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Keir Starmer appeared to make a dig at US Vice President JD Vance in an emotional tribute to brave British troops during PMQs. In his first grilling by MPs since his diplomatic blitz on the

world stage, the PM paid tribute to the 642 British individuals who died fighting alongside our allies in Afghanistan and Iraq. "We will never forget their bravery and their

sacrifice," he said. The sombre opening appeared to be a jibe at Mr Vance, who yesterday appeared to brand the "some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 years".

The Prime Minister was also questioned by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch for the first time since his whirlwind trip to meet with Donald Trump in the White House last week. She raised concerns

with the PM about British troops fighting in Ukraine - and about the UK being drawn into conflict with Russia. Mr Starmer said this is the "last thing anybody wants to see" and is

the "whole point" of ensuring there's a lasting peace deal. Since Mr Starmer's visit, the world has watched in shock as events have chaotically unfolded. Notably Mr Trump

and his sidekick JD Vance launched an embarrassing diatribe on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, days before they suspended all military aid to the war-torn country.

Tensions appeared to settle in the last 24 hours with Mr Trump welcoming a letter from Mr Zelensky to smooth things over. The Ukrainian President wrote that he is ready to sign a minerals

agreement "at any time" with the US. Mr Starmer has been in constant conversation with both men - and has been leading the front in Europe with French President Emmanuel Macron.

MPs on Monday displayed a rare united front in the Commons in praising the PM's response to the fast-moving situation. _CATCH UP ON OUR LIVE UPDATES FROM PMQS BELOW..._ 13:27Sophie

Huskisson CATCH UP ON OUR PMQS COVERAGE You can catch up on our PMQs coverage elsewhere, as this live blog is now closed. Here are some of our top stories: Keir Starmer made a veiled swipe

at US Vice President JD Vance in an emotional tribute to brave British troops during PMQs. Read the full story here. Kemi Badenoch has warned that the UK could be drawn into conflict with

Russia if it sends a peacekeeping force. Read the full story here. 12:34Sophie Huskisson PM ASKED ABOUT ANDREW TATE In his second question, Sir Ed asks if the PM will request an urgent

extradition of Andrew Tate to the UK so he can stand trail against accusations of rape and human traffiicking. Mr Starmer said he can't go into detail because it is a live case but

says: “The principle is absolutely clear, justice must be done in all cases, including this case." 12:28Sophie Huskisson SIR ED DAVEY ASKS IF US IS 'RELIABLE ALLY' Sir Ed

Davey asks the PM if the US is "reliable ally" after saying a mineral deal with Ukraine is the only security guarantee on the table - despite Mr Starmer himself saying such a deal

by itself was not a sufficient guarantee. He presses whether the PM can still consider the US such an ally, especially after it since suspended all military aid to Ukraine and banned the UK

from sharing military intelligence with Ukraine. The PM insists the US is a reliable ally and said the UK works "very closely" with the US on defence, security and on intelligence.

12:21Sophie Huskisson PM DRAWS LAUGHS WITH DIG AT KEMI BADENOCH In her final question Ms Badenoch asks about farmers’ protests over inheritance tax changes and asks the PM to change course

so we can have economic security. Mr Starmer draws laughs from MPs as he says “we were doing so well”, after a calm exchange in which the pair continuously agreed with each other. He says he

inherited economic insecurity from the Tories and that Labour now has higher investment coming into our economy. 12:18Sophie Huskisson PM ASKED ABOUT US TARIFFS Kemi Badenoch asks the PM

about concerns about possible US tariffs on Britain after Donald Trump followed through with his threat to slap tariffs on goods imported from China, Canada and Mexico. Mr Starmer says he

spoke to Donald Trump about an economic deal between the UK and US where they agreed their teams would "rapidly" sit down to hash out one out. "As she rightly says, that is

far better than gettin drawn into conflict in relation to tariffs," he adds. 12:12Sophie Huskisson 'BURDEN' ON BRITAIN Ms Badenoch asks the PM whether she agrees with her that

without the US, "this country's greatest all", any peace agreement would place "the terrible burden on Britain". The PM agrees with her "wholeheartedly"

and says we need to ensure that the US, UK and Europe and Ukraine are working together. He adds: "But we must not choose between the US and Europe." 12:08KEY EVENT KEMI BADENOCH

