India has left Kemi Badenoch looking a bit red-faced over her criticism of a UK-India trade deal. The Conservative leader recently attacked a key part of the agreement, which exempts seconded Indian workers in the UK from paying National Insurance for three years. But Indian officials claim Badenoch herself backed a similar deal when she was trade secretary.
📊 What’s the Deal?
The trade agreement allows Indian workers seconded to the UK to skip National Insurance for three years – a perk also extended to British workers in India. The idea is to encourage cross-border business and investment, but Badenoch called it a “two-tier” tax system that puts British workers at a disadvantage.
🗣️ The Indian Response
However, sources in the Indian government told the Financial Times that Badenoch actually supported a similar deal during her time as trade secretary. One official said, “It’s amazing. It was on the table when she was trade secretary.” Another added, “The Tories offered us two years but we said it wasn’t enough.”
🚫 Fake News, Says Badenoch
Badenoch has hit back, calling the claims “total and utter rubbish.” In a post on X, she said, “I never agreed to any such tax deal. The evidence couldn’t be clearer – I refused to sign the deal. As I have always said – No Deal is Better Than a Bad Deal.”
🤔 Hypocrisy or Hardball?
Labour has seized on the row, accusing Badenoch of hypocrisy. A spokesperson said, “Kemi Badenoch has been caught out by her own hypocrisy again. She says one thing but she has done another.”
You may also like: Nigel Farage’s latest claims slammed in one comment
