Politics latest: Sunak 'has confidence' in Suella Braverman over speeding scandal as Starmer makes NHS pledge

Labour has sent out a statement from Angela Rayner following Suella Braverman's non-answer over the speeding questions.

Rayner said: “While Suella Braverman fails to answer basic questions and gives the impression she has something to hide, Rishi Sunak is once again dithering and delaying rather than taking action over yet another case of misconduct in his crumbling Cabinet.

“The Prime Minister must order an ethics investigation to get to the bottom of this. We’ve had 13 years of the Tories defending themselves and their mates. Enough is enough.”

I'm guessing Rayner is referring to Nadhim Zahawi and Dominic Raab.

On a day when she finds herself at the centre of yet another political storm, Suella Braverman is facing MPs in the commons for Home Office questions.

As expected, many of the questions have made reference to the speeding scandal, some of them perhaps inadvertently.

Conservative MP for Sedgefield Paul Howell was met with jeers from the opposition benches when he opened up the session by congratulating the Home Secertary on “driving” an increase in police numbers.

The scandal of the day featured in more questions from Labour MPs who were scheduled to raise points relating to anti-social behaviour. Responding to Labour’s Sarah Jones, who asked Braverman whether she believed people who’ve been caught speeding should be able to take private courses, the Home Secretary said she hoped the session wouldn’t become too repetitive, before going on the offensive.

She said: “Let’s be honest about what this is all about Mr Speaker, the shadow minister would rather distract really, frankly, from the abject failure bythe Labour Party to bring foward any serious proposals on crime or policing. They want to talk about this because it distracts from the fact they voted against tougher sentences for paedophiles and murderers. They want us to ignore the fact that Labour MPs would rather campaign to stop the deportation of foreign criminals than back our Rwanda scheme. They would rather the country doesn’t notice their total abandonment of the British people, this government is focusing on...”

The speaker then intervened on Braverman.

“The Home Secretary said she didn’t want to be repetitive,” he said, “and that goes all round the chamber as well”.

Suella Braverman has faced one of her more tricky Home Office questions in the House of Commons, but steadfastly stuck to her lines that she is “getting on with the job of delivering for the British people”.

Yvette Cooper asked Braverman whether “she authorised her special adviser to tell journalists that there wasn’t a speeding penalty when there was”.

This comes after the Mirror's Political Editor John Stevens revealed he asked the Home Secretary's spad (special adviser) six weeks ago whether she had been "done for speeding", which was denied repeatedly.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Cooper said: “At the heart of the Home Secretary’s responsibility is to ensure that laws are fairly enforced for all. But when she got a speeding penalty, it seems she sought special treatment, a private course and asked civil servants to help.

“She refused to say what she asked civil servants to do so I ask her that again, and to also tell us whether she authorised her special adviser to tell journalists that there wasn’t a speeding penalty when there was?”

The Home Secretary replied: “As I have said earlier, in the summer of last year, I was speeding. I regret that. I paid the fine and I accepted the points. At no time, did I seek to avoid the sanction.”

Rishi Sunak has told MPs that he would update on any response to the allegations facing Suella Braverman “in due course”.

The Prime Minister said that he had met with Sir Laurie Magnus and the Home Secretary, amid reports she asked officials to try to arrange a private speed awareness course for her rather than take penalty points on her driving licence.

Sunak, giving a statement in the Commons on the G7, said: “I have always been clear that where issues like this are raised, they should be dealt with properly and they should be dealt with professionally.

“Since I have returned from the G7, I have been receiving information on the issues raised, I have met with both the independent adviser and the Home Secretary. I have asked for further information and I will update on the appropriate course of action in due course.”

With Suella Braverman's latest scandal, my colleague Imogen Howse has had a look through all of her previous controversies in government. From saying would be her dream to send refugees to Rwanda, to her previous resignation as Home Secretary fore breaching the ministerial code, there are quite a few.

Read Imogen's full piece here.

The government has responded after the British Medical Association (BMA) confirmed that junior doctors would be walking out for a third time next month.

The planned walkout has been described as "surprising and deeply disappointing" by a spokesperson. The union - which is seeking a 35% pay rise - called the government's recent offer of 5% an "insult".

A government spokesperson said: “It is both surprising and deeply disappointing that the BMA Junior Doctors Committee has declared further strike action while constructive talks were ongoing. These will be hugely disruptive for patients and put pressure on other NHS staff.

“We made a fair and reasonable opening offer, and were in active discussions about both pay and non-pay issues. Unfortunately, it seems the BMA is unwilling to move meaningfully away from their unaffordable headline demands on pay.

“The Government has been clear that strikes must be paused while talks take place, so while the BMA has chosen to end our current discussions, we remain ready to continue them at any point if strikes are called off.”

Protesters gathered in Parliament Square as MPs dicussed amendments to the controversial plans for minimum service levels.

Unions have warned that the Bill could lead to workers being sacked from their jobs for legally voting to take strike action.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, told demonstrators gathered outside parliament: “We will not allow our members to be dismissed. We will not allow our members to be disciplined.

"We will not obey work notices issued by the employer or issued by the Government. We will defy this law.

“If this law comes into fruition… the TUC and all of the trade unions affiliated and every worker in this country has got to unleash a mass campaign of workplace disobedience.”

MPs have voted to reject a number of amendments to the minimum service levels bill.

MPs voted 286 to 232 to reject a motion that would protect staff who failed to comply with the minimum service level notice on strike days from being fired. A majority of 61 MPs - 286 to 231 - also rejected the amendment which would limit the legislation to only cover England.

In addition to this, MPs voted 286 to 231, majority 55, to reject a Lords amendment which would have required prior consultation on the use of powers which allow the Secretary of State to set minimum service levels. The amendment would have called for the consultations to be reviewed by committees of both the House of Lords and Commons.