PMQs: Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer clash over rail strikes and the economy – UK politics live

Raab says he is proud of the supreme court. The new bill will make it clear that the court does not have to follow case law from Strasbourg.

The European court of human rights has issued “expansive” rulings, he says.

The new bill will give the UK courts from freedom to interprete laws in their own way, using the “margin of appreciation” allowed under the convention.

The bill will allow frivolous human rights claims to be thrown out at an earlier stage, he says.

And it should make it easier for foreign criminals to be deported, which will “better protect the public”.

Ultimately it will make us freer, and our streets safer.

Dominic Raab, the justice secretary and deputy PM, is speaking now.

He says rights in Britain go back to Magna Carta. They do not just date from Labour’s Human Rights Act.

He says the UK will remain a party to the European convention on human rights.

He says his plans will strengthen freedom of speech. And it will recognise the right to jury trial – “something which is not prevalent on the continent but he’s very much part of the heritage and the pedigree of this country”.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, begins with a reprimand to Dominic Raab for announcing details of the bill to the media first, and not to parliament.

He says, if Raab had not agreed to make a statement, he would have graned a UQ.

Johnson says everyone understands bullying is an appalling thing, and something that should not be tolerated. People should speak out against it, he says.

Carolyn Harris (Lab) asks the PM if he will implement a single annual payment for HRT.

Johnson says the health secretary is accelerating the work of the HRT taskforce to make sure women get the treatment they need.

From the BBC’s Chris Mason

Sir Desmond Swayne (Con) asks if the taking back control policy will apply to the European convention on human rights.

Johnson urges Swayne to wait for the statement on the bill of rights bill that is coming up shortly.

Sir George Howarth (Lab) asks the PM to condemn the policing of the Champions League final in Paris.

Johnson says claims about the behaviour of British fans at the match have been debunked.

Sir Bill Wiggin (Con) asks what the PM can be done to ensure students with exams are not punished by the train strikes.

Johnson says no exams have been cancelled. Students and colleges are meant to have contingency plans in place.

Colleen Fletcher (Lab) says Coventry is the UK centre for battery innovation. If the government wants this sector to survive, the PM needs to guarantee that the West Midlands gigafactory project will be able to go ahead?

Johnson says that is the first sensible question from Labour. He says the government does support gigafactory projects. It is working in Coventry to ensure it gets a successful result there.

Kate Osborne (Lab) asks when the PM will start supporting the working people of this country.

Johnson says if Osborne wants to support the working people of this country, she should get off the RMT picket lines. People want to see a reduction in rail costs, he says, implying the RMT are preventing this.

This is from my colleague John Crace.

Stephen Farry (Alliance) says a majority of members of the Northern Ireland assembly reject the NI protocol bill. The government is committed to the Good Friday agreement. But Dominic Raab is about to publish a bill unpicking human rights law.

Johnson says Farry is wrong about this.

Andy Carter (Con) asks how many more police officers have been recruited since the PM came into office.

Johnson says it is more than 30,000. They are cutting neighbourhood crime, he claims.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, asks why the UK is doing worse than other European economies.

Johnson says inflation is a global problem. He claims taxes are higher in Scotland

Blackford says today’s report from the Resolution Foundation shows how the Tories’ “disastrous Brexit” will make the UK poorer. Will the PM negotiate an economic agreement with the EU? Or will he push it into recession?

Johnson says Blackford has understimated what the UK is achieving. It is overtaking China as a venue for venture capital investment.

Starmer says there have been 15 tax rises. The government has delivered high taxes, low growth and low wages. The PM holds meetings about ending the cap on bankers’ bonuses. But he can’t find time for a meeting to end the rail strike. Members of the armed forces are facing a pay cut, he says.

Johnson says the government has increased funding for the armed forces. And eight members of the shadow cabinet want to get rid of the nuclear deterrent, he says. Energy is being reformed. A nuclear plant will be built every year. Welfare reforms have got 500,000 people into work. And the government wants to cut the cost of rail travel. Labour MPs are on the picket lines, literally holding hands with Arthur Scargill, he claims.

(It is quite telling that, to cite an unpopular and well-known union leader, Johnson has to go back to a figure from the 1970s and 1980s. Scargill is now in his 80s.)