Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of talking “trash” in the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions. The Tory leader clashed with the Prime Minister over breakfast clubs.
Mrs Badenoch said: “The Prime Minister is out of touch because he should know that nurseries are charging over £2,000 for full-time care. That’s £24,000 a year after tax and he’s talking about 60p breakfast clubs.
“He has no idea what people out there are experiencing. And it is not just the families, even councils must pay his jobs tax. To cope with it the average council tax bill is increasing by over £100 in April after he promised to freeze it. Hard working families’ money is going to the Chancellor instead of social care and fixing potholes. Why should these families pay more for less?”
Sir Keir Starmer replied: “Well she really shouldn’t denigrate what I think she calls ‘60p breakfast clubs’. She should be welcoming them. And she asked about council tax, the Tories put up council tax every year for 12 years.
“Their manifesto, Tory LGA manifesto, governments should remove the caps on council tax… We’re the ones that are doing the right things to get the country on the right tax.”
Mrs Badenoch hit back: “The point is he promised to freeze and they are going up. And if he wants to talk about councils let’s look at Liverpool or maybe Birmingham where the rubbish is piling up so high people vote Labour and all they get is trash, just like what he’s saying at the Despatch Box.”
The pair also clashed on farming and the economy during the weekly Commons bout.
Winter fuel payments also featured in the Cmmmons.
Mrs Badenoch asked Sir Keir about cuts to the winter fuel allowance while care home fees go up.
“How does he expect pensioners on a fixed income to make ends meet?” she said.
Sir Keir responded: “This is why it’s so important that wages are up higher than prices, that’s why it’s so important that the interest rates are coming down.
“This is the biggest boost for the cost of living for a very, very long time. What we’re doing is picking up and fixing the mess that they left.”