Starmer called Badenoch “unserious” for criticising Labour’s trade deals and said the Tories are “sliding into brain dead oblivion”.
Keir Starmer slammed Kemi Badenoch as “unserious” for criticising the government’s trade deals with India, the US, and the EU during a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
The Tory leader used PMQs today to attack Labour on unemployment.
Badenoch claimed unemployment was “rising on Starmer’s watch” and that there are 100,000 fewer jobs than a year ago. She blamed this on Labour increasing employers’ national insurance from 13.8% to 15%.
She also dismissed the US-UK trade deal announced last week as “a tiny tariff deal”.
Starmer hit back, suggesting Badenoch take a train to Solihull, Scunthorpe and Scotland to meet with Jaguar Land Rover workers, steelworkers and distillery workers, to tell them she would rip up the deal with the US.
He said that Badenoch, who was trade secretary under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, “must be the only trade minister who is against all deals that boost our economy”.
He added: “She says she is against the India deal even though it’s got all the same provisions she put on the table. She’s against the US deal even though it saves thousands of jobs in car manufacturing.
“Most absurdly she says she is going to rip up the EU deal when she hasn’t even seen what is on the page.” The UK-EU deal is to be revealed at an EU summit in London next Monday.
Starmer went on to say: “They’re reduced to a brain rot, a once great political party is sliding into brain dead oblivion.”
In response to another question from Badenoch, where she told Starmer to listen to business and asked when he would admit Labour “isn’t working”, the PM said “She should listen to business. They’re in favour of our trade deals.”
He again spoke about how Badenoch has said she wants to rip up each of the government’s trade deals, calling it “so unserious”.
Starmer took a final jibe at Badenoch’s credibility, stating: “She was even reduced last week to accusing the Indian government of fake news. No wonder she did so badly as trade secretary.
“The project for them is over, they’re sliding into oblivion. They’re a dead party walking.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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