Keir Starmer didn’t hold back at PMQs today when Kemi Badenoch suggested the Tories could make a comeback.
Badenoch, now leading the Conservatives, kicked things off by slamming the country’s economic struggles ahead of next week’s Spring Statement — calling it an “emergency budget.”
Starmer, however, was more than ready to fire back.
‘Heaven Forbid’
After defending Labour’s economic record, Starmer reminded everyone why they were in this mess to begin with.
“We had to fill the £22bn black hole they disgracefully left,” he said.
“Perhaps she’ll start the next question with an apology.”
Badenoch then suggested the Tories should be back in power, saying:
“They want me to answer questions so we can swap sides.”
Starmer’s comeback was swift and brutal:
“She said she wants to swap sides – I mean, heaven forbid.”
Labour MPs erupted in laughter. Starmer kept going:
“After 14 years of breaking everything, we’re fixing it — and all she can do is carp from the sidelines with no policy!”
‘Conservative Realist’?
Starmer then turned Badenoch’s own branding against her.
“I think she now calls herself a Conservative realist. Well, I’m realistic about the Conservatives.
“They left open borders — and she was the cheerleader. They crashed the economy, mortgages soared, the NHS collapsed, and they gutted the armed forces.”
Starmer wasn’t done. He highlighted Labour’s early wins:
✅ 2 million extra NHS appointments
✅ 750 new breakfast clubs
✅ Record returns of people who “shouldn’t be here”
✅ A fully funded increase in defence spending
“That’s the difference a Labour government makes.”
Welfare Cuts Comeback
When Tory MP Danny Kruger tried to take a shot over welfare cuts, Starmer doubled down:
“After 14 years to get ready, they came into power with no plan to reform welfare.
“Now, in a panic because of their economic mismanagement, they’re cutting benefits for disabled people without even consulting them!”
Kruger claimed at least the Tories had consulted on welfare changes.
Starmer’s response was cutting:
“No, what it says in my folder is they had 14 years — including five years with a majority of 80 — and they didn’t implement a single one of their ideas.
“They broke the system. They’re in no place to lecture anyone.”
You can watch it below:
You may also like: ‘What was the point of dumping the Tories?’: MP blasts Starmer over welfare cuts
