Borisjohnson and his fiancee, carrie symonds, carried out renovations on their private residence above number 11. The total cost of the works isnt known, but Its reported to be well above the annual Public Grant of £30,000 that is available to spend on the flat. Before turning to that row, Sir Keir Starmer brought up another embarrassing headline Comments Borisjohnson is said to have made ahead of imposing a second lockdown in england. Mr speaker, It was reported this week, including in the daily mail, the bbc, and Itv, backed up by numerous sources, that at The End of october, the Prime Minister said he would rather have, i quote, Bodies Piled High than implement another lockdown. Can the Prime Minister tell the house categorically, yes or no, did he make those remarks or remarks to that effect . Prime minister. No, mrspeaker. And, i think what i think the right honourable gentleman is a lawyer, i am given to understand, and i think that if hes going to repeat allegations like that, he should come to this house and substantiate those allegations and say and say where he heard them and who who exactly who exactly is supposed to have said those . Who exactly is supposed to have said those things, Mr Speaker . Well, somebody here isnt telling the truth. The house will have heard the Prime Ministers answer, and i remind him, the Ministerial Code say, and i quote, ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer their resignation. Ill leave It there, for now. Turning to another issue. Who who therell be further on this, therell be further on this, believe you me. Who inItially, and Prime Minister, inItially is the key word here, who inItially paid for the redecoration of this Downing Street flat . He should know that i paid for downing Street Refurbishment personally, Mr Speaker. EIther the taxpayer paid the inItial invoice, or It was the conservative party, or It was a private donor, or It was the Prime Minister. So, im making It easy for the Prime Minister. Its now multiple choice. Laughter there are only four options. It should be easier than finding the chatty rat, Mr Speaker. So, i ask the Prime Minister again, who paid the inItial invoice, inItial invoice, Prime Minister, the redecoration of the Prime Ministers flat . The inItial invoice. Prime minister. Mr speaker, i have given him the answer, and the answer is i have i have covered the costs. And i think most people find It absolutely bizarre, and of course theres an Electoral Commission investigating this. And i can tell him i conformed in full wIth the code of conduct and ministers the Ministerial Code, and officials have been advising me throughout this whole thing. But i think people find It absolutely bizarre that he is focusing on this issue. Dodgy contracts. Jobs for their mates. And cash for access. And whos at the heart of It . The Prime Minister. Major sleaze, sItting there. Dont the brItish people deserve a Prime Minister they can trust, and a government that isnt mired in sleaze, Cronyism And Scandal . This is a government that is getting on wIth the peoples priorIties. We have many more nurses, 10,000 more nurses in the nhs now than there were this time last year. 8,771 more Police Officers on our streets now than they were when i was elected, including tougher sentences, Mr Speaker, for serious sexual and violent criminals, which he opposed, Mr Speaker were getting on. And by the way, i forgot to mention It, i forgot to mention It. Last night, our friends in the European Union voted to approve our brexIt deal, which he opposed and which enables us not just to take back control of our borders, Mr Speaker, but to deliver freedom, which does, which he fervently opposed. Enabling us enabling us amongst other things, to deal wIth such threats as the european super league, Mr Speaker, but It enables us to deliver free ports, in places like teesside, and above all, taking back control of our country has allowed us to deliver the fastest Vaccine Rollout in europe, as he well knows, Mr Speaker, which would not have been possible, which would not have been possible, if wed stayed in the European Medicines agency, which he voted for he accused labour of Twisting And Turning and playing polItical games. The snp� s Westminster Leader returned to the claim that the Prime Minister has said he would rather see Bodies Piled High than have another lockdown. The Itv'>Bbc And Itv have multiple sources confirming that this is what the Prime Minister said. People are willing to go under oath, Mr Speaker, confirming that the Prime Minister said these exact words, under oath, Mr Speaker. Now, parliamentary rules that stop me from saying that the Prime Minister has repeatedly lied to the public over the last week. Can i ask the question are you a liar, Prime Minister . Borisjohnson hesItated to stand up, waIting to see if the speaker would rule that language out of order. I leave It to you to judge whether my right honourable gentlemans remarks were in order. But what i will say to him is that. Unfortunately not, they were not savoury, and not what we would expect. Boris johnson insisted he hadnt said those words. Ian blackford moved on, accusing the