer does not answer directly.

He says Dhesi is right to raise concerns and his government has increased defence spending.

The defence investment plan is going to be set out very soon, and before the Nato summit in July, Starmer says.

Reform MP Richard Tice says "we all condemn" the "appalling violence" in Belfast last night after the "horrific" attack on Monday.

He accuses Starmer of being in "denial" about the "rising despair" in the country over "his failure to stop the boats and related criminality" and to recognise "two-tier policing" and other issues.

His voice rising to a shout as he finishes his remarks, Tice finishes by asking when Starmer will resign as PM.

Starmer says Reform sought to "exploit" the "terrible" case of Henry Nowak.

Now, Starmer says there is a "difficult" situation in Northern Ireland, and Reform seeks to "whip up fear and division".

Henry Nowak case: What happened and why has it caused national outrage?

Image source, House of Commons

PMQs has now ended - we'll bring you a few more updates and a recap shortly.

Ayoub Khan, independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, says that "as a person of colour in this house I'm sure members will agree that I cannot be held accountable for the vile acts of individuals that share my complexion or heritage".

But he says there are some in the chamber "who seek division" and are "causing hardworking, upstanding people to be afraid for their safety because of the colour of their skin".

"Words have consequences", he says, asking what the prime minister will do about those "inciting" and perpetrating violence, and to support the victims following the attack in Belfast.

Starmer says all those involved in the violence will face the "full force of the law".

He says Khan is right to express the fear that is being felt today in Northern Ireland by families who are too scared to go about their business.

"That is exactly what it [violence] does, and why we must all condemn it," he adds.

Chris Mason
Political editor, in the House of Commons

For the second time in a row, Parliament in its most high-profile weekly moment grapples with how to respond to an incident provoking fury on the streets and on social media and which is provoking big questions - including, this week, questions about immigration and integration among other things.

In this instance this week, as the Speaker reminded MPs, there is a live criminal case under way, which constrains public discussion in order to ensure there can be a fair trial for the suspect.

We did hear on camera for the first time from the prime minister since the attack in Belfast and the thuggery which followed.

For the second week in a row, Kemi Badenoch has chosen not to ask questions about the dominating theme in the news - instead pursuing questions about the defence investment plan, which is expected in the coming days.

Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats skirted around the wider issue of what some see as the weaponisation of these issues online.

Gavin Robinson of the Democratic Unionist Party, who will meet the PM this afternoon, did raise the bigger themes being raised by some, including those with a particular focus on Northern Ireland: the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland, the open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and then wider asylum policy, given the alleged attacker had travelled through France and Ireland before arriving in the UK.

Gavin Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, says the attack in Belfast on Monday was "medieval".

The MP for Belfast East says the violence carried out last night in his constituency and other parts of the country is inexcusable.

He asks Starmer if will he meet him to discuss the steps to ensure "our values are enforced", that the rule of law is sustained, and that he protects and closes "the open, porous border between our country and the Irish Republic".

Starmer thanks him and all leaders who have urged calm, adding he is happy to meet him.

"We are all sickened by this attack, but the scenes of violence and disorder have no justification," Starmer adds.

Davey turns his focus to the "horrific scenes" in Belfast.

He says "too many times we see the same pattern" - an "appalling" incident "that makes us all feel immense pain and anger" and then "extremists who exploit that grief and anger".

He says that is "aided and abetted by social media barons" and "divisive algorithms".

Daveys asks whether the PM will "crack down" on platforms like X.

In response, Starmer pledges to "crack down on anyone who is fuelling this division".

He says it is a "difficult situation" in Northern Ireland, adding that local leaders are calling for calm.

"Nobody who is a politician should be whipping up division and hatred," he says.

Image source, House of Commons

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey joins Starmer in his remarks about the "horrific" knife attack in Belfast, and condemns the "disorder" last night.

Returning again to the defence investment plan, Davey says MPs of all sides will be "shocked" to hear reports that the government is considering "slashing the hospital programme to fund the shortfall".

He asks whether Starmer can rule out cuts to NHS budgets to fund defence.

Starmer says he will "take the necessary measures to defend our country" and will also take measures to invest in public services, saying he has done so.

He says he will not take "lectures on austerity" from Davey, who served in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Next, Kemi Badenoch says Starmer is "too weak" to cut welfare, and asks the PM whether his "real legacy will be a bloated welfare state and a weaker armed forces".

Starmer appears angry as he responds, saying the Tories didn't reform welfare or "spend in our armed forces".

The prime minister says he will keep fighting for the people who elected a Labour government, as he says he is "investing in this great nation".

Starmer says growth is up, immigration is down, and NHS waiting lists have been coming down.

Badenoch says her party increased defence spending when Ukraine invaded Russia, but says she wasn't asking Starmer about the Conservative government's record, and was asking instead about tax rises.

