Keir Starmer Squirming Under Pressure as He Refuses to Answer Kemi Badenoch on Tax and Winter Fuel Support

Keir Starmer came under fire during a stormy session of Prime Minister’s Questions as Kemi Badenoch tore into him over a dramatic U-turn on winter fuel payments and demanded he come clean about possible future tax hikes.

The heated exchange saw Badenoch accuse the Prime Minister of failing to own up to what she called a botched reversal on support for pensioners, after his government decided to restore the winter fuel allowance, which had previously been on the chopping block, reported the Express.

“Let’s bring it back to the u-turn he’s running away from. The u-turn on the policy his MPs went out to defend time and time again,” she said. “One minute, they said it was right to take the winter fuel payment away, there might be a run on the pound. The next minute, they said it was right to give it back. This is laughable. He stands there all puffed up and self-righteous. Why can’t he admit he made a mistake?”

The payment, worth up to £300, is set to go out to around nine million pensioners this winter, covering over three-quarters of older people. Starmer defended the move, pointing to the financial mess he claimed Labour inherited when they took office last year.

“They left a £22 billion black hole that we had to fill and that is why we took the right decisions,” he said. “Three weeks ago I said that I wanted more pensioners to be eligible for winter fuel. I’m really pleased we’ve set out the threshold for the certainty that is needed.”

He rattled off a list of recent government achievements, from record investment to social housing and free school meals, in an effort to shift the focus. “She says I don’t want to talk about record. What about three trade deals, record investment, breakfast clubs, social affordable housing, defence review, Sizewell, we could go on all morning.”

Starmer also took a jab at Badenoch’s own political camp, referencing the chaotic Liz Truss mini-budget from 2022. “She could start with apologising for the Liz Truss budget, that would be better,” he said.

But Badenoch wasn’t done, pressing him directly on whether he could promise not to raise taxes again. Starmer didn’t give a straight answer, and Badenoch didn’t let it slide.

“We all heard the Prime Minister. He didn’t rule out tax rises so they are going to have to put up taxes even more,” she said, calling into question his claims that the economy had stabilised.

“He must be talking about a different economy. All of us in this House heard about unemployment increasing. Unemployment has increased every month since Labour took office. Last year he said he was taking the winter fuel payment away to balance the books. But the books are not balanced, in fact they are worse.”

She claimed the deficit had jumped by £10 billion since the most recent budget, not even since the election, and questioned how that lined up with Starmer’s claims.

Starmer fired back with a swipe of his own, pointing to improved growth figures, falling interest rates, and a £15 billion local transport fund. He even brought up Liz Truss again, saying: “She stands there to lecture us, and I see Liz Truss is obviously back in vogue. Advising Reform officially now, haunting the Tories.”

It’s clear neither side is backing down – and with winter approaching and tax questions hanging in the air, this row is far from over.

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