Kemi Badenoch used the King’s Speech debate to launch a blistering attack on Sir Keir Starmer’s authority, declaring the Prime Minister was “in office, but not in power” amid mounting unrest on Labour’s backbenches.
Speaking in the Commons during what is traditionally a lighter, ceremonial exchange, the Conservative leader said the political mood in Westminster had become “highly unusual”, arguing that the Government was already fracturing barely months into office.
“The Prime Minister is in office, but not in power,” she told MPs. “Everyone is trying to pretend it’s all right. It’s not all right.”
Her intervention came against a backdrop of reported ministerial resignations and growing unrest within Labour ranks, with Badenoch claiming that “nearly 100 Labour MPs have called for the Prime Minister to resign” in recent days.
Four ministers have also stepped down, she said, adding that Sir Keir’s authority “has gone” and questioning whether he could deliver even the limited programme set out in the King’s Speech.
Labour MPs responded with jeers from the benches, prompting Badenoch to retort that ministers “can’t wait to get back to their plotting”.
“I know they don’t want to hear it,” she said. “Look at them. They are so arrogant. They want to lead our country. They can’t even lead a coup.”
The Conservative leader also took aim at the Government’s internal tensions, suggesting Labour was struggling to distinguish between electoral victory and effective governance.
“Labour do not understand the difference between winning an election and governing a country,” she said.
Attention then turned to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, amid persistent speculation about leadership manoeuvring within the Cabinet. Badenoch accused him of being “a bit distracted lately” as she criticised delays and confusion around NHS reform plans, including the scrapping of NHS England.
Streeting was seen interjecting from the front bench as Badenoch pressed on: “Why don’t you just do your job? Do your job.”
She added: “There’s no point him giving me dirty looks. We all know what he’s been up to.”
Despite the combative tone, Badenoch opened her remarks by acknowledging the constitutional formality of the day, noting that the King’s Speech usually lends itself to “light-hearted debate” — before insisting that the current political moment demanded a more serious assessment.
She also used the opportunity to praise King Charles’s recent diplomatic engagements, including his state visit to the United States and his address to Congress, describing them as “full of wisdom and courage”.
Mocking suggestions from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey that elements of the royal visit should have been cancelled, she added: “We would never have got to hear it if we’d listened to some people in this House… but thank goodness no one listens to the leader of the Liberal Democrats.”
The exchanges underscored the increasingly febrile atmosphere surrounding the new parliamentary session, with opposition parties seeking to capitalise on growing speculation about Labour infighting and the Government’s stability at the start of its term.
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