Overview
- At Prime Minister’s Questions, Kemi Badenoch pressed a “caretaker prime minister” label on Keir Starmer, citing reports of Labour leadership chatter linked to Labour Together canvassing.
- Badenoch focused her attacks on energy bills, teacher recruitment, police numbers and NHS appointments lost to strikes, repeatedly declaring Starmer “wrong” and invoking senior ministers including Ed Miliband, Bridget Phillipson and Shabana Mahmood.
- Starmer defended the government’s record by highlighting five million extra NHS consultations and said 3,000 more police officers are due by the end of March, while turning fire on the Conservatives over 21 defections to Reform UK.
- Reform UK’s recent controversies featured in Commons exchanges, including allegations over racist remarks linked to Nigel Farage’s past, a Hampshire mayoral candidate’s comments about David Lammy and a Staffordshire council leader’s resignation over social media posts.
- The Liberal Democrats secured a 10‑minute rule bill vote to revive discussion of joining an EU customs union, with support from 13 Labour MPs including Treasury Committee chair Meg Hillier, as Starmer restated manifesto pledges to stay out of the customs union and single market.