Prime Minister being Up To His Neck in a swamp of tory sleaze. He too wondered where the money for the Flat Refurbishment had come from. Boris johnson batted that away. Mr speaker, as i have said, i look forward to what the Electoral Commission has to say, but i can tell the rest him for the rest of what hes talking, complete nonsense. Borisjohnson. The government has been urged to do more to help india, which is struggling wIth a huge surge in Covid I9 cases. The country has reported 350,000 daily infections and a total Death Toll of more than 200,000, wIth many hospItals overwhelmed. However, It is thought the true figures are far higher, both the deaths and cases. In The Lords, there was crIticism of the indian governments handling of the pandemic. The government referring to muslims as termItes, seems to be more focused on creating a hindu india than battling the covid crisis. As someone who is muslim, by faIth, and indian by herItage, i actually value and celebrate the rich diversIty of india. Yes, It has challenges, yes, It has issues, as does every country, but It is a strong democracy, and every religion, every communIty, has the constItutional protection It deserves. The catastrophe in indiaj could soon spread wider in the region, and globally. Its therefore vItal that vaccination is rolled out globally, and at a much, much faster rate than now. Lord ahmad pointed to the World Health organizations covax programme, aimed at sharing vaccines around the world. We will not beat this virus until the global the whole world is vaccinated effectively. And we are working, the Noble Lady will be aware of our efforts through the Ity'>Covax FacilIty in particular. And as my right honourable friend, the Prime Minister has said repeatedly, that remains the primary source of ensuring equItable access around the world. In the commons, the next day, mps joined those calls for more support for the indian people. For more than A Million brItons wIth Loved Ones in india, this is a moment of fear and anxiety. The ties between our two countries are woven into the fabric of this nation, something that through my own herItage i am personally and acutely aware of. Many brItons of indian origin will have gone to work today in our nhs, in our care homes, helping us to carry us through this crisis, while desperately worried about Loved Ones in india. We can and must more. Do more. What i would say, she references words, not deeds. I think what youve seen over the weekend is deeds, not words. We were the first country to deliver support to the indian people. The snp� s Health Spokesperson returned to efforts to increase vaccination via the whos covax programme. The minister keeps repeating that no one is safe until everyone is safe, but the realIty is that 80 of all covid vaccines have been delivered in just ten wealthy countries, and covax is struggling to obtain vaccines. Unless there is greater international solidarIty, other healthcare systems like indias will collapse. And vaccine resistant variants will inevItably threaten those who live here. Does the minister not accept that the uk needs to play Its part by lifting the Export Ban on vaccines, Sharing Covid Technology wIth others, and increasing, rather than slashing overseas aid . The minister said he could not think of many countries that were doing more than the uk on international vaccines. Now, lets take a look at some other Westminster News in brief. The Governments Decision to cut overseas aid came under attack in the commons from conservative mps. They argued the move would hIt the worlds poorest and people die as a result of the decision. Ministers have theyll reverse the cut when the economy recovers after the pandemic. Have said. We are cutting £500 million in humanItarian aid. This will mean that 3 Million women and children will not now receive life saving support. Madam deputy speaker, is It not clear that the original estimate of 100,000 souls who will die as a result is now a tragic understatement . The integrated review identifies the unIted kingdom as a soft power superpower, cIting as one of the reasons our contribution to international development. Exactly how is that posItion going to be enhanced by the action of cutting aid to the worlds poorest . | i can assure her that she and i, | and as i say, the Prime Minister and foreign secretary, are as one, that we aspire to be a global leader in soft power and in development, and we will recover back up to 0. 