Watch again: Raab faces Rayner at deputy edition of PMQs as Boris lands in Saudi

16 March 2022, 11:46 | Updated: 20 October 2022, 11:58

Dominic Raab faces Angela Rayner at Prime Minister's Questions | Watch Live

Dominic Raab and Angela Rayner went head to head in today's Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) after Boris Johnson landed in Saudi Arabia for talks on oil production.

Boris Johnson did not attend the House of Commons on Wednesday as he is on a trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, seeking to boost Gulf oil production to alleviate soaring prices.

He is meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh days after the largest mass execution in the kingdom in modern history.

Read more: 'One hostile regime to another': Fury as PM turns to brutal Saudi regime for gas and oil

Ahead of his trip on Wednesday the Prime Minister declared Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates "key international partners" in efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy after the invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Johnson argued it is necessary to strengthen ties with the nations to tackle Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner accused the Government of going "cap in hand from one dictator to another" by asking Saudi Arabia to produce more oil following the move to divest from Russian fossil fuels.

After facing heckles from the Government benches and a call for order by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle at Deputy Prime Minister's Questions, the deputy leader of the opposition added: "The Government benches have a choice - they can accept Labour's plan to save working families hundreds of pounds on bills funded by a one-off levy on the soaring profits of energy companies.

"So I ask the Deputy Prime Minister - is their only plan to keep on begging?"

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab replied: "Can I just gently say to her that when she was campaigning as the rest of them were to make the member of Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) prime minister, this Prime Minister was foreign secretary, leading the response to the nerve agent attack on Salisbury."

After further calls for order for the Commons Speaker, Mr Raab added that Jeremy Corbyn had "sided with Putin" in the past, and quoted Ms Rayner's past words that Mr Corbyn was a "very strong leader" and could not wait for him to become Prime Minister.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Mr Johnson said the "brutal and unprovoked" war in Ukraine will have far-reaching consequences for the world, well beyond Europe's borders.

"The UK is building an international coalition to deal with the new reality we face," he said.

"The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and starve Putin's addiction to oil and gas.

"Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are key international partners in that effort. We will work with them to ensure regional security, support the humanitarian relief effort and stabilise global energy markets for the longer term."

You can follow PMQs live at the top of this article from 12pm.