United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s claim that he followed her advice on cutting the aid budget, sarcastically calling her a “self-appointed saviour of Western civilisation.”
Badenoch had suggested that Starmer acted on her recommendation to reduce aid spending while questioning 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,” she said.
She also pointed out discrepancies in the defence budget, stating, “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?”
Responding during a plenary session on Wednesday, Starmer flatly denied being influenced by Badenoch’s suggestion.
“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 remarked.
Taking his criticism further, Starmer 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 the numbers for financial year 27/28, that’s a £13.4bn increase—the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.”
His remarks drew laughter from MPs in the House, with Badenoch herself seen smiling at the exchange.
