PMQs: Badenoch labels Reeves 'copy-and-paste Chancellor'
Kemi Badenoch claimed Sir Keir Starmer's government "do not know what they're doing" in a fiery PMQs clash.
The new Tory leader attacked Labour's Budget and the hike in employers' national insurance contributions.
She added: "The fact is that they do not know what they're doing."
It is the second time Ms Badenoch has grilled the Prime Minister in the weekly Commons session.
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14 hours ago12:44 Martyn Brown
Farage takes jibe at Starmer over past Labour criticism of Trump
There were chuckles from Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick and the Tory frontbench as Nigel Farage suggested the “whole house” would want to congratulate Donald Trump on his US election victory.
The Reform leader's comment was in reference to previous criticism of the Republican by a series of senior Labour politicians.
He went on to highlight US intelligence on threats from Iran to assassinate Mr Trump and called for the UK to proscribe the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Clacton MP said: "And in doing so, not just do the right thing, but maybe mend some fences between this Government and the incoming presidency of Donald Trump's, given that the whole Cabinet has been so rude about him over the last few years."
The Prime Minister replied: "I'm glad to see (Mr Farage) making a rare appearance back here in Britain, he spends so much time in America recently, I was half expecting to see him on the immigration statistics."
He added: "I did congratulate the incoming President last week, we will work with him. The point he makes about Iran is a very serious point and we will work across the House and with our allies on it. Obviously, on the question of proscription we keep them under review."
Nigel Farage asks the PM a question (Image: PA)
14 hours ago12:41 Katie Harris
Badenoch slams Labour's 'ideological' Budget
The leader of the Opposition said: "He has nothing to offer except platitudes. The fact is that they do not know what they're doing.
"Their ideological Budget was designed to milk the private sector and hope nobody would notice."
Referring to Angela Rayner dropping Whitehall opposition to a four-day working week by a local council, she went on: “Now his Cabinet ministers are all queuing up for public sector bailouts to his tax mess.
"If he is going to bail out the public sector then can he tell us this: Does he think it is appropriate, as the Ministry for Housing has done, to approve a four-day week for councils that is not flexible working but is actually part-time work for full time pay?”
Sir Keir Starmer replied: “Questions based on what we are actually doing are usually better than fantasy questions made up.”
Sir Keir Starmer speaks at PMQs (Image: PA)
14 hours ago12:28 Katie Harris
Badenoch warns of 'disaster' for small businesses
Kemi Badenoch said: “The fact is the rise in employers’ National Insurance is going to be a disaster for small businesses around the country.”
She raised the case of a woman called Kelly who runs an after-school club business but would see her national insurance tax bill go up from around ￡10,000 to ￡26,000 next April.
The Tory leader said: “What is the Prime Minister’s message to Kelly and the 500 families her small business supports if it goes under?”
Sir Keir Starmer replied: “I would say this to Kelly. We inherited a very badly damaged economy, we inherited a ￡22 billion black hole and we were not prepared to continue with the fiction. I would say to Kelly that we are fixing the mess that we were left.”
But Ms Badenoch said the PM "has nothing to offer except platitudes".
14 hours ago12:23 Katie Harris
Badenoch accuses Labour of ￡2.4billion Budget black hole
Kemi Badenoch accused the Government of having a ￡2.4 billion black hole in the Budget.
The Leader of the Opposition said: "I'm not against any of those things, of course not, none of us are against any of those things. But he has confirmed that he does not know what is going on.
"The Prime Minister probably does not realise that on Monday the Ministry for Communities, Local Government and Housing revealed that councils will need to find an additional ￡2.4 billion in council tax next year. That is a lot more than ￡600 million.
"I know that he has been away, but did the Deputy Prime Minister who runs that department make him aware of their ￡2.4 billion black hole?"
Sir Keir replied: "Let me get this straight, she doesn't want any of the measures in the Budget, but she wants all the benefits.
"So the budget management is back after two weeks in office. They've learned absolutely nothing. We put forward a Budget which takes the difficult decisions, fixing the ￡22 billion black hole, investing in the future of our country.
"They say they want all of that, but they don't know how they're going to pay for it - same old Tories."
15 hours ago12:20 Katie Harris
Badenoch insists Budget was 'not thought through'
Kemi Badenoch pressed the Prime Minister on the impact increases to employers' national insurance contributions would have on local authorities.
She said: "With no separate funding for the Chancellor's Budget announcements, care providers will likely see increased costs, which will cost councils more, and all of the ￡600 in grant increase he is giving will not cover what is required for adult social care.
"It is clear that they had not thought through the impact of the Budget, and this is the problem with having a copy-and-paste Chancellor. Did they not realise care homes, GP surgeries, children's nurseries, hospices and even charities have to pay employers' national insurance?"
Sir Keir Starmer replied: "We have put more money into local authorities than they did in 14 years - the absolutely catastrophic state.
"We produced a Budget which does not increase tax on working people, nothing in the payslip, investing in our NHS, investing in our schools, so every child could go as far as their talent will take them, investing in the houses of the future.
"If she is against those things, she should say so."
The Conservative leader grills the Prime Minister (Image: PA)
15 hours ago12:09 Katie Harris
Badenoch warns of 'social care funding gap'
Kemi Badenoch warned that the rise in employers' national insurance contributions at the Budget had created a “social care funding gap”.
She asked the PM: "How much extra will local authorities have to raise to cover the social care funding gap created by the Chancellor's Budget and increases in employers' national insurance?"
Sir Keir Starmer, who had earlier taken a question from Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine on the issue, replied: "It's all very well this knockabout but not actually listening to what I've said three minutes ago is a bit of a fundamental failure of the Leader of the Opposition. I just said ￡600 million. I repeat it: ￡600 million."
15 hours ago12:07 Katie Harris
Starmer dodges question on council tax cap
Kemi Badenoch used her first question to ask Keir Starmer about the cap on council tax.
Referring to his recent trip to Cop29 in Azerbaijan, she accused him of "unilaterally" signing off on climate targets which she said would make "life more expensive".
Ms Badenoch continued: "But speaking of making life more expensive, will the Prime Minister confirm that he will keep the cap on council tax?"
The PM replied: "She talks of the trip to Cop. I'm very proud of the fact that we're restoring leadership on climate. That will be measured in lower bills, on energy independence and the jobs of the future."
He added: "On the question of councils, she knows what the arrangements are."
Ms Badenoch responded: "I think the House would have heard that the Prime Minister could neither confirm nor deny whether the cap on council tax was being raised."
15 hours ago12:01 Katie Harris
Starmer now up
Sir Keir Starmer is at the despatch box as PMQs gets underway.
15 hours ago11:58 Martyn Brown
PMQs kicks off shortly
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick sitting on the Tory frontbench ahead of PMQs.
It is the first time he has joined Kemi Badenoch on the frontbench since the leadership election.
15 hours ago11:49 Katie Harris
PM leaves No 10
Sir Keir Starmer has left 10 Downing Street to head to PMQs in the House of Commons.
(Image: Getty)
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15 hours ago11:40 Katie Harris
Starmer to face Badenoch for second time
Sir Keir Starmer will face Kemi Badenoch at PMQs for the second time.
The new Tory leader will grill the Prime Minister in the Commons from midday.
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