Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has skewered the PM in her latest speech (Image: PA)
Kemi Badenoch hit out at Sir Keir Starmer over the Labour leadership row in a speech today. The Tory leader said the Prime Minister faced a “farce” last week after “accidentally firing the starting gun on the race to replace him” when a briefing war erupted.
She added that he shot himself in “both feet” and was now trying to “shore up his position” ahead of the Budget with the expected scrapping of the two-child benefit cap. Mrs Badenoch said: “Last week, we had the farce of the Prime Minister accidentally firing the starting gun on the race to replace him, shooting himself in both feet in the process.
“So now instead of trying to make savings in the Budget, we are seeing a rush of announcements to appease Labour backbenchers and try to shore up his position.
“Just a few months ago, Rachel Reeves was saying she couldn’t afford to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Now it looks like becoming her latest U-turn.”
Mrs Badenoch said the U-turn on welfare reforms following a Labour revolt and the expected axing of the two-child benefit cap will leave the Chancellor needing to find £8.5 billion.
She said: “So far from bringing down the welfare bill, she’s going to add another £3.5 billion to it. That’s £8.5 billion she is going to have to find next week in taxes. More taxes to pay for more welfare spending.
“We need to call this out for what it is. Labour are raising taxes to pay for Keir Starmer’s weakness on welfare.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)
Mrs Badenoch warned that Rachel Reeves was plotting a “stealth tax bombshell” by extending the freeze on tax thresholds.
She said: “And what they are planning to do is freeze income tax thresholds, so that more and more people are dragged into higher rates through a stealth tax bombshell.”
Labour chair Anna Turley said: “Kemi Badenoch’s plan to bring forward £47 billion of cuts would mean money drained out of your local hospital, your child’s school, and your local police.
“Families who are still bearing the brunt of Liz Truss’ mortgage-smashing mini-Budget can’t afford to pay the price for more of the same old Tory mistakes.”
