PMQs live - Andy Burnham makes new energy bills pledge before hitting back at Donald Trump's Ukraine betrayal

News Politics Andy Burnham Jackdaw drilling delay was 'because the Tories had messed up' - Burnham LIVE Updated 1 min ago PMQs live - Andy Burnham makes new energy bills pledge before hitting back at Donald Trump's Ukraine betrayal The Prime Minister faces MPs at Prime Minister's Questions a week before his Chancellor John Healey will set out his first Budget - this comes as the ONS revealed UK inflation rose by more than expected Add to preferred sources Comments News Elizabeta Ranxburgaj , Alexander Brown Assistant Political Editor and Sophie Huskisson Political Correspondent Updated 14:13, 21 Oct 2026 Andy Burnham has announced he is looking at whether the Government can remove standing charges from gas bills. During Prime Minister's Questions, the PM vowed to do more to bring down energy bills amid the continuing impact of the war in Iran and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Standing charges are a flat daily fee like a telephone line rental which are added to bills regardless of how much energy is used. He told MPs: “I can tell the House today that I have asked the Chancellor and the Energy Secretary to look at whether we can remove standing charges from gas bills and to report back to this House at the earliest opportunity.” Mr Burnham faced MPs in PMQs a week before the Chancellor will set out the maiden Budget of his premiership. John Healey will outline Labour's tax and spending plans on October 28 but has already rejected calls from fellow ministers to hike capital gains tax , which applies to profit made from selling off assets. The PM also defended the Government's earlier announcement that the controversial Jackdaw gas field, in Scotland, has been approved following a long-running legal battle. Mr Burnham told the Commons Jackdaw strengthens the UK's energy security. Follow below for live updates... ‌ New Updates Key Events PM accuses Reform of not taking 'right level of action' in response to 'pol… View Post Burnham shares 'concerns' on Ukraine after 'Elon Musk restricted satellite … View Post PM announces standing charges to be removed View Post Today 14:13 BST Ministers to consider whether standing charges can be removed from gas bills The Prime Minister told the Commons he had asked Chancellor John Healey and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh to examine scrapping the charges and to report back to MPs as soon as possible. He told the Commons: "I can tell the House today that I have asked the Chancellor and the Energy Secretary (Miatta Fahnbulleh) to look at whether we can remove standing charges from gas bills and to report back to this House at the earliest opportunity." Standing charges are a fixed daily fee added to energy bills, regardless of how much gas or electricity a customer uses. The standing charge does not pay for the energy itself, but covers the cost of delivering gas and electricity to homes and businesses – including the cost of essential maintenance and infrastructure upgrades. Comments Elizabeta Ranxburgaj Today 14:04 BST Energy secretary reportedly considers rejecting controversial Rosebank oilfield The energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, is reportedly leaning towards rejecting the Rosebank oilfield, after she approved the smaller Jackdaw gasfield today. Fahnbulleh, speaking to The Guardian , said Jackdaw would help domestically while Rosebank mostly would not. She said: "One is a gasfield that caters for the domestic market, while the other is an oilfield that is mainly for export." The energy secretary is not thought to have made a final decision on Rosebank, in the North Sea. Today's announcement on Jackdaw sparked protests from enviromental activists, who called for Rosebank plans to be rejected. Miatta Fahnbulleh during a visit to Shell UK's St Fergus Gas Terminal in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, today (Image: Paul Reid/Press Association) Activists protesting against Jackdaw and Rosebank outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Image: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock) Comments Elizabeta Ranxburgaj Today 13:51 BST Burnham suggests £108-a-year standing charges on gas bills could be removed Andy Burnham, at PMQs, announced he is looking at whether standing charges from gas bills could be removed to help ease the pressure of spiralling energy costs on families. Standing charges are a flat daily fee which are added to bills even if you don't use any energy that day. Mr Burnham told MPs: "I can tell the House today that I have asked the Chancellor (John Healey) and the Energy Secretary (Miatta Fahnbulleh) to look at whether we can remove standing charges from gas bills and to report back to this House at the earliest opportunity." Under the current energy price cap, average standing charges by Direct Debit are 54.83p per day for electricity and 29.68p per day for gas, costing on average around £200 a year for electricity and about £108 a year for gas. Ofgem says the charges are "used to recover the costs required to provide energy company services, including providing and maintaining the wires, pipes and cables that deliver power to a customer's door, through to the staff and buildings required for the energy business to function". READ THE FULL STORY HERE . Comments Sophie Huskisson Today 13:34 BST Royal Mail needs to improve quickly or face Government measures, warns Burnham Royal Mail has been warned it urgently need to improve its performance or the Government would take "further measures", the PM said. The Prime Minister said the postal service had been "unacceptable for far too long", as it has struggled to meet its targets to deliver letters. This has led to examples of missed medical appointments due to postal delays. Burnham, responding to a question on the Royal Mail in PMQs, said: "Royal Mail's service has been unacceptable for far too long. They have been asked in to see ministers on a regular basis. Ofcom is looking at the situation as well. "Let's be clear, they need to bring forward a plan to restore service standards to