'WINTER IS COMING' - Starmer faces election 'OBLIVION' after BRUISING PMQS

Added: 2026-04-29

[00:00:00]This was the last prime minister's questions before the country goes and votes in the local elections across England, the Scottish Parliament elections, the Welsh Parliament elections and there was a lot riding on it for both Zakir Stammer and Kem Benedok. Now Kem decided to go back to the favorite subject of the conservatives, money. How is it spent?

[00:00:22]How are they spending your money? And she made the argument that since Zakir arrived in number 10 in July 2024, one and a half million people, the equivalent of the combined populations of Leeds, Edinburgh, and Cardiff were now out of work and claiming benefits.

[00:00:40]And then she took a look across as the chancellor who was sitting there and said that she should be moved to an easier job. And whenever the prime minister didn't give a cast iron commitment that there wouldn't be a reshuffle after the local elections which could see Rachel Reeves moving out of number 11 Downing Street, Kimmy Badeladoc said, "Well, it looks like she's toast." So this is pure knockabout stuff. Kem's not expecting to suddenly get an insight into the deep soul of the prime minister at this stage. This is the final pitch. It's trying to rally the troops so they can make one last go on the doorsteps and get out there. It's also very much aware that it's the audience on television, on their phones who are watching this. If anything hits through that might enable both the Conservatives and Labor to hang on to some council seats in the face of the onslaught from the Greens and from Reform UK, they'll be very happy. Back in July 2024, those benches were full of sickopantic questions from adoring new MPs.

[00:01:48]>> Yesterday, the prime minister was reduced to begging those same MPs to save his own skin.

[00:01:59]>> Mr. Speaker, he's broken his promise to grow the economy. The only thing that's grown is the welfare bill. The only thing that's grown is the welfare bill.

[00:02:08]So, can the prime minister tell us? Can the prime minister tell us how many more people are out of work and claiming universal credit since he took office?

[00:02:20]>> Prime Minister, >> Mr. Speaker, uh she talks about what we've done uh in Tal raising people out of work. We have the youth guarantee that we put in place for young people.

[00:02:30]We've raised the national minimum wage thanks to our chancellor.

[00:02:34]We've helped young people into work by cutting NHS waiting lists thanks to the work of the health secretary. We put more police on the streets thanks to the works of the home secretary. And we've cut energy bills for young people thanks to the work of the energy. I am very proud what this Labor government delivered in the first session of this parliament.

[00:02:53]>> Mr. Speaker, the prime minister doesn't want to say how many people how many more people in fact are out of work and claiming universal credit since he took office. Perhaps he doesn't know. So let me tell him the number is 1.5 million people.

[00:03:10]>> That is the entire population of Leeds, Cardiff and Edinburgh put together.

[00:03:17]Hardworking people are being taxed more and more to pay for a ballooning benefits bill. So, can the prime minister tell us why on his watch for the first time ever, we are now spending more on welfare than we earn in income tax?

[00:03:34]>> Prime Minister.

[00:03:35]>> Mr. Speaker, the welfare system she complains of is the one they put in place. Mr. Speaker, and Mr. Speaker, we are reforming it to improve it. And what did they do when we put that forward?

[00:03:50]They voted to keep the same broken welfare system.

[00:03:56]>> Mr. Speaker, that answer was as honest as his reason for sacking Ollie Robbins.

[00:04:00]Perhaps he'd like to apologize for that right now. Let me tell him. Let me tell him why we're we're spending more on welfare than we're earning in tax. It's because of him and his terrible policies. This is all under him. We are spending so much on welfare. We cannot afford to defend the country. And if he won't listen to me, Mr. Speaker, perhaps he'll listen to the former Labor Defense Secretary, Lord Robertson, who is saying, and I quote, "We cannot defend Britain with an everexpanding welfare budget." I agree with Lord Robertson. Why doesn't he?

[00:04:38]>> Mr. Speaker, this is the Labor government that increased defense spending, the highest sustained spend since the Cold War. What did they do, Mr. Speaker, when they came into power, defense spending was 2.5%. And when they left power, it was 2.3%.

[00:04:56]And even their own secretary of state admitted they hollowed out our armed forces. So, we'll take no lectures from them on defense.

[00:05:05]>> Mr. Speaker, talking about more defense spending is not the same as giving more money for defense. He has been in office for nearly two years. Mr. Speaker, what he does have, he's got a welfare plan until 2031, but he's not produced a defense investment plan. We have gone backwards on defense under him because we are borrowing. We are borrowing to pay for welfare. Yesterday, we learned that the cost of government borrowing is now the highest in two decades. That's under him. Instead of getting a grip on the economy, the chancellor is briefing out rent controls to curry favor. Curry favor with left-wing backbentures. This is not a serious way to run the economy.

[00:05:53]It is time the prime minister gives her an easier job. So, will he listen to businesses, listen to the country, and reshuffle the chancellor?

[00:06:03]>> Mr. Speaker, at the spring statement, the chancellor were very proud to say inflation was down to 3% and falling.

[00:06:09]Six interest rates in a cut. We've seen the growth figures for the early part of this year. And she says, "Well, the cost of boring's gone up." Yes. Because there's a conflict in Iran. And what did she want to do? What did she want to do when when I said we wouldn't be dragged into that war? because I thought through the consequences, including the economic consequences. What did she do? She said we should jump in with both feet without regard to the consequences. She can't complain now about the implications.

[00:06:44]>> Mr. Speaker, I didn't hear him say he's not reshuffling the chancellor.

[00:06:49]>> It sounds like she's toast.

