PMQs LIVE updates as Boris Johnson faces Sir Keir Starmer after barely surviving no confidence vote

Boris Johnson will face a grilling from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and other MPs at Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon. It comes after the PM managed to survive a confidence vote, which saw 41 per cent of his Conservative MPs refuse to support him.

With pressure mounting on the PM to win back much of his own party, his allies are expected to stage a public show of support when he steps up for his weekly questions session at noon today. Mr Johnson has pledged further tax cuts and is under pressure from MPs and ministers to show how he can ease the burden on households and businesses.

However, the range of issues which have caused discontent in the Tory ranks means there is no single response Mr Johnson can make to win over doubters. While it was the Sue Gray report into lockdown parties in Downing Street which prompted the confidence vote, it also revealed deep unhappiness among MPs on different wings of the party across a range of issues, including promised legislation to override the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU.

READ MORE: 'The greatest political challenge to survive': Greater Manchester's Tory MPs on Boris Johnson's no confidence vote survival

Health secretary Sajid Javid said he would “like to see us do more on tax cuts”. He acknowledged the pandemic had resulted in “challenges to the public finances” but told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “I would like to see cuts where they’re possible."

After Mr Johnson insisted on Tuesday it remained a “fundamental Conservative instinct” to cut taxes, Chancellor Rishi Sunak used a speech to the Onward think tank to reaffirm his intention to reduce taxes for business in the autumn. Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph reported that allies of the Prime Minister were urging