Image source, Parliament TV

It was First Secretary of State Louise Haigh's first time at the despatch box today as she faced MPs at deputy PMQs in the prime minister's absence.

Labour's plans to bring down the benefits bill was the focus of this Commons session, as Haigh fielded questions on last week's Budget. Here's a recap of what we heard:

• On welfare, Haigh said Labour is "committed to keeping the benefits bill down" but didn't specificy when this will happen
• Asked by Tory deputy leader Alex Burghart if the government would promise not to put up taxes to cover increasing costs, Haigh replied: "We cannot afford to pay for failure and must invest in success"
• Burghart said this shows the government knows what needs to be done but they don't "have the bottle to do it"
• On the US war with Iran, Haigh said "de-escalation" remains an absolute priority, noting the war has been "catastrophic" for the cost of living crisis
• Meanwhile, Burnham, who was away meeting Commonwealth leaders in the Carribean, told broadcasters "the world has an opporunity to unite" on tackling the cost of living, following the US midterm results - you can follow our coverage on the midterms here

This live page is now closed, but you can read more on the PM's visit to Antigua here.

Image source, BBC/UK Pool

Speaking to broadcasters from the Commonwealth leaders summit, the prime minister says the US midterm results show "the world has an opportuntiy to unite" on addressing the cost of living.

US voters have showed they want a "laser-like" focus on cost of living issues, the PM says.

Asked whether he thought the results might make President Trump more unpredictable, Burnham says: “President Trump has accepted the results, and I feel the world has an opportunity now to unite around the issue that is affecting us all, and that’s the cost of living."

Reflecting on similar problems facing the UK, he adds that he "can't get people's cost of living pressures down until the conflict in the Middle East is resolved".

He also mentions the war in Ukraine, adding that "these are the things we have to focus on now, and I hope the world has a moment to do that".

At this week's deputy PMQs, Louise Haigh told MPs that the government will bring the benefit's bill down by "tackling the long-term drivers of welfare spending".

She added that Labour will do this by "bringing down housing costs" and making support "more conditional on taking up opportunities".

Chancellor John Healey and Prime Minister Andy Burnham have both spoken of their desire for the welfare bill to come down "the Labour way". But the government has not yet laid out a timetable for any reductions.

As we've reported, welfare spending was forecast to increase from £353bn this year to £431bn in 2031/2032, according to official documents released alongside last week's Budget.

BBC Verify has taken a look at the numbers behind this issue and some of the difficult options the government faces to bring down welfare costs. You can read more on that here.

Vicki Young
Politics Live presenter

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Speaking on BBC Politics Live after PMQs, the chair of the Labour Party, Bridget Phillipson, insisted Labour will set out measures to bring the welfare bill down.

However, she refused to say when spending on welfare will start to come down and sought to blame the situation on previous Conservative governments.

Joy Morrissey, the Conservative shadow women and equalities minister, rejected this responsibilty, blaming increases in national insurance and changes to employment rights for the increasing numbers of unemployed young people.

Today's deputy PMQs session, which occurred just one week after Chancellor John Healey's Budget, largely centred around welfare spending.

Opponents raised concerns over the lack of details on welfare reform in the Budget, after welfare spending was forecast to increase from £353bn this year to £431bn in 2031/32.

Healey was then asked by the Today Programme on Radio 4 whether there would be a cut to the benefits bill before the next general election, to which he said: "There will be, there will be a reduction in the benefits bill, we'll do that in a Labour way."

However, several Treasury sources took issue with this being interpreted as a promise to do so by the next election, with one suggesting Healey was explicitly attempting to avoid that impression being left.

As our political editor Chris Mason reported last week, this suggests, instead, that ministers are not committed to cutting the benefits bill by the next election.

When the prime minister isn't able to take part in Prime Minister's Questions - usually because of an official engagement - their deputy or another senior minister will stand in for them.

Today it was senior cabinet minister Louise Haigh who took on that role, while Andy Burnham attends a meeting with Commonwealth leaders in the Caribbean.

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Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

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Tory deputy leader Alex Burghart chose the government's welfare spending as his line of attack during his appearance at Prime Minister's Questions this week.

First Secretary of State Louise Haigh said the government is "committed" to bringing the benefits bill down, but doesn't give a time frame.

There had been some confusion about whether it will come down in this Parliament - but it seems clear now the government isn’t making that commitment, political correspondent Nick Eardley writes.

Burghart said the bill is "higher now than it's ever been before" at £183bn, while Haigh said the government has "committed to legislate" on bringing it down.

Burghart wasn't convinced. He claimed Labour "doesn't have the bottle" to do it.

He also asked if the government can promise not to put up taxes to cover increasing costs. Haigh said they "cannot afford to pay for failure and must invest in success."

Image source, UK Parliament

Back to Cooper, of the Lib Dems, who references the US midterm election results.

She says as well as the "economic turmoil", the American people have sent a message that they are "sick of Trump's scandals".

She asks Haigh whether the government will commit to assisting "any and all inquiries that the new Democratic Congress may launch".

Responding, Haigh says Cooper is "right to highlight the importance, always, of challenging power".

