Keir Starmer delivered a cutting blow to Kemi Badenoch in the Commons, comparing her to Liz Truss in what might be one of the most brutal political put-downs of the year.
During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), Starmer told the Tory leader she was “on course to becoming the next lettuce”, a nod to the Daily Star’s infamous stunt, where a wilting iceberg outlasted Truss’s tenure in Downing Street. Ouch.
As the pair clashed over the government’s new Employment Bill, Badenoch accused Labour of creating a legal free-for-all that would let new hires take employers to tribunal within hours of starting a job.
“This bill is terrible for business but great employment for lawyers,” she quipped. “I know the prime minister loves the legal profession, but he needs to stop being a lawyer and start being a leader.”
Starmer wasn’t having it.
“She’s not a lawyer, she’s clearly not a leader”
Starmer responded with an absolute smackdown:
“I know she likes straight talking, she’s talking absolute nonsense.”
He dismissed her claims about the bill as completely false, adding:
“We know she’s not a lawyer, she’s clearly not a leader. If she keeps on like this, she’s going to be the next lettuce.”
Cue nervous Tory laughter.
Badenoch slapped down by the Speaker
To make things worse for Badenoch, she had already been reprimanded by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle for accusing Starmer of having “misled” the Commons during last week’s PMQs.
As Tory MPs tried to argue in her defence, Hoyle wasn’t having any of it, shutting them down mid-shout with a sharp:
“No! No, no. We can’t do it. I’m sure there are words you would prefer to use.”
That’s two smackdowns in one session—a tough day at the office for Badenoch.
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