UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken a subtle swipe at Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s claim that he followed her advice on cutting the UK aid budget.
Badenoch, during the parliament’s plenary on Wednesday, had commended the Prime minister for listening to her by cutting the UK aid budget in order to increase its defence budget.
She said, “Over the weekend I suggested to the prime minister that he cut the aid budget, and I am pleased that he accepted my advice. It’s the fastest response I’ve ever had from the prime minister. However, he announced £13.4bn of additional defence spending yesterday.
“This morning, his defence secretary said the uplift is only £6bn. Which is the correct figure?,” she said.
However, Stammer, in a response, he was so busy and did not even realise a message was sent.
“I’m going to have to let the leader of the opposition down gently. She didn’t feature in my thinking at all. I was so busy over the weekend I didn’t even see her proposal.
“She’s appointed herself, I think, the saviour of Western civilisation. It’s a desperate search for relevance,” he said to the amusement of all in attendance.
He clarified that the UK’s defence spending would see a “£13.4bn increase, which is the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.”
