During PMQs, Keir Starmer promised to “keep all options on the table” after the UK was hit by Trump tariffs on steel. Now, farming minister Daniel Zeichner is updating MPs on controversial farming subsidy changes. Watch and follow live.
Wednesday 12 March 2025 13:31, UK
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has paid tribute to Nicola Sturgeon after she announced she plans to stand down at the Scottish parliament election next year.
In a statement, the former SNP leader confirmed she will not seek re-election at the Holyrood election in May 2026.
Reacting to this, Swinney said: “I’m very sorry that Nicola Sturgeon has decided to stand down from the Scottish parliament.
“She’s made an extraordinary contribution to the work of the Scottish parliament, and particularly to the Scottish government as our longest serving first minister.
“And I want to express my thanks and appreciation to Nicola for all of the contributions that she has made to the work of parliament and government, and I’m certain she will continue to do so in the years to come, in different ways to contribute to the public life of Scotland.
“She’s got so many different policy achievements to be proud of in changing the lives of people in Scotland for the better.
“And I wish her well for the future.”
Responding to the Sustainable Farming Incentive ministerial statement is former minister Victoria Atkins.
She accuses Labour of “sneaking” this statement out last night, “presumably hoping nobody would notice”.
“But guess what – the countryside has!”
It was confirmed last night that applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) were to close on Tuesday.
The post-Brexit scheme, launched in 2022, pays farmers and land managers to take up practices that improve productivity and protect the environment and climate.
Atkins says Labour “pulled the plug” on the Tory post-Brexit policy without notice.
“It actively harms nature, it actively harms the environment,” she says, in a nod to Country Land and Business Association president Victoria Vyvyan’s statement, accusing the Labour government of being “reckless beyond belief”.
She adds: “This adds up to nothing less than an outright assault on the countryside.”
Farming minister Daniel Zeichner is now giving a statement on farming subsidies.
This comes after a sudden pause on new applications for environmental payments, in what’s been described as a “shattering blow”.
The National Farmers’ Union said it was given just 30 minutes notice by the government that applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) were to close yesterday.
Zeichner says the government is “changing” the problem that farmers fundamentally do not earn enough money.
The decision is about “long-term stability”, he says, adding: “We’re creating the conditions for farmers to run profitable businesses that can withstand future challenges.”
The post-Brexit scheme, launched in 2022, pays farmers and land managers to take up practices that improve productivity and protect the environment and climate.
Were there more plants at that PMQs than in a garden centre?
First you had a newbie MP from marginal Telford – where Reform came second last year – asking the PM to confirm what a wonderful job the government is doing on migration.
Later, we had the newbie MP for Rugby – where the Tories ended up relatively close to Labour last year – asking Sir Keir Starmer to talk about what a good idea his benefit reforms are.
These friendly questions were later followed by some tougher ones – including from a left-wing Labour MP.
But overall, Downing Street will be happy with these lines of enquiry; indeed, you wonder if the whips had a hand in making sure the topics were raised in this fashion to set a positive tone at the start today.
Next, Andrew Rosindell, the Tory MP for Romford, “pleads” with the prime minister to reverse the decision to refuse a public inquiry to the family of murdered MP Sir David Amess.
Yvette Cooper confirmed this decision earlier this week, ahead of Sir Keir Starmer meeting with the family today.
“Will he please stop this shameful saga and heed the call of the Amess family for a judge-led public inquiry into David’s death?”
The prime minister says it is “difficult to imagine what they’ve gone through”.
That’s why it is important that he meets them today, Starmer says.
“I absolutely understand how his family must feel about the tragic circumstances in which he died and everything that came after.”
To Ukraine now, and Tory MP Julian Lewis asks the prime minister about elections in the country.
While some have called for elections in Ukraine – which is under martial law because of the war and cannot by law go to the polls – Lewis warns it is “standard procedure” for Russia to take over countries through “bogus elections” that install “puppet governments”.
He asks: “Will he therefore impress on other colleagues to be very wary of calls to hold elections in Ukraine?”
Sir Keir Starmer says this is a “really important point”.
“We in this country did not hold elections when we were at war,” he says.
“That is a perfectly reasonable and normal course of behaviour. And yes, of course, that has to be part of our discussions as we go forward.”
Here’s that expected backbench criticism of the coming welfare reforms.
Richard Burgon – a shadow minister under Jeremy Corbyn – accuses the government of taking the “easy option of making the poor and vulnerable pay” and calls for a wealth tax instead.
This sentiment will be shared by many in the party.
The judgement Downing Street will have to make is whether voters broadly agree with him – or with his left-wing backbenchers.
My sense is that officials believe large chunks of the public are on their side, meaning they may not worry too much about criticism coming from the Corbyn-aligned flank of the party.
Richard Burgon, the Labour MP for Leeds East, asks the prime minister about welfare – and talks of “tough choices” ahead.
He says: “Instead of cutting benefits for disabled people, wouldn’t the moral thing to do, the courageous thing to do, be to make a real tough choice and introduce a wealth tax on the very wealthiest people.”
Sir Keir Starmer responds that the Tories left behind a “broken welfare system”.
“That is indefensible in my view, both economically and morally.
“Of course we need to support those who need support.”
The prime minister says the likes of the energy profits levy and taxing non-doms have raised money.
“But this isn’t a bottomless pit, and we must kick-start growth.”
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey now asks about the prime minister’s stance on Donald Trump’s global metal tariffs.
And he asks if Sir Keir Starmer will fly out to Canada to stand with its ally “against Trump’s threats”.
“Obviously, like everybody else, I’m disappointed to see global tariffs in relation to steel and aluminium,” the prime minister says, adding Canada is a “very important ally”.
“But we will take a pragmatic approach. We are, as he knows, negotiating an economic deal which covers and will include tariffs if we succeed. But we will keep all options on the table.”
Kemi Badenoch has chosen to ignore the huge international issues dominating the news and return to an old PMQs favourite of the state of the economy.
This is likely because the prime minister’s handling of Donald Trump and Ukraine has won favourable headlines.
It’s probably a smart choice from the Tory leader as she seeks to press the narrative that things are only getting worse under Labour.
All that said, Sir Keir Starmer has a raft of ready-to-go responses given the economic turmoil under the previous administration.
Backbenchers on the Tory side seemed to lap up their leader’s performance more than usual as well with shouts of “more” coming from MPs.
It’s a spikier and more focused set of questions from the Tory leader.
Not before time.
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