Kemi Badenoch failed to show any grace or kindness during Keir Starmer's final Prime Minister's Questions, instead launching into a series of personal attacks that left many observers appalled. The Conservative leader had an opportunity to display a human side following Starmer's resignation, but she chose to double down on aggression, revealing a complete inability to read the room.
Badenoch's Refusal to Offer Compliments
It is customary for the leader of the opposition to say something complimentary about an outgoing prime minister during their final PMQs. Badenoch could have acknowledged Starmer's steadfast support for Ukraine or offered a personal touch, such as wishing him well with his family. Instead, she refused to utter any kind words, seeing kindness as a sign of weakness. Her language became progressively angrier and more violent, resembling a spoiled child or playground bully.
Starmer's Resignation and Labour's Internal Dynamics
Starmer's resignation was driven by his own Labour MPs, not by any Conservative action. Badenoch played no part in forcing his departure. The session highlighted the surreal nature of power transitions, with Labour MPs who had cheered Andy Burnham days earlier now cheering Starmer. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who had been absent during Starmer's resignation announcement, looked morose and abject as Badenoch turned her fire on her, accusing her of distancing herself from her former boss.
Badenoch's Attacks on Labour Figures
Badenoch targeted Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as a 'serial betrayer,' accusing him of first betraying his brother David and now Starmer. This attack came on one of the hottest days of the year, undermining Miliband's climate efforts. She dismissed Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson as a 'spiteful class warrior,' sparking a prolonged row. When Badenoch claimed Starmer had '400 knives sticking in his back,' the Speaker intervened to moderate language, given that two MPs had been stabbed to death in the past decade. Badenoch refused to back down, never uttering the word sorry.
Starmer's Liberated Response
Starmer appeared almost liberated, as many outgoing prime ministers do. He defended Reeves, Miliband, and Phillipson, joked about the Tory result in Makerfield, and signed off by noting that, unlike all Tory prime ministers, he was leaving the country in a better place than he found it. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey directed his opening remarks to Badenoch, stating that this was a moment to acknowledge politics' personal cost, and she had failed to rise to the occasion.
Class and Grace from Others
Tory MP Desmond Swayne quoted a Hilaire Belloc poem and offered a handshake across the Commons divide. Starmer responded with a story of Swayne bringing a bottle of champagne to his rental in the New Forest, a gesture lost on Badenoch, who questioned why anyone would spend £30 on a gift for the prime minister. She showed no regret, no apology, and no willingness to say a kind word when a cruel one would do.
Badenoch's performance suggests she will struggle to build alliances, and her aggressive style may come back to haunt her when she faces similar treatment on her way down.
