UK PM Keir Starmer Shuts Down Kemi Badenoch's :Desperate Search for Relevance

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has fired back at Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, accusing her of seeking relevance after she claimed credit for his decision to cut the aid budget.

During a parliamentary session on Wednesday, February 26, Badenoch suggested that Starmer had acted on her advice, while also questioning discrepancies in the announced 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. It’s the fastest response I’ve ever had from the prime minister," Badenoch stated. 

She then pointed out conflicting figures, saying, "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?"

In a sharp rebuttal, Starmer dismissed her claims, making it clear that her advice had no influence on his decision-making.

"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 responded.

Starmer then took a swipe at Badenoch’s political positioning, remarking, "She’s appointed herself, I think, the saviour of Western civilisation. It’s a desperate search for relevance."

Clarifying the defence budget, the Prime Minister reaffirmed that the figures represented a significant increase. "If you take the numbers for this financial year, and then the numbers for financial year 27/28, that’s a £13.4bn increase—the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War," he explained.