She says the prime minister didn't rule out tax rises, "so tax rises are coming".

She says the reason the prime minister is in this "mess" is because he maxed out on spending in his first two budgets.

"Why not just cut welfare?" Badenoch asks.

Starmer responds by saying his party will not take lectures on defence from the Conservatives "after what they did to the armed forces", nor are we going to take lectures on the economy, "which they crashed and we've had to pick up".

There is still no defence investment plan, Badenoch says. She says that Starmer is PM, "at least I think he is", and jokes about calling the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham instead.

Badenoch accuses Starmer of "dithering" because he "doesn't know where the money is coming from". She asks whether he will rule out raising taxes.

Starmer says Badenoch is asking the house to "simply ignore the last 14 years" under the Conservatives, but adds that "you can't forget" all that, given the "damage" he says the Conservatives did to the armed services.

For context: On Thursday 18 June people in Makerfield will be heading to the polls to choose their MP. The by-election was triggered when the Greater Manchester constituency's sitting MP, Labour's Josh Simons, resigned to allow Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to run for Parliament. Fourteen candidates are up for the seat - watch their short manifestos.

Badenoch continues her focus on defence, accusing the PM of cutting spending by £3.5 billion this year. She says there is still no defence investment plan, accusing Labour of being in "total paralysis."

Badenoch says Starmer promised defence would be a central organising principle of his government.

"How can that be the case when he's giving the armed forces less than half of the minimum that they need," she asks.

Starmer hits back by saying he has already increased defence spending, adding that they will spend £270bn in this Parliament.

"We'll take no lectures from them," Starmer says, accusing the Tories of reducing defence spending when last in power.

Image source, House of Commons

Badenoch says two years have been "wasted" waiting for the defence investment plan, saying projects have been put on hold and the UK "is getting weaker with every passing day".

Badenoch asks about reports that the chief of defence staff says the Ministry of Defence needs an extra £28bn. "Will that requirement be met in full?"

In response, Starmer says the government will set out the defence investment plan - a 10-year plan and "the first line-by-line review of defence budgets in 18 years".

He notes that the defence strategic review was published a year ago and says she's wrong to say it's been delayed by two years, adding they are working through the detail to "get this right".

Starmer also says Labour have increased defence spending since being elected, saying the percentage of GDP spent on defence fell under the Tories.

Starmer says he agrees with Badenoch that in relation to both Iran and Ukraine the UK is facing a more volatile world than at any time during their lifetimes.

He goes on to say where defence is concerned the government has taken a number of measures, including increased defence spending, carrying out a strategic review of defence and committing to publishing the defence investment plan before the Nato summit in just a few weeks time.

Kemi Badenoch is on her feet. She thanks Starmer for his statement on Belfast and says the scenes of disorder there were "deeply, deeply disturbing".

A man is in hospital after a brutal attack, she says, and families are "frightened" after a night of violence.

She adds: "People have a right to be angry, I am angry, and people have the right to expect their politicians to secure our borders.

"But no one has a right to burn families out of their homes or to burn public property and attack the police."

Referencing US attacks on Iran last night and the Ukraine war, she asks Starmer to tell MPs whether he will publish the full defence investment plan this week.

For context: The defence investment plan has been repeatedly delayed - it was originally due to be published last autumn. The document will explain how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded over the coming decade.

Image source, House of Commons

Prime Minister Keir Starmer opens PMQs by offering his condolences to the families of those who died in a Royal Navy helicopter crash last week.

Turning to events in Belfast, he says people are "rightly sickened" by the knife attack. His thoughts are with the victim, he says.

"Let me be clear," he says, acts of "violence and arson that followed are totally unjustified", while issuing a call for calm.

Keir Starmer is on his feet, which marks the start of this week's Prime Minister's Questions.

You can watch live at the top of this page, and we'll bring you the key lines and analysis here.

Image source, House of Commons

Image source, Getty Images

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been pictured leaving No 10, as he makes the short journey from Downing Street to the House of Commons for Prime Minister's Questions at 12:00 BST.

We'll be covering the back-and-forth of PMQs right here. You can also watch live at the top of this page.

We don't know what will be raised at PMQs, but here's a recap of some of the political issues this week:

• Yesterday, the government unveiled plans to use national security exemptions to give priority to British companies when awarding defence contracts. It comes as Defence Secretary John Healey is facing pressure to publish the repeatedly delayed defence investment plan
• And today, the government has announced new powers to shut illegal mini-marts, barbers and vape shops for up to a year, following lengthy investigative reporting by BBC News into organised crime on high streets
• On Friday, US Vice President JD Vance blamed the death of murdered teenager Henry Nowak, who was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa last year, on the "mass invasion of migrants". Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said he called Vance to tell him he was "wrong"
• The Liberal Democrats have unveiled a new energy policy which would give all households a basic allowance of energy at a discounted price