Tory minister Badenoch unleashes scathing attack on Starmer after sudden departure

Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the UK Conservative Party, has labelled Keir Starmer as "a terrible Prime Minister" in the wake of his resignation as Labour leader and Prime Minister, which was announced on Monday after less than two years in office.

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Starmer's decision to step down as Labour leader, while remaining prime minister until a successor is elected, prompted Badenoch to react on X, where she criticized Starmer's administration for a series of policy failures.

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Badenoch accused the Labour government of implementing policies such as increasing National Insurance contributions and introducing the "Family Farm Tax", as well as abandoning meaningful welfare reforms and underfunding defence.

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She also criticized the government for failing to expand domestic oil and gas production and for appointing Peter Mandelson, which she claimed was followed by misleading the public about the circumstances.

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Badenoch argued that the problems with Starmer's administration were exemplified by policies such as "hiking national insurance" and "giving up on real welfare reform", and that these issues demonstrated that Starmer was "a terrible Prime Minister".

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She emphasized that the problem was not limited to Starmer, but rather was a symptom of a broader issue with Labour lawmakers, who she claimed prioritized higher taxes to fund increased welfare spending.

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Badenoch quoted the Welfare Secretary as saying that Labour MPs only wanted higher taxes to hand out more benefits, and stated that these choices and values were inherent to the Labour party, regardless of its leader.

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She called for a return to Conservative leadership, stating that "we need to get Britain working again" and that "we need the Conservatives".

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Starmer's resignation came after months of mounting political pressure, policy reversals, and growing public dissatisfaction, as previously reported.

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In his resignation speech outside 10 Downing Street, the outgoing prime minister said that every decision he took had been motivated by putting Britain first, and pledged to remain in office until Labour elects a new leader.