UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed claims by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch that he had acted on her suggestion to cut the aid budget. During a parliamentary session on Wednesday, Starmer took aim at Badenoch’s political stance, sarcastically referring to her as a “self-appointed saviour of Western civilisation.”
The exchange began when Badenoch suggested that Starmer had followed her recommendation on reducing aid spending. She also questioned inconsistencies in the government’s defence budget 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 said.
She then pointed out discrepancies in the defence budget numbers, 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?”
Starmer was quick to reject the idea that Badenoch had influenced his decision. With a sarcastic tone, he responded, “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 went further with his criticism, saying, “She’s appointed herself, I think, the saviour of Western civilisation. It’s a desperate search for relevance.”
Addressing her concerns over defence spending, Starmer explained that the increase was substantial. “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 said.
