UK Parliament: Kemi Badenoch TEARS INTO British PM Starmer Over Digital ID, Farmers Issues at PMQs

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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch launched a sharp assault on Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a heated Prime Minister’s Questions on January 14, 2026, accusing Labour of repeated policy U-turns. Badenoch questioned Starmer’s credibility on NHS leadership, farmers’ inheritance tax changes, and the sudden abandonment of mandatory digital ID checks.    She argued the reversals showed weak governance and uncertainty at the top. Starmer defended the shifts as listening to concerns, but critics said he appeared on the back foot, as Badenoch framed Labour’s resets as evidence of a government struggling to hold a clear line.    #PMQs #UKPolitics #KemiBadenoch #KeirStarmer #Conservatives #Labour #NHS #Farmers #InheritanceTax #DigitalID #PolicyUTurns #Westminster #BritishPolitics #PoliticalDebate #Leadership #Parliament #CurrentAffairs #Government #Opposition #News  ~HT.410~

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr Speaker. And can I agree with the Prime Minister's comments on Iran?

00:05Today, Irfan Soltani faces execution for protesting in Iran, and I'm sure the whole

00:10House will be united in condemning this. Our thoughts are with him and his family

00:15and the brave protesters fighting for their freedom against an evil regime.

00:20Mr Speaker, I know the Home Secretary will be making a statement today on the West Midlands

00:24Police. The first thing that she should be announcing is the sacking of the Chief Minister.

00:30And I thank the Member for West Suffolk for a relentlessly pushing this issue.

00:35Mr Speaker, can I welcome the Prime Minister's latest U-turn? I feel like I say that every week.

00:42Mandatory digital ID was a rubbish policy, and we on this side of the House are glad to see the back of it.

00:49But yesterday, the Health Secretary said the Prime Minister's New Year's resolution should be,

00:54– and I quote – to try to get it right first – to try to get it right first time.

01:05To try to get it right first time.

01:10Yes, you did say that. You did say that.

01:13My question is, does he agree?

01:15Prime Minister.

01:17Mr Speaker, I'm determined to make it harder for people to work illegally in this country.

01:22And that's why there will be checks, they will be digital, and they will be mandatory.

01:28And I'll tell her what this government is doing, whether on planning, child poverty, employment rights,

01:33investing in our NHS, we're taking the right choices for Britain,

01:37– and they oppose every single one of them.

01:40And she talks about U-turns and consistency.

01:43From the party that used to recognise the challenge of climate change,

01:47and now they run from it.

01:48Who promised to cut immigration, but then lost control of it.

01:52Who once took great pride in our diversity,

01:56now they talk of deporting our neighbours to achieve cultural coherence.

02:00And Mr Speaker, on consistency, don't get me started on five Prime Ministers,

02:07six Chancellors, eight Home Secretaries, 16 Housing Ministers.

02:13They had more positions in 14 years than the Kama Sutra.

02:17No wonder they're knackered, and they left the country screwed.

02:23A lot of waffle, Mr Speaker, but it's still a U-turn.

02:28The member for Hull East has said,

02:31so interesting, Mr Speaker,

02:33Labour MPs must think very carefully before defending policy decisions publicly.

02:38He said, and I quote,

02:40this stuff leaves us looking really stupid.

02:43I'm sorry to tell him, but Labour MPs have been looking stupid for a long time.

02:48But let's look, Mr Speaker,

02:51Mr Speaker,

02:52let's look at some other things the Prime Minister didn't get right first time,

02:59starting with the family farms tax.

03:02Some farmers were so terrified,

03:05they sold their farms last year,

03:07only for the Prime Minister to U-turn two days before Christmas.

03:11Will he apologise for the misery he's caused countless farmers?

03:14Right, Minister.

03:15Mr Speaker, the principle we put in place on inheritance tax is the right one.

03:19We listened, we made an astronaut.

03:22But what we're doing is turning the country around.

03:25Yes, we've changed the country.

03:28We've changed the failed approach of the last Tory government.

03:33They crashed the economy and sent mortgage rates through the roof.

03:36They left millions stuck on NHS waiting lists.

