Burnham beware: Badenoch eschews niceties for Starmer’s first PMQs after quitting

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch delivered a notably aggressive performance at Keir Starmer's last Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) session, signaling a fierce opposition ahead for the incoming government. Badenoch, having solidified her position as a formidable parliamentarian since taking leadership in November 2024, appeared to be at the height of her powers, employing a pugnacious style.

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I’m much happier with my new MP than he [Starmer] is with his.

Instead of extending customary courtesies to the departing Prime Minister, Badenoch launched a direct assault on Starmer and members of his cabinet. She began by taunting Starmer about the recent byelection victory of Conservative candidate Douglas Lumsden in Aberdeen South, contrasting it with Starmer's own electoral situation. "I’m much happier with my new MP than he [Starmer] is with his," Badenoch declared.

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It’s not the first time he’s betrayed someone close to him.

Badenoch then turned her attention to Starmer's cabinet colleagues. She targeted Ed Miliband, suggesting he had acted treacherously towards Starmer by allegedly plotting to facilitate Andy Burnham's rise to power. Badenoch remarked, "It’s not the first time he’s betrayed someone close to him," drawing gasps from the chamber. She also criticized Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, dismissing her as a "spiteful class warrior" and a "disaster" in her role, despite Phillipson's well-known background of poverty.

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If she knows so much about poor children, she shouldn’t have given them fewer teachers.

Starmer defended Phillipson, highlighting her upbringing and framing her as a symbol of social mobility. However, Badenoch doubled down, questioning Phillipson's understanding of children's needs if she had overseen teacher reductions. Badenoch further accused Labour MPs of hypocrisy for cheering Starmer while simultaneously desiring his resignation, stating, "If it’s all so fantastic, why is he resigning? They cheer so loudly for him now, while he has 400 knives stuck in his back. Shame on them." Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle intervened, cautioning MPs, particularly Badenoch, to moderate their tone.

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If it’s all so fantastic, why is he resigning? They cheer so loudly for him now, while he has 400 knives stuck in his back. Shame on them.