Sunak faces PMQs ahead of Spring Budget amid Lineker controversy

The Chancellor will announce the spring spending plans after Sunak faces questions on the government's links with the BBC in the Commons.

Rishi Sunak is set to face a grilling from opposition parties hours before his Chancellor unveils the 2023 spring budget.

Jeremy Hunt will set out the UK Government’s spending plans in the House of Commons following Prime Minister’s Questions against the backdrop of a challenging economic climate.

Hunt is expected to announce an extension of the energy price guarantee in a bid to ease some of the pressure caused by skyrocketing household costs and an extension to the pension cap to convince some professionals not to retire early.

The PM however is also likely to face questions over the Conservative government’s ties to the BBC in the wake of controversy surrounding the suspension and reinstatement of Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker.

The former England international received an apology from the corporation’s director general and former Tory council candidate, Tim Davie, after he was forced to “step back” from hosting the Premier League highlights show over a Tweet expressing his views on the government’s asylum policy.

It has raised serious questions about the corporation’s rules on impartiality and placed further scrutiny on its links to the government, with chairman Richard Sharp in the midst of a probe on his appointment to the role after reportedly helping former PM Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan.

Watch the latest from Westminster in our live stream above.

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