pm johnson: thank you mr. speaker, today is the day that we implement the biggest tax cut for a decade, turns thresholds to makes tax lower and the burden easier which will benefit 13 million people across the u.k.. and i am pleased to say that two of those people are seated in the public gallery today, mandy banfield and alan, our people -- a typical worker will save 330 pounds with many employees better off as a result. that is real money for real people. mr. speaker, i am sure that the house will also join me in wishing the best of luck to england and northern ireland who are competing in the women's euro 2022 tournament, which starts today as i am sure that they will both make -- make the nation proud. in addition, i expect i shall have further meetings. >> thank you. last week we launched a new approach to combating knife crime, which means increased use of stop and search, tougher charging and tougher sentencing and faster youth divergent and more work with parents and the community. does the prime minister agreed with me that if you carry a life -- a knife you should expect to end up behind bars? pm johnson: what he is doing to campaign in milton to campaign against knife crime and as a result of what the conservatives have done and adults who are convicted of certain offenses involving a knife including threatening with a knife or a sentenced offense -- a seconds defense of -- second offense, and guess who voted for tougher knife crime. >> we know them come to the leader of the opposition, keir starmer. mr. starmer: thank you, today is start of the women's euro and i know that the whole house will wish the lionesses the very best of luck in bringing football home. mr. speaker, it is also -- mr. speaker it is also been 40 years since the death of terrence higgins. he worked before he sadly died of aids. the labour party and the terrence higgins trust are devoted to ending cases of hiv by 2030. together we can. mr. speaker, last week a government minister was accused of sexually assaulting a young man. i want to quote the victim's account. he says "he grabbed my ass and slowly moved his hand down in front of my groin. i froze. i accept that that is not easy listening, but it is a reminder to all those propping up this prime minister just how serious the situation is. he knew the accused minister had previously committed predatory behavior but he promoted him to a position of power anyway. why? mr. scott -- pm johnson: mr. speaker, that individual no longer has the conservative, and he had no longer has a job. as soon as i was made aware of the allegation that he was out. the complaint that was made, and then he lost his status as a conservative mp and he is now the subject, mr. speaker, of an independent investigation to the complaints and grievances panel. that is entirely right and i want to say to him that i abhor bullying and abuse of power anywhere. in this party or in any other. mr. starmer: none of that explains why he promoted him in the first place. and we have heard it all before. we know who he really is. before he was found out, he has reported to have said he is handy, that is the problem. pincher by name, pincher by nature. has the prime minister had ever said words to that effect? i am not asking for bluster or half-truth. mr. speaker: prime minister. pm johnson: i will not trivialize what happened. yes, mr. speaker. this is a very serious complaint to be raised from a member who is now being investigated. it is true that the complaint was raised when he was in the foreign office and the matter was resolved. it is absolutely true that it was raised with me. i greatly regret that he continued in office, and i have said that before, mr. speaker. i have said that before mr. speaker, but he is now the subject of an independent investigation. and that is the right thing. frankly, i think the people of this country would like also to hear, they would like also to hear about the other jobs held by people in the country, not the least the 500 people that we got off of welfare into work in the last six months alone. those of things that will make differences to the lives of people up and down the country and i am proud of it. mr. speaker: keir starmer. mr. starmer: no denial, the matter was resolved when he said it was upheld. they are all sitting here if -- as if this is normal behavior. when that young man reported his attack to a government whip, she asked him if he was gay. when he said that he was, she replied "that does not make it straightforward." that comments will sicken anyone who has experienced sexual assault and then made to be feel like they asked about it or worry that prejudice means that the complaint will not be taken seriously. when we apologize for those description -- when we apologize for those comments on behalf of the government. pm johnson: i have already said that i regret very much that the member from tamworth continue to hold office after the complaint was made against him in the foreign office. it was resolved in the foreign office and the apology was not clear or not and in hindsight i should have realized that he would not change. however, when he came friday of last week, and when i was given the information that he read out about the complaint made against the honorable member i acted immediately. i broke away from him, and we will not tolerate that kind of behavior in this or any kind of party. what we also want to do is to help people up and down the country with things that also matter to them like cutting their taxes by 330 pounds this year which is what we are doing. mr. speaker: keir starmer. mr. starmer: doesn't that sum him up? unacceptable behavior and it is for all to see but he ignores that? it was the same when his ally was on the tape of a lobbyist, on the same when his home secretary was bullying sabbath -- staff, when taxpayers money was abused and when he and his mates partied through lockdown. anyone quitting now after defending all of that has not got a shred of integrity. mr. speaker, this is the first recorded case of the sinking ship fleeing the rats. pm johnson: he talks about -- he should hear what his -- he should hear what is said about him. he talks about his integrity, and he wanted to install a member from islington north into number 10, mr. speaker. that is what he wanted to do. imagine what the world would be like now. he talks about integrity. he voted 48 times to overturn the will of the british people and take a stab at the european union and gave some muddled speech the other day, that is exactly what he will do again, mr. speaker. he talks about integrity, and he