Tory sleaze row: Electoral Commission announces investigation into Johnson flat makeover – live

7.30am EDT 07:30

Janet Daby (Lab) says it is shocking that the Electoral Commission is investigating the PM. Why do these sleaze stories keep happening to Johnson?

Johnson says it is because the opposition want to talk about anything other than the success of the vaccine rollout.

7.28am EDT 07:28

Stephen Crabb (Con) asks if the PM agrees the voters should reject the negativity and divisiveness of nationalists.

Johnson agrees. He says he wants the UK to work together.

7.27am EDT 07:27

Sarah Olney (Lib Dem) asks why the PM is still committed to a third runway at Heathrow.

Johnson says that is a private company’s project. He says he does not see any sign of the capital being available for it to go ahead.

7.26am EDT 07:26

Laura Farris (Con) asks how the PM will improve women’s participation in the nuclear industry.

Johnson says there are huge opportunities for women in this area.

7.25am EDT 07:25

Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru) asks why Welsh lives meant so little to the PM.

Johnson says Wales has contributed a huge amount to the fight against coronavirus.

7.23am EDT 07:23

Duncan Baker (Con) says he is probably the only former sub-postmaster in parliament. He says only a judge-led inquiry will be able to hold people to account for what happened.

Johnson says what happened was appalling. They are looking at the issues involved, and an inquiry is underway.

7.22am EDT 07:22

Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru leader at Westminster, also reads out the seven Nolan principles of public life. What happens when a PM goes rogue, given that that the PM is the judge of the ministerial code?

Johnson says people have a choice. The Labour government in Wales is failing, he says.

7.21am EDT 07:21

Gary Sambrook (Con) says people want to see regeneration. Does the PM support Andy Street for re-election as mayor of the West Midlands.

Johnson says he is lost in admiration for Andy Street.

7.20am EDT 07:20

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says more than 127,000 people have died from Covid. That is why so many people find the PM’s remark “utterly sickening”. The BBC and ITV have multiple sources to back this up. He says parliamentary rules stop him from saying he has repeatedly lied to the public. But he wants to ask the question: “Are you a liar, prime minister?”

Johnson asks if those were in order.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, says the comments were in order, but not savoury.

Johnson says he did not say those words. He asks: if someone is willing to go on oath, where are they? But a lockdown is a miserable thing, he says.

Blackford says the PM is up to his neck in sleaze. These questions will not go away. When was money paid by the Tories? When was it paid back? Was it an interest-free loan?

Johnson says he looks forward to hearing what the Electoral Commission has to say. He says Blackford is talking “complete nonsense”. He says the SNP should stop obsessing about breaking up the government.

Updated at 7.23am EDT

7.15am EDT 07:15

Joy Morrissey (Con) thanks the PM for the vaccine rollout.

Johnson thanks everyone involved.

7.15am EDT 07:15

Starmer reads out the Nolan principles. He says instead we have dodgy contracts and jobs for mates. He says the government is mired in sleaze and scandal.

Johnson says last week Starmer attacked him over ventilators. Now they are sending ventilators to India. He says Labour attacked Kate Bingham. He claims Labour opposed tougher sentences. And last night MEPs voted for the Brexit deal. He claims Brexit helped deal with the threat posed by the European super league. It allows free ports. And it has allowed the UK to have the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, he says. He says he hopes people will vote Conservative on 6 May.

7.12am EDT 07:12

Starmer says the PM never answers the question.

He says the PM has to decare any donation, and record it in the register of members’ interests.

The Electoral Commission thinks an offence may have occurred. This is “incredibly serious”. Does the PM think any offence has occurred?

No, says Johnson.

He says Starmer is not asking about issues like the pandemic. He goes on instead about wallpaper, which Johnson says he paid for.

Updated at 7.23am EDT

7.10am EDT 07:10

Starmer says Johnson says he is focusing on the pandemic, but he found time to chose wallpaper at at £840 a roll. And he called editors to criticise Dominic Cummings.

Did Lord Brownlow make a payment for the flat?

Johnson says he has covered the costs. He says Tony Blair racked up a bill of £350,000 for this. He says people are focused on council tax.

7.08am EDT 07:08

Starmer says people normally say no comment when they don’t want to incriminate themselves.

He says either the Conservative party, or the taxpayer, or a donor or the PM paid the initial invoice. Who paid?

Johnson says he has has paid for the work.

People will find it bizarre that Starmer is asking about this, he says.

He says the last Labour government spend £500,000 on the flat.

He says he is focusing on the people’s priorities. Most people would find Starmer’s questions irrelevant.

7.06am EDT 07:06

Starmer says someone is not telling the truth. He says ministers are expected to resign if they knowingly mislead parliament. He says he will leave it there for now.

He asks who initially paid for the PM’s flat refurbishment.

Johnson says, on the subject of misleading parliament, Starmer denied wanting to stay in the European Medicines Agency.

He says he has paid for his flat personally.

He says, on housing costs, Labour charges council tax-payers more.

Updated at 7.07am EDT

7.04am EDT 07:04

Sir Keir Starmer says he hopes the government will say more about what it is doing to help India. And he endorses what Johnson said about the sub-postmasters.

He says it has been widely reported this week that the PM said he would rather have “bodies pile high” than implement a third lockdown. Did the PM make those remarks or remarks to that effect?

“No, Mr Speaker,” says Johnson. He says if Starmer is repeating those comments, he should substantiate them, and give a source.

He says the October decisions were very difficult, very bitter decisions. But thanks to those efforts we have got through. He says 25% of adults have had two doses of vaccines. Lockdowns are “miserable”. But he had no choice, he says.

7.01am EDT 07:01

Boris Johnson starts by saying the UK is supporting India with vital medical equipment.

And he says he welcomes the court of appeal decision to overturn the convictions of 39 sub-postmasters, “an appalling injustice”.