• Publish Your article
  • Editorial Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Saturday, October 25, 2025
No Result
View All Result
UK Herald
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Sports
    England rugby stadium Twickenham given new name after more than 100 years in shock new deal

    England rugby stadium Twickenham given new name after more than 100 years in shock new deal

    Peter Morgan dead at 65: Former Wales and Lions rugby star who became a politician passes away as club pays tribute

    Peter Morgan dead at 65: Former Wales and Lions rugby star who became a politician passes away as club pays tribute

    Horse racing tips: Unexposed Group 1 contender can stun the big guns at 14-1

    Horse racing tips: Unexposed Group 1 contender can stun the big guns at 14-1

    Woman ‘raped seven times by two French rugby stars who left her riddled with bite marks & with horror injuries’

    Woman ‘raped seven times by two French rugby stars who left her riddled with bite marks & with horror injuries’

    Horse racing tips: Gary Moore’s charge can gain revenge after falling last time out

    Horse racing tips: Gary Moore’s charge can gain revenge after falling last time out

    Ian Buckett dead at 56: Former Wales rugby star who was ‘admired and feared equally’ dies as tributes pour in

    Ian Buckett dead at 56: Former Wales rugby star who was ‘admired and feared equally’ dies as tributes pour in

    Horse racing tips: Bash the bookies with these longshots including 9-1 fancy

    Horse racing tips: Bash the bookies with these longshots including 9-1 fancy

    Shayne Philpott dead at 58 – New Zealand All Blacks rugby legend dies after suffering ‘medical event’

    Shayne Philpott dead at 58 – New Zealand All Blacks rugby legend dies after suffering ‘medical event’

    Horse racing tips: This 7-1 chance appears to have been laid out for race he won last year

    Horse racing tips: This 7-1 chance appears to have been laid out for race he won last year

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • food
    • Health
    • Travel
    I went to a five-star health spa and realised the secret to long life is free

    I went to a five-star health spa and realised the secret to long life is free

    I visited this lesser-known European gem and spent just £300 in a week

    I visited this lesser-known European gem and spent just £300 in a week

    I stayed in Mauritius’ ‘magic place’ – this is my honest review

    I stayed in Mauritius’ ‘magic place’ – this is my honest review

    The exact dates you need to book off in 2026 to get 56 days of holiday

    The exact dates you need to book off in 2026 to get 56 days of holiday

    Italy’s ‘less glitzy’ gateway destination named one of 2026’s best places to visit

    Italy’s ‘less glitzy’ gateway destination named one of 2026’s best places to visit

    This historic Japanese city is hiking its tourist tax by 900% to stop you coming

    This historic Japanese city is hiking its tourist tax by 900% to stop you coming

    Major airline removes carry-on bag sizers from boarding gates

    Major airline removes carry-on bag sizers from boarding gates

    Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge review: ‘It doesn’t get bigger than this…’

    Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge review: ‘It doesn’t get bigger than this…’

    What is Bleach or Facial, Best for Skin?

    What is Bleach or Facial, Best for Skin?

    Tourists are flocking to a mind-bending Chinese megacity where Google Maps doesn’t work

    Tourists are flocking to a mind-bending Chinese megacity where Google Maps doesn’t work

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Health
  • Opinion
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Crypto
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Sports
  • More
    • Press Release
UK Herald
No Result
View All Result

PMQs verdict: Kemi Badenoch, belatedly, picks the right battle

by Justin Marsh
January 23, 2025
0
0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterReddit


In response to the prime minister’s press conference yesterday, Kemi Badenoch said she welcomed a public inquiry into the Southport murders but added — in a warning to the government — that there remain “serious questions” to answer.

PMQs, which sees Badenoch permitted six such questions, was the Conservative leader’s opportunity to get some answers. But she did not seek them.

Addressing the House from the despatch box, Badenoch turned down the opportunity to interrogate Keir Starmer over his alleged “failings”. She clarified she would “return” to this particular line of inquiry once the case is concluded.

Badenoch’s decision to avoid a battle on Southport was politically astute, if long-belated. Had Starmer been subjected to six questions over his handling of the incident, the Conservative Party would have faced accusations of “politicising” the tragedy. In any case, the prime minister stridently defended his response to the Southport attack in his press conference on Monday morning. Answering criticism that ministers were not transparent enough, Starmer insisted that any intervention would have compromised the legal process. He would have made that same argument today, quite happily and confidently.