7 | as soon the fiscal sItuation allows. I mps have questioned the governments handling of the case facing Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, following news the iranian authorIties have sentenced the dual brItish iranian national to a further 12 months in jail. The mother of one has already been in prison for five years. At the heart of this tragic case is the Prime Ministers dismal failure to release my constItuent, and to stand up for her, and his devastating blunder in 2017, when he was foreign secretary, when he exposed his complete ignorance of this tragic case and put more harm in nazanin� s way. Her Anger And Frustration is misdirected, because Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe and the other brItish dual nationals held in arbItrary detention are being held by iran. It is on them. Mps have attacked proposals allowing police to put restrictions on protests. Demonstrators had taken to the streets in recent weeks as part of a movement to kill the bill. Theyre objecting to the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, which proposes giving police in england and wales more power to impose condItions on non violent protests, including those which are deemed too noisy or a nuisance. Ministers argue the changes are needed to tackle demonstrations like those by extinction rebellion, where mass occupations on roads and bridges stretch police resources to the limIt. There are loony Lefty Walkie Caulkie social media accounts out there that would have you believe the government were removing any meaningful right to protest. Im sure those who took the time to look at the detail would be aware thats not the case. The right to protest remains rightfully protected and the vast majorIty of protest and protesters will be entirely unaffected by these measures. Because of the right to protest we now have a moratorium on tracking. Because of the right to protest, the uks Anti Apartheid was kept on the brItish polItical agenda. And lets not forget because of the right to protest, women achieved the right to vote. Bell rings. The government has no plans to force cyclists to put bells on their bikes. Peers argued that silent cyclists were a danger to pedestrians, particularly those wIth sight problems. Some time ago i had a near encounter wIth a cyclist. He didnt have A Bell and i didnt see him coming. But an accident was avoided because he shouted ding, ding, as he approached me. Well, Its argued cyclists should not rely unduly on bells as a means of avoiding hazards. In almost every case, Its the only warning the pedestrian has. Surely, all cyclists should be required to have bells on their bicycles and should not be allowed On The Road wIthout them. My lords, the government is not about to mandate bells on bicycles. We do feel that would be disproportionate and any enforcement would be unlikely to be a police priorIty. Because what we do feel though is that cyclists need to take responsibilIty for their actions, and sometimes a lIttle Ding Ding on A Bell on a bridleway is perfectly fine, but my lords, if youre travelling in central london, Ding Ding on A Bell will get you nowhere and in those circumstances a shout wIth the voices is probably much more preferable. So im afraid the government will not be mandating bells at the moment. Now, a minister has told mps that former sub postmasters and postmistresses wrongly convicted of offences must be fairly compensated as quickly as possible. Hundreds were prosecuted for theft, fraud and false accounting because of the Post Offices defective Horizon Accounting system. 39 had their convictions overturned by the court of appeal. The Business Minister made a statement to mp5. Thejudgement last week will require careful consideration by all involved. The government wants to see all postmasters whose convictions have been overturned fairly compensated as quickly as possible, and we will work wIth the Post Office towards this goal. This is the largest legal miscarriage of justice in our History. 900 false prosecutions, each one Its own story of persecution, fear and despair, careers ruined, families destroyed, Reputations Smashed and lives lost innocent people bankrupted and imprisoned. In september, the government announced an enquiry under ex high Courtjudge Sir wyn williams, but Chi 0nwurah Wanted A Statutory Public Enquiry wIth the power to compel wItnesses to look into the affair. While we have the greatest respect for sir williams, his enquiry has no real powers and key questions about compensation and criminal prosecutions of postmasters and the responsibilIty of civil servants and government, are outside Its remIt. As such, the enquiry is toothless and may even lead to a whItewash. WIth statutory enquiries under the inquiries act 2015 . 2005, the average length of a statutory enquiry has been nearly 3. 5 years and that is a long time. We want to make sure that we get the answers now. The minister stated that the chair of the Post Office ltd has apologised but i note wIth regret there is no direct apology from this government. Yet again this government is acting as though the Post Office has absolutely nothing to do wIth them. Can i remind the minister that the government is the single shareholder of Post Office ltd and civil servants should serve on the board, and therefore It must apologise, and in fact, the Prime Ministers should apologise . A Labour Backbencherjoined Calls for a public enquiry. The guilty people need to be exposed. Now, i know the minister has said that he is trying but alas, having dealt wIth numerous ministers over the last 10 years, i think his name is going to be added to the board of useless ministers, which we have seen over the last few years dealing wIth this. Action now, minister, not more words. Paul scully said Kevan Jones was talking about something that happened over 20 years and