Five things we learned from PMQs as Starmer scraps fuel duty hike

1. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer told MPs the 5p per litre fuel duty cut introduced by the Conservative government in March 2022 would be extended for the rest of the year – rather than being scrapped in September.
2. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch thanked Starmer for the ‘U-turn’ as she told the Commons: “I welcome some of what the prime minister has said on fuel duty. Yes, it’s still a freeze, but we asked him about this on the 11th of March and the 25th of March, and he said he wasn’t going to do it.”
3. Starmer denied that the Government had lifted sanctions on Russian oil, as Mrs Badenoch accused Labour of “giving money to Russia”. He said new measures are being introduced and two short-term licences to phase in these new sanctions have been issued.
4. The prime minister paid tribute to “one of Manchester’s great heroes moving on after almost a decade”, before naming Pep Guardiola who is reportedly stepping down from his role as Manchester City FC manager – rather than leadership rival Andy Burnham.
5. Starmer also apologised to MPs after mistakenly suggesting the Government had struck a trade deal with Pyongyang. Defending his record on the international stage, he told MPs he had “been negotiating serious trade deals” during his premiership, including with North Korea – rather than South Korea.

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PMQs latest: Starmer confirms plan to scrap fuel duty hike as Badenoch brands watering down Russia oil sanctions ‘insane’