Kemi Badenoch Accuses Prime Minister Starmer of Squandering Mandate Before Key Elections
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch launched a direct attack on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, alleging he had 'squandered his political capital' in the final Prime Minister's Questions before next week's elections. Badenoch claimed Starmer had overseen 'one disaster after another' and was now preoccupied with 'saving his own skin'.
Sir Keir defended his government's record, citing achievements in workers' rights, renter security, and lifting half a million children out of poverty. He accused the Tories of engaging in 'political games', referencing their failed attempt to refer him to the Privileges Committee over the vetting process for Lord Mandelson, who was briefly the UK ambassador to the US. The House of Commons voted 335 to 233 against the referral, with most Labour MPs supporting the Prime Minister.
Badenoch contrasted Starmer's current position, reduced to 'begging' for support, with the post-2024 general election period, which she described as 'full of sycophantic questions from adoring new MPs'. She likened the government to 'a bad episode of Game Of Thrones', suggesting Starmer's own party had turned against him.
During the session, Badenoch also seized on Westminster rumours of a post-election government reshuffle, questioning if the Prime Minister would 'listen to the country and reshuffle the Chancellor'. Sir Keir did not directly answer, instead highlighting falling interest rates. His failure to explicitly rule out removing Rachel Reeves prompted Badenoch to declare the Chancellor 'toast', despite Downing Street reiterating that Reeves would remain in her role 'for the whole of this Parliament'.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey raised concerns about food security following the war against Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, advocating for a 'Good Food Bill' to address projected 10% food price increases. Sir Keir confirmed discussions on food security, acknowledging the Middle East events would 'affect every single one of our constituents'. He also criticised Sir Ed for backing the Privileges Committee motion, labelling it a 'frivolous accusation'.
Next week's elections will see voters in Scotland and Wales elect national parliament representatives, while English voters will elect councillors across approximately 5,000 local authority seats.