has voted time and time again against sanctions on criminals and we are putting them behind dog dust behind bars and he talks about integrity and he himself is facing a criminal investigation. he asked me to resign. mr. starmer: what a pathetic spectacle. the dying act of his political career is to parents that nonsense. as for those who are left, only in office because no one else is prepared to deface themselves any longer, the charge of the light weight gain. [laughter] have some self-respect. mr. speaker, for a week he has been defending his decision to promote a sexual predator. every day the lines have been run through. first that he was unaware of any allegations, untrue. then he was oh -- unaware of specific allegations, untrue. then he was unaware of serious specific allegations, and now he wants them to go out and say that he simply forgot. that his whip was a sexual predator. anyone with anything about them would be long gone from his front bench. in the middle of a crisis, doesn't the country deserve letter than a z-list cast of dogs? pm johnson: mr. speaker, it is exactly when times are tough and when the country faces pressures on the economy, and pressures on their budgets, mr. speaker, when they had the biggest war in 80 years, that is exactly the moment that you would expect the government to continue with its work, not to walk away, mr. speaker and we did our job and to focus on the things that mattered to the people of this country, so we are putting 1200 pounds into every 108 million most vulnerable households in the country thanks to the strength of our economy and the decisions that we took, which he opposed at the time. mr. speaker: keir starmer. mr. starmer: the only thing he is delivering is chaos. i started with a quote from the young victim in all of this, how he froze when he was attacked. when i was prosecuting rapists, i heard that from victims all of the time. victims say they froze because it is not about sex. it is about power. the power that this disgraced mom -- governor minister -- government minister had was handed to him by that prime minister, and he was only in power because he has been propped up for months by a corrupted party defending the indefensible. so it is no longer a case about swapping the person at the top. is it clear that the only way that the country can get the fresh start it deserves by getting rid of the lot of them? [cheering] pm johnson: mr. speaker, the differences -- the differences -- mr. speaker: we have to get through prime minister's questions. pm johnson: the difference between this government in that opposition is that we have a plan. [laughter] they want to focus on this issue and we will get on with our jobs. we will control prices by not giving into the unions. they are paid by the unions and they are proud of it. we were the first european country to arm the ukrainians and i am proud of that. and the party opposite, eight of them including the shadow foreign deputy, the shadow deputy leader and six others voted to get rid of our independence. mr. speaker. today we are cutting taxes and have helping half a million people and we are strengthening our economy and we are helping people up and down the country and we are going to deliver on the mandate that i was given. mr. starmer: thank you very much mr. speaker, on monday night the northern ireland right just legacy bill reached the third reading and the beginning of the end of the journey, a long journey to make sure that the service and sacrifice of those who served in iraq, afghanistan and now northern ireland are not rewritten that those who speak only to line their own pockets. when the prime minister says that never again can we allow such a goal to open up between this place and those who serve, never again must they be made to feel less on their time, and web heat -- will he redouble his commitment to make sure that people will serve in the military and be a veteran. pm johnson: i thank my honorable friend for all the work he has done for veterans and continues to do. this will give veterans the certainty that they deserve and fulfilling the manifesto pledge to end the cycle of investigations and at the same time making sure that families can get the answers that they need about what happens to their loved ones. mr. speaker: now we come to the leader of the s&p. >> can i give the best wish to the england and northern ireland ladies, and the euro championship. there is nothing better than seeing their teams in the finals. can we commemorate 40 years ago for all of those who died in -- died of aids. the whole house would want to join me to the condolences for the family and friends to the scottish goalkeeping legend who passed too far -- far too early last weekend and will live in the memory is the best goalkeeper the rest of us has seen. it is easy to forget that only 10 days ago the prime minister was dreaming of a third term. it is often said that a week is a long time in politics but it turns out that 10 days is truly a lifetime. let us face it, it is a minor miracle that the prime minister has made it through the prime minister's questions. because prime minister, it really is over. the prime minister is cleaning on -- clinging onto his own fantasy but the government cannot put up with this farce of a government one minute longer. we should be talking about the cost-of-living crisis, soaring inflation and the growing cost of brexit. instead it is always about him. how many more ministers need to quit before he finally picks up his pen and writes his own resignation letter, perhaps that is what he is doing now. pm johnson: actually mr. speaker i was jotting down notes on his question which i thought was excellent when he was talking about the economy. that is the issue that the country faces and that is where this government is introducing the most important decisions, helping families up and down the country with 1200 pounds, going into there accounts right now, cutting taxes for 30 million people, and helping half a million people into work through the wage or work team. that is a fantastic thing to get on to do. that is the priority of this government. i am glad that he likes it. >> my goodness, i think we should all move on if we live in the world of the prime minister. a few weeks ago i compared the prime minister to monty python's black knight, i was wrong, it turns out he is the dead parrot. whether he knows it or not, he is not the next prime minister. he will live behind two deeply damaging legacies and i hope the dishonesty of his leadership follows him out the door. the other legacy is that of brexit and that