In the final Prime Minister’s Questions before the Christmas recess, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch proved her mettle against Labour’s Keir Starmer. While the Conservatives continue to lag behind Labour in the polls, Badenoch’s performance in the Commons chamber has bolstered the morale of her backbench MPs, who are the key to her maintaining her position.
Badenoch adopted a straightforward approach, sticking to the basics of questioning the Prime Minister on the government’s record in areas such as health, education, policing and energy – all areas where Labour is perceived to be weak. Starmer could only respond defensively, unable to land any significant blows on his opponent.
The real damage to Starmer, however, came not from Badenoch but from Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey. Davey lambasted the Prime Minister for his silence on the controversial new US security strategy under former President Trump, questioning the irony of “Agent Orange” criticising Europe’s democratic principles. Davey also pressed Starmer on whether he would commit to closer economic ties with the EU, warning that failure to do so could jeopardise his political future.
The exchange left Starmer visibly shaken, with the Labour leader seemingly unable to reconcile himself to the fact that his previous supporters were right about the fickleness of Trump’s backing. Starmer’s reluctance to defend London Mayor Sadiq Khan from Trump’s “grotesque racism” also came back to haunt him.
While Badenoch may not be the long-term answer for the Conservatives, her performance has provided a much-needed morale boost for her party. Starmer, meanwhile, faces deep-rooted problems within his own party and the economy, leaving him in survival mode and hoping for a change in fortunes sooner rather than later.
