UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly derided Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, by accusing her of engaging in a “desperate search for relevance.”
The clash occurred in the context of a debate over the government’s plans to increase defense spending at the expense of foreign aid, with Badenoch asserting her influence on the decision.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer didn’t hold back in Parliament, dismissing Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s claim that he followed her advice on cutting the aid budget and calling her a self appointed saviour of western civilisation.
Badenoch stated, “Over the weekend I suggested to the prime minister that he cut the aid budget, and I am pleased that he accepted my advice. It’s the fastest response I’ve ever had from the prime minister. However, he announced £13.4 billion of additional defence spending yesterday. This morning, his defence secretary said the uplift is only £6bn. Which is the correct figure?”
Starmer fired back, saying, “I’m going to have to let the leader of the opposition down gently. She didn’t feature in my thinking at all. I was so busy over the weekend I didn’t even see her proposal. She’s appointed herself, I think, the saviour of Western civilisation. It’s a desperate search for relevance.”
He clarified that the UK’s defence spending would see a “£13.4bn increase, which is the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.”