Watch Rishi Sunak at the Parliamentary Liaison Committee: PM to be grilled by MPs over his performance

Rishi Sunak is set to be quizzed by MPs on his performance today in his final public outing before Parliament breaks for Easter recess.

The House of Commons’ Liaison Committee will grill the Prime Minister on everything from the economy to foreign affairs and public services. It is the only select committee that the PM has to appear in front of, unless there are exceptional circumstances such as Boris Johnson’s appearance before the Privileges Committee. The MPs are from across all parties, so there can be no accusations of bias.

Given the revelations yesterday from the Deputy Prime Minister about China, it seems highly likely that Sunak will be asked about the threat from Beijing. Oliver Dowden formally blamed China for cyber attacks on the UK’s democracy in a Commons statement and appeared to suggest the superpower could soon be declared a “threat”.

Cabinet tensions have reportedly surfaced over the issue, with some ministers pushing for tougher action on Beijing while others are resistant over concerns it could harm economic and trade relations. It is likely Sunak will be asked about this. The ongoing war in Gaza is also likely to come up.

He will also be quizzed on the UK’s sluggish economy, which is technically in a recession. Sunak made a number of promises at the start of 2023, including growing the economy and bringing down public debt, however so far he has failed to achieve those. 

Another topic is the rather broad term of “strategic thinking in government”. The Liaison Committee does this to ensure MPs can ask a wide array of questions, and it also makes it difficult for the PM to prepare. Questions could include how the government is responding and adapting to AI.

When is Rishi Sunak in front of the Liaison Committee?

The Prime Minister will appear in front of the Parliamentary Liaison Committee at 1pm on Tuesday (26 March). The meeting will be held in the Boothroyd Room, in Portcullis House, in the Houses of Parliament. It is due to last around 90 minutes.

How can I watch the Liaison Committee?

The session with Sunak is public and you can watch the committee hearing right here on this page. Simply click play on the NationalWorld video player just before 1pm and the live stream will start. If you have any thoughts on Sunak and his performance you can either comment below or email [email protected].

Ralph Blackburn is NationalWorld’s politics editor based in Westminster, where he gets special access to Parliament, MPs and government briefings. If you liked this article you can follow Ralph on X (Twitter) here and sign up to his free weekly newsletter Politics Uncovered, which brings you the latest analysis and gossip from Westminster every Sunday morning.