Kemi Badenoch has doubled down on her claims that Keir Starmer is avoiding scrutiny by dodging repeat PMQs, despite criticism from one of her own MPs. Taking on the PM at a debate this afternoon following both the G7 and NATO summits, the Tory leader accused him of “evading” Prime Minister’s Questions for two weeks in a row.
She blasted: “He has evaded prime minister’s questions for two weeks, only to come back here to tell us what we already heard on the news. This is a weak statement from a weak prime minister, which can be characterised in two words – noises off.”
Sir Keir hit back that she was “belittling” the importance of the two successive summits of world leaders, with the LibDems branding her “Bungling Badenoch”. The row also saw one of her own backbenchers criticise the attack, with Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard beginning his question in parliament with a defence of Sir Keir’s recent absences.
Mr Pritchard told MPs: “As far as possible in this place, it would be better to keep partisan politics out of national security issues. And who knows, I may get the whip withdrawn for saying that. But so be it. There are things that go beyond party politics. So can I thank the prime minister for all his hard work in the national security interests of this country.”
Asked this afternoon if she would withdraw the whip from her critical backbencher, Ms Badenoch doubled down on her attack of the Prime Minister.
She told GB News: “I love answering questions, the Prime Minister does not. It is perfectly possible to move PMQs to Thursday. There’s no reason why it has to be on Wednesday. You used to be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“But he doesn’t want to have PMQs, and the reason why is because he doesn’t like answering questions.
“Anybody who’s ever watched PMQs will see that he doesn’t answer anything. He didn’t answer any of the questions that I asked him in the statement that he had.”
The Tory leader said she wouldn’t be sacking Mr Pritchard for his comments.
However it comes amid wider briefings against the party leader by Conservative MPs, who are increasingly panicked about the party’s polling.
Ms Badenoch’s personal satisfaction rating now stands at -49, making her the most unpopular leader of the opposition ever after six months.
A shadow minister told the Spectator: “The polls are absolutely horrific. Kemi’s personal polling is in Liz Truss territory. There is now no precedent for it.
“People say “Let Kemi be Kemi” but there are increasingly few don’t-knows and they are moving against us. We are being frozen out of the national conversation.”
The magazine warns there may be a leadership coup next Spring if nothing has changed.