UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer took a swipe at Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, dismissing her as a self-proclaimed saviour of Western civilization desperate for relevance
Starmer made the remarks during a parliamentary session at the Palace of Westminster in London on Wednesday, February 26.
Badenoch had claimed that Starmer followed her advice on cutting the aid budget and questioned discrepancies in the government’s defence spending figures.
“Over the weekend, I suggested to the prime minister that he cut the aid budget, and I am pleased that he accepted my advice,” she said. “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 £6 billion. Which is the correct figure?”
Starmer dismissed her claim, sarcastically downplaying her influence.
“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,” he said.
He added, “She’s appointed herself, I think, the saviour of Western civilization. It’s a desperate search for relevance. If you take the numbers for this financial year and then the numbers for financial year 27/28, that’s a £13.4 billion increase, which is the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.”
Starmer’s sharp response drew laughter in the House, with Badenoch herself seen chuckling.
I love it when she gets cooked 😂 pic.twitter.com/rZzyxqwV42
— BASH-AAR 🔞 (@FaruqBashar) February 27, 2025
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She started on a bad note by attacking her roots. we won’t defend her now 😔