03:40They presided over the worst Parliament for Living Standards on record.

03:44Now, we're turning that around,

03:45we're changing that.

03:47Inflation and interest rates are coming down.

03:50Waiting lists are coming down.

03:52Wages are up more in the first year of a Labour government

03:54than ten years of a Tory government.

03:56But I understand, Mr Speaker,

03:57that she's taking advice on change.

04:00She had Nadeem Zahawi in

04:02to ask his advice

04:04how to change

04:06and how to save her party.

04:08Please don't tell me she listened to his accountant.

04:11Next day,

04:11Next day, after your advice,

04:13he jumped ship

04:14to reform

04:15the 23rd former Tory MP

04:18to do so.

04:19I don't know which is more pitiful,

04:22the flood of former Tory MPs

04:24deserting her sinking ship

04:26or the reform party

04:27so desperate to launder

04:29any old failed Tory politician.

04:34Mr Speaker, Mr Speaker,

04:36the Prime Minister doesn't need to worry about me.

04:38I'm all right.

04:48And I didn't hear an apology.

04:52I didn't hear an apology to the farmers.

04:54Has he even apologised

04:55to the member for Penrith

04:57who stood up for farmers

04:58only to have the whip removed?

05:01This Prime Minister

05:02treats his MPs so badly

05:04they follow his lead

05:05and he hangs them out to dry

05:06every time.

05:08Let's turn to another area

05:11the Prime Minister has got wrong.

05:13His budget doubled business rates

05:15for thousands of pubs.

05:17So can the Prime Minister tell us

05:19is there going to be

05:20any change

05:21to his business rates policy?

05:23Prime Minister.

05:25Mr Speaker,

05:26we're working with the sector

05:27to ensure that they get the support

05:29that they're named.

05:31I have to say

05:32the Leader of the Opposition's

05:33newfound concern for pubs

05:35will come as a surprise

05:36to anyone who remembers

05:37the 7,000 pubs

05:39that were closed

05:40under the Tories.

05:42And as Business Secretary,

05:45she didn't say

05:46a word about it.

05:47So we support business.

05:49We also support workers,

05:50Mr Speaker.

05:51And that's why we passed

05:53our Employment Rights Act.

05:54And on Monday,

05:58the Business Secretary and I

05:59went to Croydon

05:59to discuss

06:00our Employment Rights Act

06:01with workers there.

06:03They were very keen

06:04on the paternity rights

06:05and the maternity rights,

06:07which I know

06:08the Leader of the Opposition

06:09opposes.

06:10And whilst we were there

06:11at IKEA,

06:12they showed me

06:12their new prototype,

06:14the IKEA Shadow Cabinet.

06:15The trouble is,

06:18nobody wants to buy it.

06:20It's mainly constructed

06:21of old dead wood.

06:23And every time

06:24you lose a nut,

06:25it defects to reform.

06:26Mr Speaker,

06:36he didn't answer

06:36the question

06:37about business rates.

06:39It sounds like

06:39he doesn't know

06:40what his policy is.

06:42And this has been

06:43a farce

06:43from start to finish.

06:45On Monday,

06:46the Business Secretary

06:46said the Chancellor

06:48did not even realise

06:49the impact

06:50of her business rates policy.

06:51No surprise there.

06:52But yesterday,

06:54the Tax Office said

06:55that they did tell

06:56the government

06:56what the impact would be.

06:58So can the Prime Minister

07:00be clear?

07:01Did he understand

07:02the impact

07:03of his own policy

07:04on pubs?

07:07Prime Minister.

07:07Mr Speaker,

07:08we're working

07:10with this sector.

07:14She hasn't explained

07:15why she said

07:16nothing about

07:16the 7,000 pubs

07:18that closed on her walk.

07:19We're doing other things

07:20on the cost of living

07:21to help people

07:22to make sure

07:23they can get out,

07:24to spend money

07:25in pubs

07:26and hospitality,

07:27boosting the minimum wage.

07:28What did they do?

07:29They opposed it.

07:31Freezing railfares

07:32and prescription charges.

07:33What did they do?

07:34They opposed it.

07:35£150 off energy bills.

