Tory Gloom As Gaffe-Prone Kemi Badenoch Endures Another Miserable PMQs

Kemi Badenoch has been criticised for her latest gaffe as her PMQs misery continued.

The new Tory leader – who endured a miserable time during her first Commons head-to-head with Keir Starmer a week ago – said she was “not against” a range of measures announced in the Budget.

That is despite the fact that the Conservatives voted against the package last week.

Tory MPs sitting behind Badenoch were noticeably subdued as she read out her six questions to the PM.

After she criticised the hike in employers’ National Insurance, Starmer told her: “We produced a Budget which does not increase tax on working people, nothing in the payslip, investing in our NHS, investing in our schools, so every child could go as far as their talent will take them, investing in the houses of the future. If she is against those things, she should say so.”

Badenoch replied: “I’m not against any of those things, of course not, none of us are against any of those things.”

Labour chair Ellie Reeves accused the Tory leader of “trying to have her cake and eat it”.

She said: “The Tories want all of the benefits of the Budget, yet they voted against it and they have no plan to pay for it.

“It’s the same old Tories, they haven’t listened, and they’ve learned nothing. It’s time they told the public where they would find the money to pay for more investment in schools and the NHS.”

At PMQs last week, Badenoch wrongly claimed that the Budget had “not mentioned” defence, despite the fact that it did.

She also tripped herself up by asking Starmer to provide an “unscripted answer” on farmers “facing uncertainty” over changes to inheritance tax.

The prime minister hit back: “If she’s going to complain about scripted answers, it’s probably best not to read that from a script.”