expecting It to be fixed in three days. Now, a Conservative Peer has compared new powers compelling stormont to implement Abortion Laws to adolf Itlers-euthanasia-program'>HItlers Euthanasia Program against disabled people. Peers were Debating Regulations that would make polIticians and Health Service commissioners in Northern Ireland adopt changes to the rules which were passed by Westminster Mps while the assembly was inactive in 2019. It is tragic that despIte the immense sacrifices of my grandparents� generation who fought and died in the war that the Eugenicist Poison that informed adolf Itlers-euthanasia-program'>HItlers Euthanasia Program against disabled Human Beings is now informing Government Policy and being imposed on the people of Northern Ireland. What were talking about here today is about the provision, the legal provision of services which are locally accessible to women and girls who need them. Its part of an ongoing debate between those of us who believe that women and girls are capable and have the right to make informed choices about their reproductive health, informed by health practItioners who wish to guarantee their safety, and those who do not. And i have to say to the noble Lord Shinkwin that there was much that i took exception to in his speech, and i do not have time today to address those issues but i do hope that the house will return to some of the very serious allegations that he made. But Lord Shinkwin had support from other peers who also opposed changing the rules, arguing the move threatens devolution. If this proposed intervention my | lords by the Secretary Of State | i for Northern Ireland is allowedl as required through the approval of these regulations then a dangerous precedent is set, whereby the Uk Government can legislate directly on devolved i matters whenever It likes. For the government, lord younger explained why the regulations were needed. Over a year after the relations came into force, women and girls in Northern Ireland are still unable to access high Ity-abortion'>QualIty Abortion and Postabortion Care in Northern Ireland. Regulations. And the commissioning of full Abortion Services consistent wIth the condItions set out in the 2020 regulations. My lords, It has still not happened. He said women were still having to travel to england and wales to access Abortion Services, and when It came to the vote, three attempts to stop the regulations coming into force were overwhelmingly defeated. Now, wIth the Clock Ticking towards The End of the current parliamentary session, mps and peers were trying to agree on the last few contentious issues in three proposed new laws. On tuesday, peers finally gave way on the final Sticking Point in the domestic Abuse Bill as the government promised stronger action against stalkers and people wIth a History of domestic abuse. Peers had wanted abusers in england and wales put on a register of offenders. Labors lady royall, who had been pressing for tougher measures, seemed satisfied by last minute negotiations. The minister has made many commItments for which i am grateful. We will of course continue to follow their realisation closely, and in a years time, my noble friends and i will table a debate to enable a Progress Report where, and we expect to see the number of murders greatly diminished. In the commons, mps urged peers to think again on the overseas operations bill. The government rejected a call from The Lords to place a legal duty of care on ministers for Service Personnel involved in investigations or lItigation arising from overseas operations. The new armed Forces Minister argued the Amendment Wasnt needed. As i said previously, the mod takes very seriously Its duty of care for Service Personnel and veterans. Over the years we have established a comprehensive range of legal, pastoral, welfare and mental Health Support for Service Personnel and veterans. Mps backed the government, pushing the bill back to the House Of Lords where the next day peers finally backed down, clearing the way for the legislation to protect Service Personnel and veterans from Vexatious Prosecutions for incidents during conflict overseas to become law. But there was still a final big disagreement between the two houses over the Fire Safety Bill. On tuesday It was rejected for a fourth time by the House Of Lords. Peers voted once again to put into the bill a measure to ensure that leaseholders and tenants in england and wales didnt have to meet the cost of Fire Safety Work needed to avoid a repeat of the grenfell tower disaster. Their insistence on The Point meant the bill had to go back to the commons again where the minister claimed the idea woudln� T Help leaseholders. We have seen the key elements of this amendment time and time again. And this house has voted them down, time and time again. Yet time and time again, peers and the opposItion, i trust unintentionally, seem set on reinjecting uncertainty into the market which cannoT Help leaseholders. Although some tories had previously rebelled on The Point, this time, the government won by a majorIty of 66, so It was off to The Lords for a final showdown. A Lib Dem tried one last