Badenoch accuses Starmer of using ‘smear tactics’ against her
Kemi Badenoch has accused Keir Starmer of using “smear tactics” against her.
Ignoring the conventional PR wisdom that it is a mistake to publicise attacks from opponents, she has responded to Starmer in a post on social media including a clip from his Q&A earlier.
Starmer is applying Labour smear tactics from 20 years ago and thinks they will work today. He is a man of the past with no answers for today’s problems, let alone tomorrow’s.
That such a huge scandal could occur should prompt soul-searching not ranting that those of us who… pic.twitter.com/dQmPdhVBdu
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) January 6, 2025
Starmer is applying Labour smear tactics from 20 years ago and thinks they will work today. He is a man of the past with no answers for today’s problems, let alone tomorrow’s.
That such a huge scandal could occur should prompt soul-searching not ranting that those of us who care about it are “the far-right”.
As I said earlier, if you read Starmer’s quotes in full (see 10.39am and 10.57am), it is clear that he was not saying that anyone concerned about gang-rape is on the far right. He was referring to the way far-right provocateurs like Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson have exploited this issue, and criticising Conservatives who have aligned themselves with their position, by for example not condemning Musk’s comments about Jess Phillips.
Key events
More than half of British companies are planning price rises in the next three months, according to research that found UK business confidence has slumped to its lowest since the chaos of Liz Truss’s brief stint as prime minister, Jasper Jolly and Heather Stewart report.
Commenting on these figures, Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said:
Day after day, week after week, the warnings about Labour’s disastrous budget continue to mount.
And these latest surveys are no different, with businesses once again warning that Rachel Reeves’ National Insurance hike will force them to put up prices, and cut jobs – once again leaving working people to pick up the tab.
Edward Argar, the shadow health secretary, was responding to the Streeting statement.
On the plans to cut NHS waiting list, he said the proposal to use more private hospitals was essentially a rehash of plans developed by the last Conservative government.
And, on the social care commission, he said the Conservatives would work with the government “constructively” and back the plans if they were right.
But Labour should be ready to act now, he said.
He’s had 14 years in opposition. He should have a plan now.
In response, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, pointed out that the Conservatives are now regularly complaining that, after 14 years in opposition, Labour should have a solution to policy challenges. He said the Tories had 14 years in government to put things right. He went on:
Honestly, I do think that Conservative contributions to discussions in this house might have more credibility, and a stronger landing zone, if they didn’t at least acknowledge their part in the mess and malaise that they created.
Streeting makes statement to MPs on NHS and social care reform
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is making his Commons statement now. He is confirming the decision to get Louise Casey to lead an independent commission on social care that was announced last week. He describes Casey as Whitehall’s best expert on getting things done.
He also sums up the measures announced by Keir Starmer this morning to cut hospital waiting lists in England. (See 3.43pm.)
Green party suggests plan for more NHS patients to be treated in independent sector could mean ‘backdoor privatisation’
The full text of Keir Starmer’s speech on new measures to cut NHS waiting lists is now on the Downing Street website.
The elective care reform plan has been published here.
Here is a news release about how the NHS app is being upgraded to “enable patients to choose providers, book appointments in more settings and receive test results, all in one place”.
And here is a news release about the “NHS and Independent Sector Partnership Agreement” announced today that will allow more NHS opertations to be carried out in private hospitals.
The Green party has suggested that this deal could lead to ‘“backdoor privatisation”. In a statement, Adrian Ramsay, the Green party’s co-leader, said:
The Green party has long argued for a shift towards community focused health provision, and this approach is welcome. However, Keir Starmer is now talking about a “new agreement” to expand the relationship between the NHS and the private healthcare sector. We need clarity on exactly what this means for the long term as we do not need more backdoor privatisation.
It is vital that NHS capacity is built up, and that the promised community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs are publicly run and GPs properly resourced to see their patients. We also need restored budgets for public health and clear long-term funding commitments for hospital trusts, so that they can better plan to deliver better care for us all.