will say because -- day because i am sad to say that the labour party now truly support said. scotland wants a different future not just a different prime minister. will we call a general election allow scotland the choice to lead her own future away from the halls of westminster? mr. speaker: prime minister. pm johnson: i noticed in his remarks that the labour party has given up on return, it is not true. they want to go back and just as he does. that is a terrible mistake. it would be anti-democratic and as for the referendum that he wants, we had one of them and as i told him before, in 2014. >> does the prime minister think that there are any circumstances in it -- in which he said -- in which he should resign? [laughter] pm johnson: mr. speaker, clearly if there were circumstances in which i felt it was an sponsor bowl to do on -- to get on with its job and the mandate we have been given, or i felt for instance we had been wrong in our desire to help -- to help support the ukrainian people, then i would. and i thank you mr. speaker, the job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when you've been handed a mode -- a mandate is to keep going and that is what i will do. >> there you have it, mr. speaker, once again the prime minister puts political survival before public duty. people can see, even if he goes it is not an if but when. the phrase westminster arrogance will dictate our future in wales. does he want a medal for being the best recruiting started -- sergeant for independence that we could have wanted? pm johnson: actually everywhere i look around the united kingdom, i talked with mark the other day as well as talking to nicola sturgeon, i see the bonds of the union are being strengthened the whole time, and i am confident that they will continue. >> thank you very much. let government's -- the government's leveling up funds have been successful but there are some centers that are in desperate straits and have not managed to get funding in the present round. can my right honorable band assure me that future font -- friend assure me that future funds will be available to help declining high streets will be able to survive the pandemic. pm johnson: she is a great champion from the old valley, and i will make sure that she gets a many -- a meeting for -- with the minister for leveling up at the earliest opportunity. >> thank you. the public clearly thinks that the government has lost the plot over the cost-of-living crisis. the prime minister will be aware that the average salary for a nurse is $36,000 in for a primary teacher they are 38,000 pounds. they are struggling to pay rent and mortgages. given that they can barely afford a 150,000 pound mortgage, can you tell this house how he can afford 150,000 pound treehouse? pm johnson: what i can tell you is up and down the country, rather than talking about fantasy infrastructure i can talk about real infrastructure. we are helping level up the people to 260 billion pounds of investment, helping people and lifting the aspirations of people up and down the country and it is thanks to the strength of our economy and we are helping the people he described with 1200 pounds into there accounts to help with the cost-of-living pressures. >> the prime minister notes that while he is a prime minister he wants to do all of the good that he can. and i found edm 1082 about the gap or to the department of leveling up, the land above the station, the farm in worthing which was fully protected and will be when another inspector said that another cup session will happen. can i ask him to tell the government withdrawal their subjection -- objections against the observed decision to allow 480 two homes to go up between goring. >> i think the right honorable gentleman as he campaigns on this issue for some time. i will make sure that he gets a meeting with the relevant minister to discuss the development and goring. >> mr. speaker on the 21st of january the government committed 100 million pounds from the approximation fund to my constituency. and as of today, not a single penny has been received by the company. and it would've given us 8000 much-needed jobs. the tensions between the prime minister and the former chancellor have now been much exposed, and i am telling you prime minister, the betrayal of my constituents cannot be another broken promise. prime minister, give them the knowledge. -- give them the nudge to make sure that it comes in, because who knows what will happen this afternoon. pm johnson: the honorable gentlemen, i congratulate the passion that he has invested in and i share his dues he has them. i want to thank my honorable friend from bly as well who is a heroic campaigner. i mean the letter was sent last night, mr. speaker for the project, how about that, hang on in there, mr. speaker, which is what i will do. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the world is facing a global food crisis in which the poorest nations face catastrophic consequences. while the prime minister take all possible action to facilitate access to the grain stores stranded in ukraine? we have a limited opportunity to divert famine and the u.k. must play its full part using all of the resources at its disposal. pm johnson: my right honorable friend is completely right and as i tell you 5 billion times, the grain being held hostage by putin is the annual consumption is equal -- is equal to the annual consumption by fully developed countries. we are hoping to lift the blockade with not just negotiation but helping the commercial ships that might be involved, and also $10 million to recruit the cash to improve the railway infrastructure which would be necessary to get the green out by rail. >> mr. speaker yesterday the prime minister said that people are saying things on his behalf. it is not just him who are fed up but the british people and ministers who are resigning. they are sick are being sent out by him by things that are not true. is a real problem them or -- them for believing him or him in the first place? pm johnson: i thank you very much and i want to be clear. what i want to say is and i will say it again, i regret the way the appointment happened and i was clear with the house about what i knew at the time, but i want to stress that i think this -- that i take this matter extremely seriously. i am very sorry for the impact that it has had on the victims, but the individual in question is now subject to an independent complaint and grievance procedure and as soon as that began, as soon as the complaint was made, the whip was taken away. >> can i just say that it is confidentia