Politics LIVE: Keir Starmer to face huge grilling from MPs in major showdown

Hundreds of migrants are heading towards Britain on small boats this morning, it has been reported, as Labour continues to fail at dealing with the crisis.

Read the full story here.

Growth, welfare reforms and health plus international affairs and defence will feature in the Liaison Committee session with Sir Keir Starmer MP ahead of the Easter recess.

Starting at 2.30pm, the session will run for 90 minutes, ending at 4pm.

Chaired by Dame Meg Hillier MP, the Liaison Committee includes all the chairs of select committees in the House of Commons.

The running order of themes and questioning will be determined by the chairs in a private meeting before the session begins.

Sir Keir Starmer will face MPs on Tuesday as market turbulence triggered by Donald Trump’s tariffs showed signs of easing.

The Prime Minister will appear before the Liaison Committee of senior MPs on the last day the Commons sits before it heads into the Easter break.

London’s FTSE 100 share index rose in the first few minutes of trading on Tuesday, as a sense of optimism returned to the financial markets after several days of heavy losses.

The index, which tracks the UK’s top 100 listed companies, was up more than 1% shortly after markets opened on Tuesday.

It follows a more positive session for Asian markets, with some indexes making gains after suffering from steep falls in previous days.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting was slapped down by the BBC’s Nick Robinson this morning, as he floundered after being asked a simple question about the NHS.

The Health Secretary appeared on the daily ministerial broadcast round to boast about his claim that the Government has beaten its target of hiring more GPs.

He floundered when asked whether the number of GPs per head of the population is actually increasing.

Dozens of Labour MPs have been branded hypocrites after it emerged they are attacking Israel for something they previously wanted to happen.

Over the weekend two Labour MPs were blocked from entering the country over claims they were visiting to spread anti-Israeli propaganda.

Labour MPs have been up in arms about the diplomatic incident. However dozens called for Donald Trump to be banned for visiting Britain during his first term in office.

The Express has compiled a list.

The Health Secretary has said the NHS is not part of trade negotiations with the US and that the tariff regime will cause “real pain” for the British economy.

Wes Streeting was asked on ITV’s Good Morning Britain if access to the NHS for American pharmaceuticals could be part of talks on a free trade deal.

He said: “Well, our NHS is not for sale. We’ve always been clear about that, and it won’t surprise you to know that a Labour Government feels that particularly strongly.

“What we do want to do is make sure that, despite being at the best end of President Trump’s tariff regime at the moment, we know that’s going to still come at real pain for British industry and cost the British economy.

“We want an economic partnership agreement, and we are working as fast as we can to see if we can secure that outcome for our country.”

A new health data research service announced this week is a “big opportunity” for the UK but it must ensure that “we as patients are in charge of who can access our data” and that it is “held securely” and “used ethically”, Mr Streeting said.

Asked if the NHS is a “red line” in trade talks, he said: “Well, the NHS is not up for sale. It’s not part of the trade negotiations. That’s not where we are, and the NHS is a publicly-funded public service, free at the point of use.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting will be grilled on NHS England’s reorganisation, including the risk of thousands of job losses, by the Health and Social Care Committee.

His grilling kicks off at 11.30am.

Rachel Reeves will try to be calm about the 10% baseline tariffs America has imposed on Britain when she faces Treasury questions in the Commons at 11.30 am.

It comes as the EU is now considering getting down in the trenches of a trade war by slapping tariffs of up to 25% on US exports in retaliation for Trump’s steel and aluminium levies

Good morning from Westminster where both Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Wes Streeting face various grillings by MPs.

We'll be bringing you the latest from the Houses of Parliament throughout the day.