07:38What did they do?

07:39They opposed it.

07:40She said nothing

07:41when pubs were closing,

07:42and she opposes

07:43every measure now.

07:44And she said

07:45a moment ago,

07:46I'm all right.

07:47She clearly didn't

07:48listen to the advice

07:49of the Dean Zahawi,

07:51because what he told her,

07:53he's now made fun of it.

07:54He told her

07:55that they failed

07:56on mass migration,

07:57they failed

07:58on our armed forces,

08:00and he told her

08:00that she's leading,

08:01his words,

08:02a defunct brand

08:03the nation

08:04can no longer trust.

08:05No wonder

08:06he's joined

08:07the Tory migration

08:08to reform.

08:09Mr Speaker,

08:10it's the second

08:11Boris wave.

08:12Mr Speaker,

08:16I asked him

08:18if he understood

08:18the impact

08:19of his own policy.

08:21He didn't say yes.

08:22The reason he U-turns

08:24all the time

08:25is because he is clueless.

08:26He is blowing around

08:27like a plastic bag

08:28in the wind,

08:29no sense of direction

08:31whatsoever.

08:32And let's be clear,

08:32Mr Speaker,

08:33this mess goes

08:34beyond pubs.

08:35The whole of the

08:36hospitality industry,

08:37cafes,

08:38hotels,

08:39restaurants,

08:40they're all being

08:40clobbered by

08:41Labour's tax hikes.

08:42There is an answer

08:43to this.

08:44Conservatives

08:45would abolish

08:46business rates

08:47for small businesses

08:47on the high streets.

08:50Mr Speaker,

08:52yes,

08:53they're all

08:54chuntering.

08:55He's already

08:55agreeing with us

08:56on family farms tax.

08:58He's already

08:59agreeing with us

08:59on digital ID.

09:01Why doesn't he

09:01make it a hat trick

09:02and abolish

09:03business rates

09:04for the high streets?

09:07Mr Speaker,

09:08they've crashed

09:09the economy

09:10and now they want

09:10to give lectures

09:12she's wondering

09:14why nobody's

09:15listening to them.

09:15Nobody is ever

09:16going to listen

09:17to them

09:17on the economy

09:18ever again.

09:20Mr Speaker,

09:20in 18 months

09:21because of the

09:22decisions we've made,

09:23inflation is falling

09:25and the Bank of England

09:26say it's coming

09:27back down to target.

09:28We've had six

09:29interest rate cuts

09:30in a row.

09:32Wages are up

09:33more in the first

09:33year of a Labour

09:34government than

09:35under the first

09:3510 years of their

09:36government.

09:37and we beat the

09:38forecast on growth

09:39for 2025.

09:41We're turning

09:41this country around

09:42after the appalling

09:43mess that they

09:44left it in.

09:46He says no one's

09:47going to listen to us.

09:48Who's going to

09:49listen to him?

09:50The Winterfield

09:51Allowance,

09:52U-turn.

09:53Waspy Women,

09:54U-turn.

09:55The Two Child Benefit

09:56Cap,

09:56U-turn.

09:57Grooming Gangs

09:58Inquiry,

09:59U-turn.

09:59The Family Farms

10:00Tax,

10:01U-turn.

10:02Digital ID,

10:03U-turn.

10:04Jury Trials,

10:05U-turn.

10:06We hope so.

10:07We hope so.

10:08I think that's going

10:09to be the next one,

10:10Mr Speaker.

10:11Week after week,

10:12these poor people

10:13sitting behind him

10:14have to defend

10:15the indefensible,

10:16only for him to

10:17U-turn a few days

10:18later.

10:19Mr Speaker,

10:20one of his

10:21Cabinet Ministers

10:21told a journalist

10:22that what's happening

10:23at the moment

10:24is extraordinarily

10:25bad.

10:27Another said,

10:28we've gone through

10:29a catastrophic

10:29series of missteps.

10:31Yet another

10:32Minister said,

10:33we are so unpopular

10:34at the moment,

10:35I've come to the

10:36conclusion it's worth

10:37rolling the dice

10:38on a new leader.

10:40They're right,

10:41aren't they?

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