Badenoch accused of ‘cheerleading’ for Trump after she says Starmer should invite him to parliament – UK politics live | Politics

Libby Brooks

Donald Trump, whose mom, Mary Anne Macleod, was born on the Isle of Lewis earlier than emigrating to New York on the age of 18, has had a vexed relationship with Scotland’s political class: he clashed with Alex Salmond over his resort enlargement plans in Aberdeen and described Nicola Sturgeon as a “failed woke extremist” after she refused to keep up a “diplomatic silence” on his intolerance and therapy of ladies.

The present first minster John Swinney’s backing for Kamala Harris final week was branded “an insult” to his funding in Scotland by his enterprise Trump Worldwide.

Though Swinney went on to formally congratulate Trump, he instantly raised considerations about how his proposed import taxes would impression on the Scotch whisky enterprise.

5 extra shadow frontbench appointments introduced by Tories

Peter Walker

The Conservative celebration has introduced extra appointments to Kemi Badenoch’s frontbench.

Danny Kruger is a shadow work and pensions minister.

Wendy Morton (chief whip beneath Liz Truss) is a shadow International Workplace minister.

Gareth Davies (a former Treasury minister) is shadow monetary secretary to the Treasury.

Harriett Baldwin (a former Treasury minister) is a shadow enterprise minister.

And Pleasure Morrissey will probably be co-shadow deputy chief whip. She’s going to share the put up with Gagan Mohindra, whose appointment was introduced yesterday.

The Tories say that is extra proof of Badenoch’s want to have an inclusive workforce. Kruger was marketing campaign supervisor for Robert Jenrick, Badenoch’s predominant rival within the management contest, and Morton and Davies had been additionally each Jenrick supporters.

John Glen (Con) requested Reeves if Donald Trump profitable the US presidential elections would have an effect on progress within the UK. He stated Goldman Sachs has already revised down its forecasts for this nation, from 1.6% in 2025 to 1.4%.

Reeves stated it was “too early” to know what the impression could be. However she stated the connection with the US was essential. She was assured commerce flows with the US would proceed. Trump has been president earlier than, and UK commerce with the US was sturdy then, she stated.

Kemi Badenoch has not referred to as for David Lammy, the overseas secretary, to resign as a result of if his previous feedback condemning Donald Trump when she raised them at PMQs. (See 12.06pm – I’ve beefed up the unique put up with full quotes.) However a minimum of one Conservative MP has advised he ought to go (Nick Timothy – see 9.51am) and the previous Tory MP Bob Seely was much more blunt in a post on social media on this.

I don’t perceive how @DavidLammy can stay International Secretary, given what he has stated about #Trump. We could have no credibility, not solely with the brand new Administration but additionally together with his many supporters in Congress, and many others. Lammy’s foolish pupil politics but once more damaging the #UK.

However Downing Avenue has stated Lammy is staying. On the post-PMQs foyer briefing, requested if Lammy would stay overseas secretary for the remainder of this parliament, the PM’s press secretary stated: “Sure, he’s the overseas secretary.

Keir Starmer has not spoken to Donald Trump but since his election victory however hopes to take action “sooner or later”, his spokesperson advised reporters on the post-PMQs foyer briefing. The spokesperson stated:

Hopefully the President-elect is getting some well-deserved relaxation proper now however the prime minister clearly appears to be like ahead to talking to him sooner or later.

He is aware of first-hand how busy the primary couple of days are after profitable an election.

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem chief, has accused Kemi Badenoch of “cheerleading” for Donald Trump at PMQs. (See 12.08pm.) He posted this on social media.

Kemi Badenoch’s cheerleading of Donald Trump at PMQs reveals the Conservatives are completely out of contact with our values. We needs to be standing up for human rights, the rule of regulation and worldwide safety – not rolling out the crimson carpet for Trump.

If Tory MPs had been hoping that Kemi Badenoch was one way or the other going to trounce Starmer in debate, they are going to have been dissatisfied. She didn’t, by any stretch. It wasn’t a catastrophe for her, and he or she displayed confidence a minimum of in her first outing in what’s the hardest surroundings in parliament. However Keir Starmer was capable of maintain her off with some ease.

Badenoch began by asking if David Lammy apologised to Donald Trump for all of the offensive issues he has stated about him up to now when he and Starmer met Trump for dinner in New York. In some respects it’s an affordable query, however it’s a affordable one too and, after all, Starmer dodged it. She then introduced up the Bercow-inspired snub that occurred throughout Trump’s final presidency, when the then Speaker blocked a bid to permit Trump to talk to MPs in Westminster Corridor (following within the footsteps of individuals like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama – it’s the largest honour parliament can provide to a visiting dignitary). Once more, Starmer sidestepped the query. She additionally requested Starmer if he would say when Labour would elevate defence spending to 2.5% of GDP – one other matter on which the PM received’t make a dedication. These had been all okay assault factors. Badenoch made them forcefully, though her excessively patronising method might grate on plenty of viewers.

However, on defence, it went flawed as a result of foolishly Badenoch claimed that the finances speech didn’t point out defence. (See 12.12pm – I’ve beefed up the put up now with with full quotes.) It did, four times. This allowed Starmer to manage an efficient put-down. He additionally turned her jibe towards pupil politics again towards her fairly neatly (see 12.08pm), however his funniest and handiest retort got here when he mocked her remark about scripted responses. (See 12.14pm – once more, I’ve beefed up the orginal put up.) This clinched it for Starmer.

Badenoch additionally bought heckled at this level by Labour MPs shouting out “studying” (one thing MPs say when somebody is clearly studying from a script). There may be nothing uncommon about studying from a script at PMQs. However it’s unwise to criticise another person on these grounds when you’re doing it your self so transparently.

There have been three different fascinating issues to level out concerning the Starmer/Badenoch exchanges.

First, there was a concerted effort by Labour MPs to assault over previous feedback on subjects like autism, maternity pay, Partygate. This reveals her again catalogue can furnish Labour HQ with a number of assault traces. Badenoch’s allies would declare Labour are solely making an attempt so arduous as a result of they’re frightened.

Second, regardless of preventing a management marketing campaign on the idea that she isn’t going to set celebration coverage now as a result of it’s far too early, Badenoch used PMQs to decide to reversing the inheritance tax extension for farmers introduced within the finances. (See 12.14pm.) This gave the impression of a rookie mistake – one thing stated to beef up a PMQs query that can trigger embarrassment when it has to get reversed sooner or later. Curiously, the Tory Edward Leigh sounded much more affordable when he simply requested for a change to the brink. (See 12.26pm.)

And, third, by suggesting that Trump needs to be invited to handle MPs in parliament (see 12.08pm – once more, I’ve up to date the unique put up), Badenoch sounded much more pro-Trump than did within the assertion she issued earlier. (See 10.06am.) This could be what she thinks. However it’s in all probability not the place the general public are (British voters are typically fairly anti-Trump) and he or she ended up sounding like Nigel Farage, who in a tweet this morning was difficult Labour to present Trump the crimson carpet therapy when he subsequent visits.

Ben Overweight-Jecty (Con) asks Starmer if he thinks it was accepted for the Labour MP Daybreak Butler to repost a tweet describing Kemi Badenoch as “white supremacy in blackface”. And, if he doesn’t, why hasn’t Butler been suspended?

Starmer says it was not acceptable. He doesn’t handle the suspension level.