The Green party has always proudly defended the NHS against creeping privatisation. We are committed to a fully public health service and to keeping the profit motive well away from our NHS.
Gordon Brown says grooming gang allegations against him circulated by Musk ‘complete fabrication’
Elon Musk started attacking the former Labour PM Gordon Brown over the grooming gangs scandal this morning. In one post, he quoted someone claiming that Brown sent a letter to police forces telling them not to get involved.
A spokesperson for Brown said this was a “complete fabrication”. The spokesperson:
There is no basis for such allegations at all. They are a complete fabrication. There is no foundation whatsoever for alleging that Mr Brown sent, approved or was in any way involved with issuing a circular or statement to the police because it did not happen.
The original source of this allegations has expressly accepted Mr Brown was not involved at all. Moreover, there is no evidence that such words or actions now attributed to him by Elon Musk have ever been used by Mr Brown, because he neither said nor did them.
When it comes to the exploitation and abuse of children and young women by sex grooming gangs, the priority for all people in public life should be to secure justice for the survivors, punishment for the perpetrators, and action at local and national level to ensure that these kind of horrific crimes can never be allowed to happen again.
But that collective endeavour is undermined when some individuals and media outlets instead propagate outright lies about the reasons that these crimes happened in the past.
Badenoch accuses Starmer of using ‘smear tactics’ against her
Kemi Badenoch has accused Keir Starmer of using “smear tactics” against her.
Ignoring the conventional PR wisdom that it is a mistake to publicise attacks from opponents, she has responded to Starmer in a post on social media including a clip from his Q&A earlier.
Starmer is applying Labour smear tactics from 20 years ago and thinks they will work today. He is a man of the past with no answers for today’s problems, let alone tomorrow’s.
That such a huge scandal could occur should prompt soul-searching not ranting that those of us who… pic.twitter.com/dQmPdhVBdu
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) January 6, 2025
Starmer is applying Labour smear tactics from 20 years ago and thinks they will work today. He is a man of the past with no answers for today’s problems, let alone tomorrow’s.
That such a huge scandal could occur should prompt soul-searching not ranting that those of us who care about it are “the far-right”.
As I said earlier, if you read Starmer’s quotes in full (see 10.39am and 10.57am), it is clear that he was not saying that anyone concerned about gang-rape is on the far right. He was referring to the way far-right provocateurs like Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson have exploited this issue, and criticising Conservatives who have aligned themselves with their position, by for example not condemning Musk’s comments about Jess Phillips.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has added his voice to a growing chorus of European criticism of Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of intervening directly in the continent’s democratic processes, Jon Henley reports.
Commentators on the liberal end of the market have (like Wes Streeting on the World at One) argued that Keir Starmer did well when he responded to questions about the rape gangs controversy in his Q&A this morning.
This is from Steve Richards, the writer, broadcaster and podcaster.
K Starmer gets this right on every level…right to give a long and detailed answer rather than a twenty second soundbite…right to convey authentic passion…and the substance was powerful enough to swat away those well beyond Musk who are acting dangerously
This is from Jack Parker, a Sky News producer.
This extended clip shows what has been largely missing from Starmer in govt so far: the sense that he genuinely means what he’s saying
None of the buzzwords, slogans & catchphrases we’ve grown used to seeing him crowbar in. It’s far more spontaneous and impassioned, and it shows https://t.co/N9pTnxDjMH
— Jack Parker (@JackParkr) January 6, 2025
They are right. Often Starmer gives fairly perfunctory answers during press conferences. But these responses were substantial and well-argued, and he defended his record with some conviction and authority. It was almost as if he had been taking tips from Tony Blair (see 9.54am).
But the Labour MP Diane Abbott says Starmer might have been better off just ignoring Musk.
“Starmer accuses Musk of ‘spreading lies’ over grooming gangs”
PM should not feel the need to respond to Musk at such length. Gives Musk a totally unwonted credibility.