Perhaps more pertinently, Badenoch risked being outdone in her criticism of the PM by Nigel Farage and Reform — as has been a prevalent theme of her tenure as Tory leader. This morning, Farage labelled the prime minister “cover up Keir” (the latest of the PM’s nicknames propagated by Online Right types), and argued government officials withheld information about the attack that the “public were entitled to.”

***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.***

This afternoon therefore, rather than face accusations of “politicising” the attack from Labour — and not going far enough in politicising the attack from Reform, Badenoch pursued her own path. She opted to press the prime minister on education and the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which cleared its commons second reading earlier this year.

Education is viewed as one of the few success stories the Conservative Party can tell about its period in office. Badenoch’s charge was that, over the last fifteen years, pupil attainment in maths, reading and science has soared — with English schools now top of global league tables in the subjects. Labour, she argued, was now “reversing” this progress and willingly committing an act of “educational vandalism”.

This is the first session the Conservative leader has dedicated to a single policy question; scattergun holstered, she was able to build and prosecute a sustained argument. On the whole, Starmer was prepared for Badenoch’s curveball. But the exchange was far more balanced than recent battles.

The Conservative leader described Labour’s school reforms as an “attack on excellence” and “the worst of socialism”. She deployed a favourite Tory tactic by invoking Wales which, Badenoch said, has “tumbled down league tables” because of Labour policy. She added: “Poor children in England now do better than wealthier children in Wales.”

The passage that most pleased Badenoch’s backbenchers came when she questioned who would benefit most from Labour’s education reforms. “It is not teachers”, the Tory leader insisted, “their pay is being capped. It is not parents. Their choices are being restricted. It is definitely not children. Their outcomes will get worse.

“So who is benefiting? It is the trade unions. The National Education Union sent out a tick list proving that after a decade and a half, they are finally getting their way. Why is the education secretary allowing trade unions to run her department and ruin children’s education?”

Under genuine assault from Badenoch for the first time as PM, Starmer staunchly defended his government’s stance. “The bill benefits the children who need the nourishment of a breakfast club. The bill benefits the families that can’t afford uniforms. The bill benefits the children who are currently out of school and nobody knows where they are”, he said. On another occasion, the prime minister pointed out that academies were actually introduced by the last Labour government.

These points aside, the prime minister focused his responses on the safeguarding reforms in the bill, as opposed to its educational elements. Starmer’s subtle swerving was a signal Badenoch was asking the right questions.

The PM’s strongest moment came when Badenoch said his plan to levy VAT on independent schools would catch schools teaching children with special educational needs and disabilities in the crossfire. The prime minister responded: “She talks about special needs. She’s got a nerve. [Tory MPs] have asked me questions at these PMQs about the appalling situation of special needs under their watch.

“We’re going to fix that mess, like we’re fixing every other mess!”

In the end, Badenoch’s improved performance today serves as the exception that proves the rule. The Conservative leader did not leap onto the latest headlines, she declined the passing bandwagon — and was rewarded for it.

***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.***

There is a deeper lesson here then. The second reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on 8 January came in the week when Westminster was consumed by Elon Musk’s conspiracist invective. At the time, rather than debate the substance of the bill, Badenoch took to the despatch box chasing a Musk retweet. She urged the prime minister to establish a national inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation; refusing to do so, she added, would ensure that people start worrying “about a cover-up”.

In response, Starmer referred to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in terms that reflected positively on his government. “What can’t be tolerated is the idea that this afternoon, members opposite will vote down a bill which protects children”, he argued. The Conservative Party had tabled an amendment to the legislation, nominally urging the government to establish a national inquiry. At second reading however, MPs can only propose amendments that set out their objections to a bill; (committee stage is when MPs propose and vote on line-by-line changes). If passed, the amendment would have achieved nothing.

In other words, the Conservative leader forfeited an opportunity to tell a story about the last government’s education successes, in favour of a more newsy, but fundamentally more tactless Musk-inspired line of attack.

After all, Badenoch won a Musk retweet; but lost the PMQs exchange. Starmer emerged strengthened.

The Conservative leader’s decision to address education today was long overdue. Tory MPs will be hoping that Badenoch has learnt from her recent PMQs showings, and will adopt this less reactive, more disciplined approach as standard.

But Conservative MPs will also be reminded of the risk. Commenting on PMQs, Nigel Farage posted to X (formerly Twitter): “Not a single question on Southport from Kemi Badenoch… What is the point of the Tories?”

