UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticises PM Keir Starmer, calling him “arrogant” as Deputy PM Angela Rayner admits underpaying stamp duty.
As reported by the Independent, Kemi Badenoch claimed Sir Keir Starmer is “too arrogant to admit errors,” pressing him on rising unemployment, taxes, and government borrowing.
In the first Prime Minister’s Questions after MPs’ summer break, Ms Kemi Badenoch targeted Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
This backlash came after Ms Rayner admitted to underpaying stamp duty on her second home and referred herself to the independent ethics adviser.
How did Keir Starmer respond to Kemi Badenoch’s tax and jobs questions?
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Kemi Badenoch urged Sir Keir Starmer to dismiss his deputy, but the Prime Minister defended her, saying he was “very proud to sit alongside” her.
She said Mr Starmer’s “incompetence is hurting real people,” adding,
“There is not just a crisis at the very top of his Cabinet, there is a crisis brewing for the whole country.
Ms Badenoch asked,
“When was the last time the cost of Government borrowing was so high?”
Sir Keir responded,
“On the question of borrowing costs, they have risen across the world, as the leader of the Opposition well knows. We are driving them down by getting debt down. That is hardwired into our fiscal rules. Those fiscal rules are non-negotiable.”
Tory leader stated,
“He cannot say why borrowing is higher under him. I will tell him why it is higher – it is because the Chancellor changed the fiscal rules so she could borrow record amounts. She maxed out the country’s credit card, and that has pushed up borrowing costs. These are their bad choices.”
Labour leader replied,
“She comes straight back to talk the country down at every opportunity. She doesn’t welcome the highest growth in the G7. What about the 380,000 jobs we’ve created? She could have welcomed that.”
Ms Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of “dragging down the country” and challenged his record on jobs.
She stated,
“How can he stand there and say that he’s creating jobs? Unemployment has gone up every single month under this Labour Government.”
Referring to a Sunday Times interview in which Mrs Badenoch said she had “inherited a giant mess and I’m cleaning it,” Sir Keir replied, “I know exactly how she feels.”
She claimed the Labour leader is “floundering,” adding,
“We’re not the ones referring ourselves to ethics advisers.”
Tory leader continued,
“It is clear that taxes are going up for everyone except perhaps the Deputy Prime Minister. I warned before the summer that we would face weeks of speculation about which taxes would be going up.”
She said,
“The former head of the IFS (Institute for Fiscal Studies) says this sort of uncertainty is actively damaging to the economy, and now we find that we have to wait until 26 November for a budget? Does he really think the country or the markets can wait that long?”
Mr Starmer responded,
“She said they’re not referring themselves to the ethics adviser … that’s amongst the reasons they got booted out of office last year.”
He stated,
“And she complains that we’re going through the due process for a budget and going through the necessary steps. We tried a budget under their watch without going through those steps. What happened? They blew up the economy. We’ll take no lessons from them.”
Mrs Badenoch said,
“This is desperate stuff from the Prime Minister. This week, he had another reset. This morning, the Prime Minister scrapped his five missions, and after scrapping his three foundations, scrapping his six first steps for change and his seven pillars for growth, the truth is this man has got no clue, zero clue.”
She added,
“But this is serious, the Prime Minister’s incompetence is hurting real people. They’re losing their jobs, the cost of everything is going up, from energy bills to the weekly shop. This is a crisis made in Downing Street. Isn’t the truth that he is too weak to change course and too arrogant to admit he got things wrong?”
Mr Starmer replied,
“I don’t know what social media site she’s been on this morning, but I think the chair of the Tory party said that we were the firefighters, this Government.”
He added,
“Well, in a sense, we are, because we’re putting out the fires that they created. They were the arsonist, the biggest fall in living standards on record, and blowing up the finances. We’ve spent the first year putting out their fires.”
What could Angela Rayner’s stamp duty error cost her?
Under growing scrutiny over her property affairs, Angela Rayner admitted she had underpaid stamp duty on her £800,000 flat.
She has referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics adviser after admitting she paid a lower stamp duty rate on her Hove flat. Experts estimate the underpayment could leave her owing up to £40,000 more.
Ms Rayner’s role may be in question after it was confirmed she underpaid tax, adding to Labour’s struggles as the party battles to convince voters of its credibility.
The deputy prime minister added,
“I deeply regret the error that has been made. I am committed to resolving this matter fully and providing the transparency that public service demands. It is for that reason I have today referred myself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, and will provide him with my fullest cooperation and access to all the information he requires.”
Key facts about stamp duty on houses in the UK
Stamp Duty Land Tax is charged in bands, from 0% on the first £125,000 to 12% above £1.5 million. First-time buyers get relief, paying nothing up to £300,000 and 5% on £300,001–£500,000, with standard rates above that.
For additional properties like second homes or buy-to-lets, a 5% surcharge applies on top of standard rates.