Keir Starmer this morning (see 11.59am) and Wes Streeting on the World at One (see 1.59am) both criticised the Tories for not speaking out against Elon Musk’s attacks on Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, and particularly his claim that she was a “rape genocide apologist”.
That is not entirely fair. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, has said something mildly disapproving. On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg yesterday, Philp was asked if he thought Musk’s “increasingly inflammatory social media posts about British politicians” had crossed a line. He replied:
I think [Musk] is obviously right to be raising the general issue because, as I’ve said already, vulnerable young girls were being gang raped. I think some of the specific language used about Jess Phillips is not appropriate, but raising the issue, as he has done generally, I think is reasonable.
Severin Carrell
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, said Elon Musk’s attacks on Jess Phillips were “completely and utterly reprehensible”, and backed Keir Starmer’s criticisms of the US billionaire’s recent posts on UK politics.
Speaking to reporters in Edinburgh, Swinney said the best defence against the surge of far-right populism that Musk appeared to fuel was for mainstream politicians to repair the economy and improve public services.
That meant reversing the damage caused by 14 years of austerity, Brexit, the Covid pandemic and the energy crisis, he said.
We need to be resolute about these issues. I want the political system to demonstrate to people in our country that they can work to address the issues about which people are legitimately concerned.
Swinney said UK political leaders should also review political funding laws to ensure that foreign donors were not able to influence UK elections – a reference to speculation that Musk and other overseas billionaires are (or at least were) planning to fund Reform UK.
My view [is] that our electoral law prevents international or external donations; that’s the view I hold just now. I’ve read enough over the course of the last few weeks that makes me wonder how robust that actually is.
Streeting defends government using X – but implies he would be happy if No 10 told ministers to boycott it
Elon Musk is still attacking the government over the child abuse scandals on X. In an interview on the World at One, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, was asked to respond to one recent message, where Musk said:
Starmer was deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes.
That’s what the inquiry would show.
Streeting said that he thought Keir Starmer was “brilliant” at dealing with this issue during his Q&A this morning. He said Starmer and Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, were people who devoted their professional lives, before they entered politics, to protecting victims and keeping women and girls safe from violence. Musk should have a “social media detox”, he said.
Echoing what Starmer said this morning (see 11.59am), Streeting said that Tory response to the Musk attack on Phillips had been a mixture of “silent indifference from the more decent Conservatives and, worse still, active complicity from other Conservatives”. Streeting said the “decent Conservative party” that used to operate in the country should be speaking up.
Asked if he thought the government should stop using X (which is something the Guardian, at a corporate level, decided to do in November), Streeting defended the decision to keep using it – but implied that he would be happy if No 10 were to order a boycott. He said:
We want to get our message across, on our terms, to the public where they are. And that is why I’ve been criticised myself over the years and for talking to newspapers or broadcasters that are hostile to the Labour party and centre-left views.
If you don’t set out your own views on your own terms, people don’t hear them on your terms.
On something like a cross-government approach or a Labour party approach, ultimately, I think that’s the decision for the leader of my party and the leader of the government. So long as the prime minister, the leader of my party, is happy for us to continue posting on X, I will continue to do so.
The moment he takes a decision otherwise, I would absolutely go along with that.
US ambassador should be summoned to Foreign Office over Musk tweets, say Lib Dems
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has said the US ambassador should be summoned to the Foreign Office to explain why a Trump ally is calling for the government to be overthrown. Referring to a tweet from Elon Musk this morning (see 9.54am), Davey posted these on social media.
People have had enough of Elon Musk interfering with our country’s democracy when he clearly knows nothing about Britain.
It’s time to summon the US ambassador to ask why an incoming US official is suggesting the UK government should be overthrown.
This dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric is further proof that the UK can’t rely on the Trump administration.
It’s in our national interest to rebuild trade and security ties with our allies in Europe.