time to get the change through, pressing the amendment to a vote for a fifth time. Those who have lIterally built this catastrophe walk away wIth their billions of profIts. The government has a duty to protect Its cItizens. It is Its prime duty, yet here we are today wIth perhaps A Million of our fellow cItizens being thrown to the ravages of financial bankruptcy, and the government washes Its hands and looks the other way. But not enough peers supported the Lady Pinnock so her amendment fell and the Fire Safety Bill finally passed wIthout that exemption for leaseholders. And wIth that last piece of legislation finished, the stage was set for prorogation. This ceremony marks The End of the parliamentary session, clearing the way for the Queens Speech on the 11th Of May, setting out the new laws the government wants to pass in the next year or so. Privy counsello rs appointed by The Queen arrived in The Lords Privy Counsellors appointed by The Queen arrived in The Lords to form the royal commission. Theres some hat doffing ceremonial, and as wIth the Queens Speech, black rod, The Lords senior official, is dispatched to be commons to summon mps to the upper house. The tItles of the acts that have been passed by parliament are read out and the clark of the parliament replies in norman french. La reyne le veult. Which roughly translates as, � The Queen wishes It. � once the bills have been read out in The Lords, the same announcement is repeated by the speaker in the house of commons, and this session of parliament is over. Which means well be away for a few days too. But do join David Cornock On Tuesday the 11th Of May when parliament returns wIth the slightly scaled down ceremony of the Queens Speech, when the governments new legislative plans are unveiled. But for now, from me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye. It isa It is a familiar story again today, cool for the time of year, again some sunshine and showers, take you back to earlier this morning where It was generally sunny, few showers. A short time ago you can see the extent of cloud, showers as well. Some of those heavy wIth hail and thunder. Some downpours across some parts of wales, showers fewer later in the day, continuing to bring heavy perhaps font ratio was four eastern parts of england and scotland. Temperatures no higher than 1314 c. Scotland. Temperatures no higher than 13 14 c. Showers decay during this evening, Clear Skies for a while, looking out to the west, cloud increasing, winter picking up, dragging some rain into Northern Ireland. Frost more limIted till i teach them Scotland And North east of england, whether changing out to the west. This is what is heading our way for Bank Holiday monday, deepening area of low pressure, wind strengthening, pushing End Rain from the west as well. Not until late in the west as well. Not until late in the day we will see rain in the East Anglia and southeast and northern Scotland Escape largely dry, once the rain arrives It could turn out to be quIte heavy, in the west more showery later, low pressure driving the wetter windy weather. Strongest wind in south, picking up two 15 60 mph around some coastal areas. Cloud and rain moving in, pointing to a chilly feeling Bank Holiday monday. Staying windy into the evening and overnight as well. We will take away most of that whIte weather wIth the area of low pressure, but we are left wIth some windy condItions for tuesday morning, especially down those naughty coasts. Wind easing, showers and longer spells of rain On Tuesday, wintriness in the hills of scotland. Tempjust in Northern Scotland. Tempjust in Northern Scotland seven celsius, far south where It has dryer could sneak up to 12, maybe 13 celsius. A lot of showers around during tuesday, wednesday, low pressure further away, air still coming from the north. That is dragging in cold air, a cold week ahead. There will not be as many showers around to start on wednesday, could start wIth a touch of frost. Some wintry showers breaking out in scotland, showers down the eastern side of england. Further west, dry, down the eastern side of england. Furtherwest, dry, more in down the eastern side of england. Further west, dry, more in the way of sunshine, still called for the time of year, temperatures around 911 C. Still time of year, temperatures around 9 11 c. Still cold. This is Bbc News im Ben Mundy the latest headlines. People in england may not need to self isolate if theyve been in close contact wIth someone wIth covid. Daily rapid tests will be offered as an alternative to ten days quarantine. Its been particularly difficult for children, often self isolating from a contact in their Year Group they have never actually seen or met, and they are off school for an extra ten days. So, i think this is a really posItive step. India has recorded Its highest number of coronavirus deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic. A national day of mourning in israel, after 45 people were killed by a crush at a jewish festival early on friday. Surgery in the womb, a pioneering procedure to repair a Babys Spine while still in Its Mothers Womb continues despIte pandemic pressures