UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on Wednesday, floored Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, berating her as a self-appointed saviour of Western civilisation desperate for relevance.
During plenary on Wednesday, Ms Badenoch had claimed Mr Starmer heeded her advice on cutting aid while raising questions about the defence budget.
“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,” Ms Badenoch said.
She added, “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?”
The prime minister, however, responded to the Tory leader, dismissing her claim and mockingly describing her as a “self-appointed saviour of Western civilisation.”
“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,” Mr Starmer said.
He added, “She’s appointed herself, I think, the saviour of Western civilisation. It’s a desperate search for relevance. 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.”
Mr Starmer’s brutal response sparked laughter on the House floor, with Ms Badenoch also seen laughing.
