The spectacle, which takes place at noon every Wednesday, sees the PM go head-to-head with the leader of the Opposition and grilled by MPs from across the political spectrum.
The typically raucous affair is considered by many to be an essential part of the British democracy. But where did it all begin and who decides which questions get put forward?
Here, the Standard sets out everything you need to know about PMQs.
Where did it all start?
Like the office of Prime Minister itself, PMQs has evolved over time.
But an official slot was first secured in 1881 under the name “Questions to the PM”.
It was scheduled for the last slot of the sitting of Parliament and imposed time limits for questions. This was to ensure the then 72-year-old Prime Minister William Gladstone could come to the house later in the day.
This remained the norm until 1953 during Winston Churchill’s second term, when Parliament agreed to submit questions only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
PMQs continued more or less under this format, with a 15-minute slot on each day, until 1997 when Tony Blair merged it into one 30-minute Wednesday session.
Boris Johnson – In pictures
Who gets to ask questions?
The leader of the Opposition is given the biggest platform from which to take the Prime Minister to task – with an allocation of six questions.
The third-largest party, currently the Scottish National Party, gets two.
A further 15 questions are shared out among backbench MPs from any party.
Anyone with a question must table it by 12.30pm the Thursday before. These are then “shuffled” and 15 are selected at random. They are then entered on Wednesday’s order paper.
The six-day time lag means questions may be a little out of date by the time PMQs comes around, so some MPs will be allowed to ask supplementary questions if permitted by the Speaker.
Boris dodges the question from Starmer about the US election during PMQs
How far in advance does the PM get to see the questions?
MPs are under no obligation to inform Number 10 of the questions they plan to ask, but MPs from their own party might let the PM’s team know as a matter of courtesy so he is not caught off guard.
MPs from opposition parties might raise an issue in advance if it concerns a matter specific to their constituency and they want a thorough answer, but largely not for questions on Government policy.
If an MP’s question is not reached by the end of a session, the Prime Minister is supposed to give them an answer in writing.
What do the public think of PMQs?
Research conducted in 2014 revealed only 12 per cent of the public agreed with the statement “PMQs makes me proud of our Parliament”.
The Hansard Society, which researches, documents and provides advice on parliamentary affairs, found PMQs is the best-known aspect of Parliament’s work, but the words most commonly associated with it are “noisy”, “childish”, “over the top” and “pointless”.
One respondent to Hansard’s survey described PMQs as “noise and bluster and showing off – theatrical but not good”.
Tony Blair described it as one of the most traumatic aspects of his leadership
/ AFP via Getty Images )What do Prime Ministers think?
Champions of PMQs say it is one of the very few systems in the world that forcibly holds a leader to account without a veneer of spin or the support of a clutch of aides.
Tony Blair described it as “the most nerve-racking, discombobulating, nail-biting, bowel-moving, terror inspiring, courage-draining experience” of his time as Prime Minister.
US President George HW Bush once told an interviewer: “I count my blessings for the fact I don’t have to go into that pit that John Major stands in, nose-to-nose with the opposition, all yelling at each other.”
David Cameron was apparently made of sterner stuff – when asked in 2011 what the most tedious aspect of his job was, he replied: “Waking up on Wednesday morning and realising it’s prime minister’s questions.”
A packed chamber during a pre-Covid PMQs session
/ House of Commons/PA Wire )How was PMQs conducted during lockdown?
Holding PMQs via videolink is not completely new – at the height of the first lockdown MPs called upon to ask a question were able to do so from home.
The Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition, however, were still in the House of Commons.
Many people commented at the time that PMQs had lost its spirit without the rowdiness of a packed chamber.
Even when shutdown was relaxed, many MPs opted to continue to use videolink and PMQs is currently a much more subdued affair than it was in pre-Covid times.
