Kemi Badenoch, the new Tory leader, is poised to make Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) a pivotal part of the political week once again, according to former Chancellor George Osborne. Osborne praised Ms Badenoch’s debut performance in the House of Commons against Sir Keir Starmer, saying she will restore the session to its past prominence.
Osborne told the Political Currency podcast with Ed Balls: “When you and I used to sit across from each other in the chamber, PMQs really mattered. It was like a core pivot of the political week and it really matters in opposition because it is your big opportunity for everyone to focus on what you are saying.”
However, Osborne noted that since the Miliband-Cameron clashes, PMQs had become “much less important”, even in the run-up to the last election with Starmer as leader of the opposition and Rishi Sunak as prime minister.
“I thought on the basis of that one performance this week Kemi Badenoch is going to make PMQs important again,” Osborne said. “That is partly a reflection of her very pugnacious style, it is partly a reflection of the political reality which is the Government is not doing as well as the Government would hope and so there is a bit of a chink for the opposition to go at.”
Osborne’s comments suggest Ms Badenoch’s combative approach and the government’s current struggles could see PMQs regain its status as a key battleground in British politics.
