Starmer and Badenoch Clash: Labour's Reckless Budget and Child Poverty Promises Scrutinized at PMQs

During Prime Minister's Questions, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch engaged in a heated exchange over Labour's latest budget and its questionable approach to child poverty. Badenoch took Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to task, accusing Reeves of 'twisting the facts' to push through damaging tax hikes, and painting an unnecessarily bleak picture of the nation's finances to justify Labour's big-government agenda. Starmer, refusing to acknowledge the economic risks, defended Reeves and boasted about the budget, dismissing legitimate calls for her resignation from those concerned about fiscal discipline. He claimed the government is committed to reducing child poverty, pointing to the controversial decision to lift the two-child benefit cap—a move widely seen as a sop to Labour's left-wing MPs and a signal of more welfare dependency. Badenoch highlighted this as a transparent attempt to placate party rebels, recalling how Labour previously punished MPs who dared to challenge the cap. The session also covered the resignation of Office for Budget Responsibility Chair Richard Hughes, after a serious error led to the premature publication of sensitive budget details. Treasury Minister James Murray insisted Hughes resigned voluntarily, but questions remain about the government's competence and its ability to safeguard vital information.