Rishi Sunak spent his afternoon being grilled by a powerful committee of MPs as he marks six months since his flagship “five pledges”.
The PM often looked uncomfortable at times as he was quizzed by senior backbenchers at the Commons Liaison Committee on issues such as a rise in migrant crossings by small boat across the Channel, the cost of living crisis and inflation.
Mr Sunak has staked his premiership on delivering the pledges. But his plan - and the Tories’ election hopes - are being hampered by economic reality, NHS strikes and the weather.
The PM sat for an hour and a half before making a sharp exit. Here we take a look at seven highlights from the session.
The PM has no idea when he'll stop the boats
Perhaps the section that made for the most painful watching was Mr Sunak getting grilled on his pledge to stop small boats from crossing the channel.
The PM swerved questioning on his pledge to stop the small boats as he was grilled by a powerful committee of MPs yesterday.
In January, he promised to stop migrants crossing the Channel in inflatables and in June, he insisted his plan was "starting to work" after figures from the start of the year were down compared to 2022.
But experts warned numbers had been skewed by bad weather.
On Monday figures revealed a record number of migrants crossed the channel for the month of June. Some 3,824 migrants arrived by boat last month, compared with 3,140 in the same month last year.
Challenged at the Commons Liaison committee about when he would meet his pledge, he signalled it depends on a court ruling on the government's plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.
The High Court originally ruled it was legal, but the Court of Appeal last week ruled the plan unlawful.
Ministers are refusing to back down, with the row now set to be settled in the Supreme Court.
Pressed on when he would be able to fulfil his pledge, the PM said: "Obviously the court will have to determine its own ruling and that is outside the government's hands.
"But in the meantime, we can get on with a range of other things. As I said, we've talked about the deal in Albania."
The PM agreed a deal with Albania in December to cut illegal migration from the country.
With his flagship Rwanda policy having been ruled unlawful just last week, Mr Sunak attempted to boast about a deal made with Albania to reduce migration from the country.
But Dame Diana Johnson, chair of the Home Affairs committee, highlighted a large number of those in June came from Afghanistan.
A frustrated Ms Johnson said: "Yes, you've talked about the deal with Albania quite a lot."
"Why are people going hungry, Prime Minister?”
Rishi Sunak was embroiled in a fiery clash over the cost-of-living crisis today as “terrified” families struggle to put food on the table and battle the mortgage crisis.
Grilled by the Commons Liaison Committee of senior backbenchers, he outlined what the Government was doing to ease households’ plight as living standards are hammered.
But, in testy exchanges, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North Cat McKinnell fumed: “One in seven are cutting back or going without food because of a lack of money currently.
“That’s one in four in my region of the North East. What level of food insecurity does the Government assess is acceptable in this country?”
He claimed: “I don’t want anybody to live in food insecurity.”
As he pointed to support with energy bills and, “for the most vulnerable families … they will receive direct cost-of-living support through the welfare system”.
Ms McKinnell hit back: “So why are people going hungry, Prime Minister?”
The Tory leader suggested people may be spending cash on things other than food - casting doubt on their priorities.
“All the money that people are receiving can be used for whatever they deem is most important to them, including food,” he claimed.
He was also ambushed over the mortgage crisis, with Ms McKinnell warning him: “Millions are currently terrified about what’s going to happen with their mortgage when it comes up for review.”
PM defends the 'blob' in dig at group of fellow Tories
Rishi Sunak denied claims that a "blob" of civil servants is hindering ministers' efforts to govern.
He was asked by Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee chairman William Wragg if he recognised "alarming reports of a 'blob' wandering down Whitehall thwarting ambitions of ministers".
The Prime Minister told the Commons Liaison Committee: "No. It doesn't come from me. I've always been supported by incredibly hard-working and diligent civil servants who responded to what I needed and worked all hours day and night to deliver what I've wanted."
Asked about talk of "blobonomics" by former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry, Mr Sunak said: "Ultimately the elected government of the day is responsible for the policies it is putting forward."
The term "blobonomics" is regularly used by Conservatives to criticise lawyers, regulators, trades’ unions, civil servants and quangos for slow progress on reform.
Mr Sunak was very keen to distance himself from the views.
Senior MP tears into Sunak for missing PMQs and Partygate vote
Sir Chris Bryant tore into Rishi Sunak for skipping Prime Minister's Questions - and dodging a key vote into a damning probe into Boris Johnson's lies about Partygate.
The senior Labour backbencher demanded to know why Mr Sunak failed to make an announcement about the long-awaited NHS Workforce plan in Parliament first.
"Oh come off it Prime Minister," he said, as Mr Sunak tried to claim it was the NHS's plan rather than the Government.