[00:06:51]>> But Kenny did push on a subject which has been building up a lot of concern over the last few months. She made the argument that Zakir can't afford to invest in defense because the country's welfare bill is frankly spiraling. Now, this has been a week in which she's been trying to put the prime minister under immense pressure, especially over the appointment of Peter Mandelson, and we had the spectacle of her trying to get MPs to vote for an investigation into Kier's handling of that. and she suggested that he's suddenly getting quite under the hot under the under the collar saying that he punched the speaker's chair last week and we all saw it and also insinuating that he's pleading for Angela Raina to come back into his cabinet at a show of confidence and support. Well, it then was Ed Davy's turn, the Liberal Democrat leader, and he stood up and he started pushing. But Kier came armed with a put down for the Lib Dem leader, describing him as the man in the wet suit. And this is obviously a reference to the stunts that Sarah Davyy loves to pull at election time. And I'm sure we'll be seeing some more in the coming days. He described himself as now wearing a dry suit. And he pointed out that when Boris Johnson was facing a vote on an investigation into his activities, he didn't whip it.

[00:08:14]I he didn't force MPs on the pain of their political lives to stand with him but Zakir had. And then as the great spectacle of PMQs rolled on, we had Steven Flynn, the SNP leader in Westminster standing up. Now he pointed out that this might be his last PI minister's questions if he manages to be elected to the Scottish Parliament. But there was quite a poke when he says it might also be Ter's last prime minister's questions. A hint at the upset that there is in Labor benches that the party has spent the weeks leading up to this crucial vote with a row dominated about why in the world Sakir Stmer appointed Peter Mandlesson to the top diplomatic post in the United Kingdom. Yesterday, we heard Christian Turner, Peter Mandlesson's replacement as US ambassador, say that the only country Trump has a special relationship with is Israel. That the prime minister's job is in danger after next week's elections and that in the US, Jeffrey Epstein's associates have evaded responsibility for their actions. The prime minister has to has had to fire one US ambassador for lying. Does he fear he'll now have to fire a second one for telling the truth?

[00:09:35]>> Minister, Mr. Speaker, g given what I've had thrown at me uh in the last two weeks by all the opposition parties, that's the least of my problems. But Mr. Speaker, I know he likes uh stunts, but I was surprised he joined in the one uh yesterday because his own business spokesman said last week satisfied I had not misled the house. He of course his his opening position was it was inconceivable that officials would give clearance to Mandlesson and not tell ministers it was against the UK SV recommendation. That's what he said >> and it didn't happen.

[00:10:05]>> I expect frivolous accusations from the leader of the opposition. Clearly, I was wrong to expect anything better than from the man in the wet suit.

[00:10:15]>> And David, >> Mr. Speaker, I've got my dry suit on today and LET ME TELL THE PRIME minister that uh when when Boris Johnson was faced with that uh uh motion, he didn't whip his MP.

[00:10:48]>> There was a difference there.

[00:10:51]And Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, experts are warning that food prices will rise by 10% this year as farmers costs sore. Trump's war has exposed how weak Britain's food security is.

[00:11:10]>> Yet, under the system brought in by the Conservatives, England is the only country in Europe where farm payments don't actively support farmers to produce food.

[00:11:22]So, will the King speech include a good food bill to fix that mistake and make sure people can afford the food they need?

[00:11:34]>> Mr. Speaker, uh, of course, food security uh is important and that's why uh I was considering that amongst other issues uh in the ministerial meetings yesterday um in Cobra. That's what I was spending my afternoon doing. Making sure that we were prepared and managing the risks of a conflict that will affect every single one of our constituents.

[00:11:54]What was he doing? He was wasting his time in here on a basic basic allegation baseless allegation and engaging in party political. He should have been working on the single most important issue today, but he wasted his time on a baseless political stunt.

[00:12:10]>> Mr. Speaker, depending upon results in the elections next week, this may well be my final PMQs.

[00:12:20]>> I uh I suppose >> I I suppose, Mr. Speaker, the same is perhaps true for the prime minister as well.

[00:12:34]But but before then, does he understand that yes, it's because of an action on the cost of living crisis? Yes, it's because of the debacle of the winter fuel payment. Yes, it's because of the thousand jobs being lost a month in Scotland's North Sea and the closure of Grangemouth. Yes, it's because of his judgment on Matthew Doyle and Peter Mandelen. But above all else, the reason why his time in office will soon be coming to a close is because he promised change, but has delivered chaos.

[00:13:07]>> Madam Speaker, I'm proud of what this Labor government has achieved and I'm proud of what we will achieve. If it is his last session here, let's reflect on his great achievements in Westminster.

[00:13:18]He kicked out his predecessor and then lost 39 MPs at the next election.

[00:13:25]I hope it can keep up that record in Hollywood next week.

[00:13:29]>> And this was picked up again from Robin Swan, an olster unionist who just asked the prime minister, why does he think it went so wrong? Was it the Waspy woman?

[00:13:40]Was it the farmers? Was it the betrayal, as he put it, of Northern Ireland veterans? Those are some words which will be hanging in the air. But if the prime minister can do better than expected, he'll be in buoyant form. He's hung on this far. There've been plenty of times when his career has been dangling by a thread. But if the elections are as bad as it suggested, if Labor lose control of the Welsh Parliament, wow, that's a huge mark in his legacy. And some Labor MPs may be thinking, is it time for it all to come crashing to an end? And Kem pointed that perhaps the prime minister is like a character from Game of Thrones. As she put it, rather perhaps scatologically, he's wetting himself thinking about the king of the north, an utterly unsuttle reference to Andy Burnham, who for some people on the Labor left is seen as the prince who's waiting to come to Westminster. Well, there's a lot of road to go in the coming days and weeks, but this could decide the future of certainly the current resident of Downing