Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced a barrage of questions about his authority inside Labour during a tense session of Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, as Kemi Badenoch opened her exchanges by claiming his own MPs viewed him as a “caretaker Prime Minister”.
The Leader of the Opposition said Labour MPs were already “trying to replace” Sir Keir, arguing that he had lost control of his party. Her remarks echoed growing speculation that potential successors are quietly positioning themselves should the Labour leader be forced from office.
Mrs Badenoch asked the Commons: “Can the right honourable gentleman tell the House why his own MPs are describing him as a caretaker Prime Minister?”
Sir Keir insisted that Labour MPs were proud of their record, saying the Government had passed a Budget that protected public services and stabilised the economy. He argued that Labour was focused on easing the cost of living rather than internal politics.
Mrs Badenoch was not satisfied, responding: “Let me answer the question for the Prime Minister. He is being called a caretaker because everyone can see that he has lost control of his party. They are all so busy trying to replace him.”
Her attack came after reports that Labour Together, a think tank linked to Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, had asked party members to name which figures they believed could lead Labour into a second term. Names circulated alongside Sir Keir included Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham. Mr Burnham later said he would not rule out a leadership bid “if the call came”, while distancing himself from any briefing campaign.
It was previously revealed that allies of Mr Streeting had encouraged Ms Rayner to support a joint leadership ticket that would guarantee her a senior Cabinet role.
Starmer Pressed Over Family Farm Tax and Jury Trial Plans
Beyond the leadership row, Sir Keir came under further criticism over the Government’s tax decisions and criminal justice proposals. Several MPs challenged him on Labour’s family farm tax, with Conservative MP Sarah Bool calling for it to be reversed. She accused the Government of making “unfair choices” by raising taxes while failing to control welfare spending.
Sir Keir replied by accusing the previous Conservative administration of allowing welfare costs to balloon.
Meanwhile, Labour MP Karl Turner questioned plans to scrap jury trials for certain serious crimes, asking why the Government had ruled out a sunset clause if the measure was truly focused on reducing the court backlog. The PM warned that removing the provision risked a “total collapse” of the criminal justice system.
Conservative MPs Mock PM Over Tax Rises
Keir Starmer also faced mockery from Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans, who listed a series of everyday locations and claimed each had become more expensive due to Labour’s tax rises. He joked that this may be why the Prime Minister “chooses to spend so much time out of the country”.
Dr Luke Evans said: “I feel for the prime minister. It must be tough wherever he goes in the UK because of his policies, a pub, higher taxes, a restaurant, higher taxes, a cafe, higher taxes, a farm, higher taxes, a care home, higher taxes, a hospice, higher taxes.
“So Mr. Speaker, is this the reason the prime minister chooses to spend so much time out of this country?”
Sir Keir dismissed the comments as “a load of nonsense”.
Labour Turned Fire on Reform as Local Government Attacks Surface
Labour MP Jim Dickson criticised Reform UK’s governance in Kent, saying the party had cut services for vulnerable residents while failing to deliver promised tax reductions. He mocked Reform’s much publicised Doge strategy, calling it “deluded, overconfident, gormless and embarrassing”.
Sir Keir said Reform had created “chaos” in local government and pointed to controversies involving several of the party’s candidates. He referenced a report that Chris Parry, Reform’s mayoral candidate in Hampshire, had told David Lammy to go where his “loyalties lie”.
Davey Accuses Starmer of Blocking Closer EU Ties
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey then intensified pressure on the Prime Minister by urging him to adopt a customs union with the European Union to strengthen growth. Sir Ed warned that refusing such a shift could leave Sir Keir vulnerable to a leadership challenge within a year.
Sir Keir reiterated that while he supported closer cooperation with the EU, he would not re enter the single market or a customs union. His answer drew a notably muted reaction from Labour backbenchers.
Sir Ed also challenged Sir Keir to confront Donald Trump over the former president’s new national security stance, which he described as “deeply alarming”. Sir Keir replied that Europe remained united behind Ukraine and shared democratic values.
Badenoch Intensifies Attacks on Starmer’s Competence
Turning back to domestic issues, Mrs Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of repeatedly giving wrong answers and failing to understand key details about the state of the NHS, education and policing. She cited lower police numbers, delays in teacher recruitment, and cancelled medical appointments due to strikes.
Sir Keir countered that the Conservatives had left the NHS in disarray and claimed Labour had already delivered five million extra appointments. Ms Badenoch reminded the PM that in their last year in Government, the Conservative Party delivered over six and a half million extra appointments.
Mrs Badenoch also said Labour had lost control of energy bills as well and accused the Prime Minister of producing “hot air” instead of solutions. Sir Keir replied that the Conservatives had left the economy “broken”.