The pair clashed after it emerged the PM was skipping PMQs this week and next to attend a service in honour of the NHS tomorrow, and a Nato summit next week.
"Is he suggesting I shouldn't attend the Nato summit on behalf of the UK as previous PMs have done," Mr Sunak asked.
But he admitted he didn't know when a PM had last missed two PMQs in a row.
Sir Chris retorted: "We're talking about your respect for Parliament."
He said Mr Sunak missed the vote on Mr Johnson's Partygate lies - which Mr Sunak ditched to attend a charity dinner.
He said the PM also skipped a 2020 vote to rip up standards rules to block the suspension of Owen Paterson, who was found to have used his position to lobby for two private companies.
Sir Chris said: "On two rule-breaking moments you chose not to be in Parliament but yesterday you opined on the rules of cricket. Take us through that."
The PM replied: "I chose to fulfil my obligation to an incredible charity."
Mr Sunak admitted that he hadn't read the full report into the 7 Tory MPs accused of undermining the Commons Privileges Committee investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament about Partygate.
"I've read the findings, I haven't read it from cover to cover," Mr Sunak said.
Sir Chris said: "It's about three pages long."
He said Mr Sunak took a view on one of the MPs - Zac Goldsmith - who quit as a minister last week with a blast at Mr Sunak's "apathy" on net zero.
The PM accused the Conservative peer of quitting rather than apologising for trying to undermine the Boris Johnson probe.
Mr Sunak said this was because Lord Goldsmith was a minister.
Sunak suggests teachers could be replaced by Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been at the top of the news agenda in recent months - and it was clear Mr Sunak was more relaxed talking about the topic.
On the benefits of AI, the Prime Minister spoke of the possibility of tackling "incurable diseases like cancer and dementia or new ways to grow crops".
Most notably he suggested teachers could essentially be replaced by AI - as he said tutoring "in the physical sense" is hard to scale up.
Speaking about what AI could bring to different parts of society, Mr Sunak said: "In education, the opportunity to reduce workload for teachers, whether its lesson planning or marking but then also provide personalised tuition for children... because we know that that more personalised approach to learning has huge benefits for children, particularly disadvantaged children
"Tutoring in the physical sense is hard to scale but the technology allows us to provide that and I think that would be transformational."
But he acknowledged the need for countries to work together as he said the world is "a long way" from establishing an alliance on AI that includes nations such as China and Russia.
The PM highlighted "large-scale societal shifts", risk of "misuse", and "national security risks".
He said the "existential risk" of AI must be taken seriously because "there's just a lack of understanding at this point about what the potential of these models might be".
PM laughs off whether he'd issue resignation honours
Rishi Sunak awkwardly laughed off a question about whether he would issue a resignation honours list if he is ousted from No10 at the next general election.
Under questioning at the Commons Liaison Committee, the PM said "it's not something I'm focused on" when questioned by the Tory MP William Wragg.
Mr Sunak also didn't rule out rubber-stamping his 49-day predecessor Liz Truss's list that is said to include up to a dozen close allies for peerages and gongs.
Just last month he faced anger after approving disgraced ex-PM Boris Johnson's list - just days before he was found to have deliberately misled MPs over the Partygate scandal.
Mr Johnson doled out honours to cronies and Partygate aides, including a gong for a top civil servant who told staff to "bring your own booze" to a No10 event during lockdown.
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The shamed ex-Prime Minister handed a knighthood to Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Damehood to Priti Patel and a string of accolades to officials who were at the centre of lockdown-busting bashes in Downing Street.
Labour branded it a "sickening insult" that people caught up in the Partygate scandal had been handed gongs.
PM says NATO must declare long-term support for Ukraine
NATO should issue a "multilateral declaration of support for Ukraine into the long term", Mr Sunak demanded .
The Prime Minister said the move would be “beneficial” and "send a strong signal" to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "his efforts are in vain".
“There are various different shapes and forms that can take, those conversations are happening,” he said.
“The purpose of that declaration - assuming it can be something that gathers broad support - is to demonstrate that support for Ukraine will be in place for the long term.”
Kremlin tyrant Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine in February last year, sparking a full-scale war.
Appearing in front of the Commons Liaison Committee of senior MPs a week before NATO leaders meet in Lithuania, Mr Sunak said the Government wanted Ukraine inside the alliance.
But he stressed the coalition is a "consensus organisation".
"I've said previously... that Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO,” said Mr Sunak.
“But the alliance works by consensus so we will have to work together with our allies.”
He hopes the meeting of leaders from the 31-nation alliance in the capital Vilnius will be a show of strength against Putin.
“Ultimately he should recognise that we, the coalition of the willing who are defending principles of territorial integrity and the UN Charter, are not going to go away and will continue to give Ukraine the support it needs, and the means to defend itself against current and future aggression.”
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