the level they need to be at. They need to do it quickly, or we will consider further measures." Last week, the postal workers union called for an emergency summit on Royal Mail's future. The Communication Workers Union warned the organisation was "on the brink of collapse" and its general secretary Dave Ward said the group was a "ticking timebomb". Royal Mail missed its delivery targets in August. The group said it delivered 85% of first-class deliveries the next day and 91.4% of second-class mail within three working days during the first quarter of the year. Under targets set by Ofcom, 90% of first-class mail should be delivered the next day, and 95% of second-class mail should be delivered within three days. Ofcom had lowered the targets in April, but Royal Mail has still not met them. A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our latest published figures show that quality of service is the best it has been for many years." They added: "We know there is more to do and have a clear plan to deliver further improvements." The PM said Royal Mail's service has been 'unacceptable for far too long' (Image: Getty Images) Comments Elizabeta Ranxburgaj Today 13:26 BST PM accuses Reform of not taking 'right level of action' in response to 'politics of poison' exposé Andy Burnham slammed Reform UK following an undercover sting that exposed a series of racist and sexist remarks by Reform politicians. An undercover ITV News investigation captured on camera a councillor describing Asian homeowners as "parasites" while another male councillor, speaking about a feamle candidate, said: "If she was my daughter, it would still be bath night on a Thursday." Burnham was asked about the sting at PMQs and the PM responded by saying the "politics of poision" needed to be rooted out. He said: "It is incumbent on all parties represented in this house to root out the politics of poision which has seeped far too far into our politics, where unacceptable racist and discriminatory comments are made. "The firmest of action should be taken on the back of those revelations. That should unite us all in this house and we're still waiting to see the right level of action from the party opposite." Comments Elizabeta Ranxburgaj Today 13:05 BST Sir Ed Davey heckle amid uncertainty over his leadership Laughs rang across the Commons after Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper was called to ask a question at PMQs. "Behind you, Ed" was quipped as Cooper was called but Davey and his depury leader did not find this funny. This comes after two frontbenchers, Witney MP Charlie Maynard and Mid Sussex MP Alison Bennett, stood down from their roles in the party's leadership. This fuelled speculation around a possible content between Cooper and Davey amid claims of frustrations in the party. Despite this, Cooper at a press conference a few days ago threw her support behind Sir Ed. She said: "Ed is our most successful leader ever in the history of our party. Cooper added: "So not only are we determined to retain the seats that we won at the last general election, but we know that we are going to win more seats at the next general election, and we’ll continue to go from strength to strength." Sir Ed Davey and Daisy Cooper, in September (Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire) Comments Elizabeta Ranxburgaj Today 12:47 BST Laughs in the Commons for James Cleverly The Mirror's Assistant Political Editor here… Widespread laughter in the Commons as James Cleverly asks a question about Andy Burnham increasing Manchester police number as Mayor. The PM mocks his transparent pitch to run for the Tories as London Mayor, and wishes him good luck in finishing second behind Sadiq Khan. James Cleverly quit the shadow cabinet to run as the Tory candidate for London mayor (Image: Gary Roberts/SOPA Images/Shutterstock) Comments Alexander Brown Today 12:41 BST Unexpected support for the PM in the Commons The Mirror's Assistant Political Editor here… After Andy Burnham pushes back on a Green MP over her criticism of Jackdaw, there is muted support from…. the Reform MPs. Danny Krueger claps quietly while Nigel Farage nods enthusiastically. Comments Alexander Brown Today 12:39 BST Burnham shares 'concerns' on Ukraine after 'Elon Musk restricted satellite communications' Andy Burnham said he has "concerns about any move that diminishes the military capability of Ukraine" after the country had its access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications system restricted. He said: "Of course, I have concerns about any move that diminishes the military capability of Ukraine in the position in which it finds itself at this moment in time… But it is a situation that is currently fragile and needs careful handling. There were talks in Oslo yesterday, where the UK Government was represented. "I think at this moment in time, I think we need to handle the situation carefully so that we can bring back all sides to get the support behind President Zelensky and Ukraine, and I can assure him the UK Government is working on every single level to bring that about." Mr Burnham was responding to Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey, who asked: "I understand the Prime Minister's reluctance to criticise the President of the United States, but does he agree that directly aiding Putin in this way is beyond the pale? "And will he work with European allies to prevent Elon Musk getting the licences he wants that would make our continent even more dependent on his satellite system?" Concerns have been raised following allegations that Elon Musk restricted Ukraine's access to Starlink (Image: AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Comments Elizabeta Ranxburgaj Today 12:34 BST Burnham says upcoming EU summit an 'opportunity' for 'deals for farmers and cooperation on illegal migration' Burnham said the upcoming UK-EU summit, in Brussels on November 20, would be an opportunity to strike important deals for the UK. He told the Commons: "It is an opportunity for this house to come together and get a good deal for food producers, for farmers in this country, a good deal for Northern Ireland in relatin to energy