• For context: Democrats took control from Republicans of both the House and the Senate in the midterms - you can follow our ongoing live coverage of the elections here.

Lib Dems criticise Donald Trump as Haigh questioned over war in Iranpublished at 12:33 GMT

12:33 GMT

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

If you regularly watch PMQs, you’ll know the Lib Dems often use their questions to criticise Donald Trump.

The party's leader, Ed Davey, isn’t here today, but his deputy, Daisy Cooper, continues that theme after the US midterm elections. She also calls for more strikes in Iran to be ruled out.

Louise Haigh doesn’t criticise the president, but does agree the war in Iran has been “catastrophic” for the cost of living.

Image source, UK Parliament

Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, is standing in for party leader Ed Davey today.

She says US President Donald Trump has renewed threats of strikes on Iran - and she calls on the Labour government to stand with its allies and say there must be no more strikes.

Louise Haigh says the US is one of the UK's "most important allies", and that de-escalation is the government's "absolute" priority.

She says the war in the Middle East has been "catastrophic" for the cost of living crisis, and says opposition parties "including the Tories and Reform should consider very carefully their judgement in calling for us to jump so readily into it".

Alex Burghart says the "Labour way is more tax, more welfare and more borrowing".

He adds that the government knows what needs to be done but they don't "have the bottle to do it".

"If Labour doesn't want to do the right thing, why doesn't it get out of the way?" he asks.

Haigh replies that few governments have delivered the scale of change that Labour has in its first 100 days, pointing to tax changes and other policies including changing bus fares, business rates, and help with energy bills.

"The only government that has had more of an impact in a shorter space of time was the one he served in under Liz Truss", she quips.

Image source, UK Parliament

Burghart next says the government isn't going to fix welfare and that Haigh led the rebellion against Keir Starmer's "very modest" welfare reform.

He asks if the government can promise not to put up taxes to cover increasing costs.

Haigh responds by saying: "We cannot afford to pay for failure and must invest in success."

The first secretary of state says the government will tackle the drivers of welfare spending such as housing costs.

Burghart stays on welfare, asking if the government can commit to reducing "the highest welfare bill ever" as part of its 10 year plan.

Haigh says no matter how many times he asks, she'll answer the same way. The first secretary of state says the government is already taking steps to take the welfare bill down, "and will take further" steps.

"We've committed to legislate," she adds.

She criticises the "messes" the Conservatives left the Labour government, including welfare, defence, immigration and the economy.

Image source, UK Parliament

Alex Burghart says it's telling Louise Haigh doesn't want to answer a question about the welfare bill.

Burghart says the bill is "higher now than it's ever been before" at £183bn, which he adds is higher than during the Covid pandemic and, higher than spending on defence, schools, and policing.

He asks whether the government will commit to bringing the bill down this Parliament, to which Haigh replies that the government has been "clear" the bill "will come down" - although doesn't specify when.

She adds that they've made changes to Universal Credit and other welfare policies.

Labour plans to bring welfare bill down - but it's unclear whenpublished at 12:12 GMT

12:12 GMT

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Welfare has been a regular issue of discussion in recent weeks.

Note the chancellor is sitting beside Louise Haigh in the chamber.

She says the government is committed to bringing the welfare bill down, but it’s not clear when.

There has been some confusion about whether it will come down in this parliament - but it seems clear now the govt isn’t making that commitment.

Image source, UK Parliament

Louise Haigh congratulates Burghart on his elevation to deputy leader of the Conservative Party.

The first secretary of state says Burghart recently said it was now his job to tell the leader of the opposition when she was getting things wrong, adding it "must make him the busiest man in Westminster".

She says the government is "committed to keeping the benefits bill down", as well as dealing with the "mess left behind" by the previous Tory government.

Tory deputy leader Alex Burghart begins by talking about the government's welfare spending plans.

He asks: "This year, how much will the government spend on working age welfare?"

Louise Haigh is on her feet for the start of Prime Minister's Questions.

She will face questions from Alex Burghart for the Conservatives.

You can watch live at the top of this page and we'll bring you the key lines here.

Image source, UK Parliament

PMQs has less edge without the PM - but it'll be interesting to see how Haigh farespublished at 12:01 GMT

12:01 GMT

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

If we’re honest, PMQs has a bit less edge to it when the prime minister isn’t here. The chamber often isn’t as busy - and the jeopardy is reduced a bit.

But Louise Haigh is a really interesting person in Andy Burnham’s inner circle.

She runs the cabinet office, which is often described as the engine room of government. It’ll be interesting to see how she does with her first appearance at this session.

She’ll be up against Alex Burghart for the Conservatives.

Away from deputy PMQs, here is a look at what else has happened in UK politics this week:

• Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband insisted the government's openness to the possibility of the UK formally apologising for its role in slavery will not lead to higher costs for British taxpayers
• The UK and EU agreed a draft deal on removing post-Brexit checks from food and agriculture exports ahead of the UK-EU summit later this month
• Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced eligible foreign care workers can get UK settlement after five years, a softening of earlier proposals to make them wait 15 years

• Chancellor John Healey unveiled the first Budget since Andy Burnham became prime minister, which included announcements on energy payments, fuel duty, and the minimum wage

Image source, UK Parliament/PA