Prior to the Prime Minister’s statement Sir Lindsay Hoyle referred to the Ministerial Code which states that a copy of the text of an oral statement should usually be shown to the Opposition shortly before it is made.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will investigate how part of his statement on defence spending was leaked to the media after the Speaker of the House of Commons questioned why parts of the document were redacted.
When she stood to speak, Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch thanked the Prime Minister for the “partial copy of his statement”, adding: “Now that I have heard the unredacted bits, I must welcome his response and his fulsome support for Ukraine.”.
Sir Lindsay told MPs: “The Ministerial Code says the text of statements should be provided in advance to the Opposition and to the Speaker.
“I spoke to you this morning, Mr Speaker, I would not be discourteous to you or to the Leader of the Opposition in that way, or to the House.
