Starmer v Badenoch at PMQ’s yesterday

nanna8

Well I like her. She is a breath of fresh air. I do not like Starmer at all and every time he opens his mouth it makes me want to scream. Thank goodness he is not my PM.

I have to utterly disagree.

But then possibly our political allegiances are very different.

I think she’s just plain ignorant!

Which is pretty much the most important thing you need to be Prime Minister. We don’t need to like him for him to remain in post. However to regain some ground at the moment, the Tories do need a popular leader.

Starmer has nothing going for him...apart from a stonkin' majority in the House of Commons.

Watching Starmer yesterday I thought just how much he has gained confidence and yes, personality.

He really was wooden at first, I'd be the first to admit, but he really has improved.

I think it's been the foreign affairs - tariffs, Trump, Ukraine, Gaza - he's had to deal with has brought out the confidence and ability to be more personable when it counts? And his behind the scenes set up is better too.

So she can claim all those expenses for a house in the constituency … that she doesn’t even live in!!!

Whitewavemark2

So Badenoch’s husband is living rent free?

Not bad is it!

Well, no, they don't live in the constituency house. I expect they have a mortgage on the Wimbledon house.

Silverbrooks

growstufff There most certainly are two hospitals in her constituency, but I'm not surprised she doesn't know. She's never here and doesn't know much about the constituency or people who live here. She owes Starmer an apology.

We both know there are two.

Here’s the evidence she has visited them both. What an odd thing to say. She’s made herself look an arrogant fool.

I don’t know exactly where she lives. You probaby do.

She claims £2,700 a month to rent a grade II-listed farmhouse with six bedrooms, another £4,000 a year for band H council tax and thousands in energy bills.

Her expenses claims:

www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-staffing-business-costs/your-mp/kemi-badenoch/4597

She isn’t breaking any rules but it’s still eye-wateringly excessive. She’s only 50 miles from London, a commute people do daily.

She used to live in a village between Saffron Walden and Bishops Stortford. She now lives in another village slightly to the south in a more expensive house. Well, actually she doesn't. She lives in Wimbledon. She only ever spends odd days in the constituency. AFAIK she hasn't held any surgeries in the constituency. The Conservative Party office in Saffron Walden looks run-down with dirty windows and there are no posters outside, as there used to be.

It's concerning that she doesn't know how many hospitals there are. I assume the one she's overlooked is the community hospital in Saffron Walden. Presumably she doesn't know the history of the hospital or about the campaigning to keep it. It has 21 inpatient rehabilitation beds for older people, an Xray machine and offers numerous outpatient appointments, so that people don't have to travel to a more distant general hospital. Confusingly, our "default" hospital isn't the general hospital in north Chelmsford, but in Harlow or Epping. Some specialisms are in Hertfordshire hospitals. Most people in the north of the constituency opt to go to Cambridge. Some constituents have complained about the system for years, especially maternity care. There isn't any continuity. Pregnant women are seen for their ante-natal care by midwives from one area, but then give birth in their nearest hospital, which is in another area and there is no continuity with poor communication. I had something similar with breast cancer and there were delays during the transfer.

I know some people have written to Badenoch about the situation. It's no wonder she doesn't respond, if she doesn't even know how healthcare is organised in her own constituency. I doubt very much if she's ever availed herself of the services as a patient.

So Badenoch’s husband is living rent free?

Not bad is it!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202506/medium-98lczm-screenshot-2025-06-12-at-10-38-50.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202506/medium-fb7nap-screenshot-2025-06-12-at-10-40-01.png

growstufff There most certainly are two hospitals in her constituency, but I'm not surprised she doesn't know. She's never here and doesn't know much about the constituency or people who live here. She owes Starmer an apology.

We both know there are two.

Here’s the evidence she has visited them both. What an odd thing to say. She’s made herself look an arrogant fool.

I don’t know exactly where she lives. You probaby do.

She claims £2,700 a month to rent a grade II-listed farmhouse with six bedrooms, another £4,000 a year for band H council tax and thousands in energy bills.

Her expenses claims:

www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-staffing-business-costs/your-mp/kemi-badenoch/4597

She isn’t breaking any rules but it’s still eye-wateringly excessive. She’s only 50 miles from London, a commute people do daily.

escaped

^It is amazing how far arrogance and a huge amount of self confidence can take you though.^
Yet, a UK private school education can't be blame on this occasion! Nor Cambridge.

Sorry, I can't comment on anything else. I'm out of the country for a month - following foreign politics. (Macron was on TV fir 2 hours last night talking discussing Urgence Ocean).