Subscribe to Politics@Lunch

Lunchtime briefing

Chair of child sexual abuse inquiry calls last government’s response ‘awful’ and ‘inconsequential’

Lunchtime soundbite

‘We will work with the US. We will work with other countries, but we will never lower our standards’

—  Keir Starmer responds to question on UK-US relations in the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration this week. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey asked if the prime minister would sell out Britain’s farmers to Trump in a trade deal that “undermines our food and animal welfare standards”.

Now try this…

‘Trump rewrites the violence of January 6 and ‘legitimates future ones’
If criminal charges were meant to deter acts of violence, the pardons of over 1,500 people do the opposite, say experts, reports the Guardian’s Rachel Leingang.

‘Our survey. Badenoch falls to seventh place in our Shadow Cabinet League Table’
Via ConservativeHome.

‘The tide is starting to turn against Brexit’
Interventions by Ed Davey and Kemi Badenoch show how the European question has been reopened, writes former cabinet minister and NS columnist David Gauke. (Paywall)

On this day in 2024:

Sadiq Khan attacks Labour’s Brexit ‘omerta’ over rejoining EU customs union

Subscribe to Politics@Lunch

The post PMQs verdict: Kemi Badenoch, belatedly, picks the right battle appeared first on Politics.co.uk.



Source link

Related Posts

Starmer is governed by polls, not principles – voters can sense it

Starmer is governed by polls, not principles – voters can sense it

by Justin Marsh
October 24, 2025
0

Politics once moved at the pace of persuasion. A leader would make a case, tour the country, take questions, debate opponents – and then wait weeks or months to see whether the...

Back electoral reform to embed ‘progressive majority’ and thwart Farage, Starmer urged

Back electoral reform to embed ‘progressive majority’ and thwart Farage, Starmer urged

by Justin Marsh
October 22, 2025
0

Keir Starmer has been urged to throw his support behind some form of proportional representation (PR) in order to embed Britain’s “progressive majority”. Paul Sweeney, member of the Scottish parliament (MSP) for...

Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now

Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now

by Justin Marsh
October 20, 2025
0

It took the power of Andy Burnham’s example to tame Robert Jenrick. Expectations heading into the Conservative Party’s annual conference suggested the shadow justice secretary would continue to strut his stuff in...

Olivia Blake: ‘Why cross-party leadership on climate policy is essential’

Olivia Blake: ‘Why cross-party leadership on climate policy is essential’

by Justin Marsh
October 18, 2025
0

It’s official. The Conservative Party leadership has joined the ranks of climate deniers, in a race to the bottom with Nigel Farage and Donald Trump to see whose head can sink deepest...

Alistair Strathern: ‘Play in Healthcare Week – making every child’s right to play a reality’

Alistair Strathern: ‘Play in Healthcare Week – making every child’s right to play a reality’

by Justin Marsh
October 16, 2025
0

A child facing surgery, having a blood test or needing an MRI shouldn’t have to feel terrified. Yet too often they do, unless they’re lucky enough to be in a hospital with...

Frontline NHS services have no money to spare – here’s where to find it

Frontline NHS services have no money to spare – here’s where to find it

by Justin Marsh
October 14, 2025
0

As party conference season concludes and MPs and peers return to Westminster, attention will turn to the next major date in the political calendar: 26 November – budget day. In the midst...

Next Post

A Father and Son’s Journeys Through War and Peace: “Tough Choices” by Sir Tim Melville-Ross

Popular News

I went to a five-star health spa and realised the secret to long life is free

I went to a five-star health spa and realised the secret to long life is free

October 25, 2025
Starmer is governed by polls, not principles – voters can sense it

Starmer is governed by polls, not principles – voters can sense it

October 24, 2025
Are press trip freebies taxable income for freelances and influencers?

Are press trip freebies taxable income for freelances and influencers?

October 24, 2025
Back electoral reform to embed ‘progressive majority’ and thwart Farage, Starmer urged

Back electoral reform to embed ‘progressive majority’ and thwart Farage, Starmer urged

October 22, 2025
I visited this lesser-known European gem and spent just £300 in a week

I visited this lesser-known European gem and spent just £300 in a week

October 22, 2025
Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now

Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now

October 20, 2025
How to pull over safely for emergency vehicles

How to pull over safely for emergency vehicles

October 19, 2025
UK Herald

All Rights Reserved © UK HERALD - The Voice of UK

Important Links

  • Publish Your article
  • Editorial Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise

...

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Politics
  • UK News
  • Business
  • Science
  • National
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Sports
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Food

All Rights Reserved © UK HERALD - The Voice of UK