Open goal: The Tory leader pressed the PM on whether Foreign Secretary David Lammy — Britain’s top diplomat, no less — had apologized to Trump for labeling him a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer” before he joined Labour’s frontbench in 2020. He has since been more diplomatic. Badenoch pressed: “If the foreign secretary wouldn’t apologize, would the PM do so now on his behalf?”
Dinner table small talk: Unsurprisingly, Starmer stayed away from Lammy’s specific comments, only claiming the pair discussed a “number of issues” and that the whole thing was a “very constructive exercise.” Read into that what you will.
Causing mischief: Badenoch picked up that plenty in Starmer’s cabinet signed a motion trying to stop Trump addressing parliament way back in his first term. She asked if the government “can be more than student politicians” and invite the incoming U.S. president to parliament now. Answer came there none on that one.
Digging into the detail: Badenoch probed Starmer further on how Trump’s election could impact defense spending and free trade talks with the U.S. Trump’s long wanted NATO members to spend more on defense and is eyeing unilateral tariffs on U.S. imports.
Trading places: The PM confirmed he will “of course” discuss “issues of our economy” with Trump, though didn’t get into specifics. That, said Badenoch, showed he has “no plans whatsoever for building on the special relationship.”
Sticking to the script: Badenoch cheekily slammed the PM’s “scripted lines” — an attack that was somewhat weakened by her, er, reading her own questions out from a bit of paper. Labour’s Starm-troopers were more than happy to leap on this by jeering at her.