Not a UK private school, but a Nigerian one. Badenoch went to one of the most exclusive private schools in Nigeria. Her A level results weren't good enough to get into Oxford or Cambridge.

Her mother was a professor, who worked at Harvard for a while and her father was a GP, who owned a clinic and was a respected political leader.

It is amazing how far arrogance and a huge amount of self confidence can take you though.
Yet, a UK private school education can't be blame on this occasion! Nor Cambridge.

Sorry, I can't comment on anything else. I'm out of the country for a month - following foreign politics. (Macron was on TV fir 2 hours last night talking discussing Urgence Ocean).

ronib

Starmer may or may not be an awful man but he does have the ability to grate. He is obviously not bothered because his party has a huge majority and he will still in power whether he continues to annoy or not. Get used to it?

Yes, you have to get used to it.

Personal charm or charisma is largely irrelevant to someone's political abilities. How is he supposed to change what is basically his personality? Isn't it his character that matters?

Why should he change himself so he doesn't grate on you? He might just change into something that would irritate other people, and anyway - he has better things to do, like running the country .

I don’t think personal popularity is as important as who people have confidence in. This is the latest YouGov survey, it’s a pretty consistent picture over the months.
yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/52251-who-would-be-the-best-prime-minister-may-2025

Whitewavemark2

It is amazing how far arrogance and a huge amount of self confidence can take you though.

Often by the time we wake up and realise how poor they are they’ve made promotion far above their capabilities.

How often did we see it in our working lives?

‘The Peter Principle’ ( apologies to anyone called Peter by the way). Everyone is promoted to the highest level of incompetence. With political leaders we all just have to hope that we’ve struck lucky. I mean, look at Trump .

Starmer may or may not be an awful man but he does have the ability to grate. He is obviously not bothered because his party has a huge majority and he will still in power whether he continues to annoy or not. Get used to it?

growstuff

During the PMQs in the clip, she mocks Starmer for making a mistake about the number of hospitals in her constituency, with her normal sneering. However, Starmer didn't make a mistake. There are two hospitals in Badenoch's constituency. I have an appointment at one of them tomorrow morning and she has been photographed visiting both of them and saying how proud she is of the work they do blah blah. Badenoch was the one who made the mistake.

She really is the epitome of ignorance!

Marg75

Kemi described him as 'all puffed up and self righteous' which I thought summed up Starmer exactly. What an awful man he is.

Why? Why is he an “awful man”?

Has anybody watched A Different Bias from yesterday? It was interesting, he was talking about the fact that big donors haven’t transferred their loyalties to Reform, and have held their faith in the Tories undergoing a revival. I think there are plans afoot that haven’t been shared with the public, perhaps key donors have been kept more in the loop.

love0c

I just wish the Conservatives would put in charge who they really want. They have kept them hidden long enough. I do not know what their game is in keeping Badenoch in!

Who do you think they really want?

I just wish the Conservatives would put in charge who they really want. They have kept them hidden long enough. I do not know what their game is in keeping Badenoch in!

Oh yes WW, we certainly have - people promoted way above their ability. It’s always a disaster!

It is amazing how far arrogance and a huge amount of self confidence can take you though.

Often by the time we wake up and realise how poor they are they’ve made promotion far above their capabilities.

How often did we see it in our working lives?

growstuff

During the PMQs in the clip, she mocks Starmer for making a mistake about the number of hospitals in her constituency, with her normal sneering. However, Starmer didn't make a mistake. There are two hospitals in Badenoch's constituency. I have an appointment at one of them tomorrow morning and she has been photographed visiting both of them and saying how proud she is of the work they do blah blah. Badenoch was the one who made the mistake.

🤣🤣🤣

What a smug, arrogant, ill-informed person she really is.

During the PMQs in the clip, she mocks Starmer for making a mistake about the number of hospitals in her constituency, with her normal sneering. However, Starmer didn't make a mistake. There are two hospitals in Badenoch's constituency. I have an appointment at one of them tomorrow morning and she has been photographed visiting both of them and saying how proud she is of the work they do blah blah. Badenoch was the one who made the mistake.

I always see in Badenoch the girl who eagerly put her hand up to answer every question in school, including when she didn’t know the answer. What she seems to lack is any sense of self awareness, or gravitas. Starmer is a dull speaker, but he always comes in to PMQ better prepared, and he retains the upper hand. It’s an uneven battle. At the moment in PMQ the most effective opposition challenges are coming from Ed Davey, who has a light touch, but a sharp sword.