ASKS ABOUT BRITISH TROOPS FIGHTING IN UKRAINE Kemi Badenoch asks the PM about British troops fighting in Ukraine - and raises fears about the UK being drawn into conflict with Russia. Mr

Starmer said this is the "last thing anybody wants to see" and is the "whole point" of ensuring there's a lasting peace deal. 12:06KEY EVENT PM PUSHBACKS ON JD VANCE

COMMENTS Keir Starmer began PMQs by paying tribute to the 642 Briitsh individuals who died fighting alongside our allies in Afghanistan and Iraq. "We will never forget their bravery

and their sacrifice," he said. His sombre opening appears a dig at JD Vance, who yesterday appeared to brand the "some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30

years". 11:47Sophie Huskisson MPS UNITED ON UKRAINE In response to Keir Starmer's Commons statement on Ukraine on Monday, MPs from across political parties united in their support

of the PM. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch backed the PM's decisison to boost defence spending by slashing the aid budget and former former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Mr Starmer

had "not put a foot wrong" over the weekend. 11:08Sophie Huskisson US BAN ON UK INTELLIGENCE SHARING TO UKRAINE STIRS ROW The Lib Dems have this morning urged the Defence Secretary

to encourage Donald Trump to drop his ban on the UK sharing US intelligence with Ukraine. Keir Starmer could be asked about the issue by the party's leader Sir Ed Davey, who will

question him at PMQs. In a statement, Lib Dem Defence spokeswoman Helen Maguire said: “Trump’s decision to block the UK from sharing American intelligence with our Ukrainian allies is

callous and short-sighted. He’s pulling the rug from beneath the feet of the courageous Ukrainian soldiers defending their country, while emboldening Putin further. "When he travels to

Washington, the Defence Secretary needs to raise this urgently with Pete Hegseth so that intelligence sharing can be restored, as well as the supply of US military aid. Anything less will

result in more Ukrainian deaths at the hands of Putin’s brutal war machine.” 11:04Sophie Huskisson DISQUIET ON LABOUR BENCHES OVER AID CUTS Keir Starmer may face fury from his own Labour

benches over his desicion to slash international aid to increase defence spending. The PM was last week rocked after Anneliese Dodds quit as international development minister following the

decision. Other Labour MPs have written a letter voicing their concerns about the devastating impact of slashing the aid Budget. 10:57Sophie Huskisson WELFARE CUTS RUMOURS Keir Starmer could

also be grilled on the economy - exactly three weeks ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spring financial statement. The PM may be asked questions about reports that Ms Reeves is

expected to slash billions from the welfare bill and other government budgets as she battles to balance the books. The Treasury is putting its proposals to the Office for Budget

Responsibility (OBR) on Wednesday ahead of its Spring forecast on March 26. The Chancellor’s room for manoeuvre is believed to have been wiped out by global uncertainty and sluggish economic

growth. A Government source told the BBC: "Clearly the world has changed a lot since the autumn Budget. People are watching that change happen before their eyes." 10:50Sophie

Huskisson KEIR STARMER GRILLING AS DONALD TRUMP SOFTENS Keir Starmer faces a grilling at PMQs today as Ukraine peace talks hang in the balance. Overnight, Donald Trump appeared to soften his

stance towards Volodymyr Zelensky, after the Ukrainian leader said it was "time to make things right" following the ugly scenes in the Oval Office last week. In an address to

Congress last night, the US president suggested Ukraine was ready to sign a minerals deal "at any time". He said he has had "strong signals" from Russia that Moscow is

ready for peace, adding: "Wouldn't that be beautiful?" European leaders are scrambling to hammer out a peace deal to hand to President Trump.