Badenoch makes jibes over Labour’s view of Trump as she spars with Starmer at PMQs – UK politics live | Politics

Badenoch says she has a good record on the minimum wage. She put it up as business secretary. What does Starmer says to farmer. She says she is clear; the Tories would reverse the cruel farmers tax.

Starmer says, if Badenoch is complaining about scripted answers (as she did a moment ago), she should not be reading her questions from a script. On farming, she says “the vast, vast majority” of farmer will not be affected, as Badenoch knows. That budget was about investment, he says. If the Tories are opposed, they should tell their constituents. He says Labour is taking the country forward; the Tories are “stuck in the past”.

Badenoch says Starmer would not make a commitment to 2.5%. The chancellor’s budget did not mention defence. She says the budget was based on Bidenomics. But that is less popular than Rachel Reeves thought.

Starmer says Badenoch should have listened to the budget. It did not mention defence. He says Badenoch still has not welcomed the rise in the minimum wage.

Badenoch says the last Tory government said defence spending should rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Will Starmer match that?

Starmer says Labour is committed to defence. It created Nato. The last time the 2.5% level was met was under the last government. The plan put forward by the Tories at the last election was “fantasy”, he says.

Badenoch says Starmer is not answering the questions. She asks if he will continue free trade talks with Trump.

Starmer says he will of course work on matters of economic policy with Trump. And he turns to the budget, saying it will help working people. If Badenoch is opposed to those measures, she should say so.

Badenoch says when Trump was last president Labour MPs signed a motion saying Trump should not be allowed to speak in Westminster Hall. Will Starmer show that Labour are more than student politicians by inviting Trump to speak here on his next visit.

Starmer says Badenoch is giving a masterclass on student politics. He says he will work with Trump on issues of mutual interest.

Kemi Badenoch says she will be a constructive leader of the opposition. And she asks if David Lammy apologised to Donald Trump when he and Starmer met Trump in New York. And, if he did not, will Starmer apologise now.

Starmer says he had a constructive meeting with Trump. He does not mention the Lammy comments.

Jacob Collier (Lab) says his constituents are worried about Kemi Badenoch’s talk of getting rid of maternity pay. Will the government keep it?

Starmer says the government will keep it. He says he does not agree with Badenoch on this.

Caroline Dinenage (Con) asks about a constituent missing out on the winter fuel payment this winter because she is £10 over the limit for pension credit. Is that fair?

Starmer says the government has had to take tough decisions. He says that has allowed the government to keep the pension triple lock, which will help Dinenage’s constituent.

Keir Starmer starts by congratulating President-elect Trump. He says he looks forward to working with him in the years to come.

And he welcomes Kemi Badenoch to her place. She is his fourth Tory leader, he says. He says he looks forward to working with her in the national interest.

Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, starts by welcoming Kemi Badenoch to her first PMQs as leader of the opposition.

Welsh questions is just winding up in the Commons. Nia Griffith, a Welsh Office minister, has just accused Kemi Badenoch of betraying farmers with the trade deals she worked on while she was international trade minister and business secretary.

Kemi Badenoch has her first PMQs as Conservative leader today. She’s confrontational, likes attacking Labour and is a confident Commons performer, and in the Conservative party MPs are expecting her to do well.

Here is the list of MPs down to ask Keir Starmer a question.

Gavin Robinson, the DUP leader, has congratulated Donald Trump. In a message on social media he says:

The voters in the United States have clearly spoken. I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on a big win.
We look forward to seeing him in Northern Ireland during his term as President.

But Claire Hanna, the SDLP leader, has said his victory is “very disheartening”. In a statement she says:

My thoughts today are largely with people in the United States who are fearful about what this might mean for their future. Donald Trump has repeatedly shown himself as someone with little respect for most people or the high office that he once again holds. It’s very disheartening that his divisive brand of politics has been so widely endorsed, but we acknowledge the clarity of the election outcome.

There is serious concern about what this means for the United States, Gaza, Ukraine and indeed the world. In each, the most vulnerable will likely bear the brunt of the decisions the Trump administration will take.

Many people will be feeling low today and I hope they will take care. The best response to this is to organise, and to think about the ways that we can help protect community cohesion, security and the planet. The SDLP will continue to champion inclusive, forward looking and internationalist politics.