Allies and supporters of Kemi Badenoch have warned Labour not to mess with the Business Secretary, as Sir Keir was accused of orchestrating a concerted ‘Get Kemi’ campaign. The feud has been sparked after Ms Badenoch accused former Post Office chief Henry Staunton of lying, after he claimed he was told to delay compensation payouts to help the Tories “limp on” until the General Election.
Ms Badenoch refuted Mr Staunton’s claims on the floor of the house on Monday, meaning if she were lying she would be expected to resign or be sacked by the Prime Minister.
Sir Keir Starmer dedicated half of his questions at PMQs to asking Rishi Sunak whether he would repeat Ms Badenoch’s claim that no official, minister or department told Mr Staunton to delay compensation payments.
She later came under attack from Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, who criticised her refusal to meet with woke LGBTQIA+ charities, and has instead used her time as Equalities Secretary to focus on meetings with women’s rights charities.
After PMQs, she came in for further criticism during a lengthy period of Points of Order.
Shadow Leader of the Commons Lucy Powell demanded to know how she could get answers about Ms Badenoch’s dispute with Mr Staunton, and whose recollection of that meeting is in fact correct.
Minutes later, Labour MP Liam Byrne added to the pile-on, criticising Ms Badenoch over the ongoing trade negotiations with Canada and asking whether “trade talks are going on in the Secretary of State’s mind, or whether they are happening in real life”.
The attack after attack sparked accusations Labour is deliberately trying to bring down the popular Tory minister, with ally Tom Hunt MP warning: “[She] isn’t someone to be messed with. I’d be careful if I were them.”
Lee Anderson accused Sir Keir and Labour of “obviously running scared of Kemi, just as they were with Suella”.
He added: “It’s obvious to me that Labour have a real problem with influential women in Parliament.
“What I want to know is why are Labour intent on attacking female politicians in our party.”
Another Kemi Badenoch ally accused Labour MPs of “going after the black woman instead of the old white guy at the centre of this [Henry Staunton], who had bullying allegations hanging over him”.
Andrew Lewer, who supported Ms Badenoch’s summer 2022 leadership run, added: “Of course Labour are attacking Kemi. She is a brilliant Secretary of State and stands for many of the traditional values that they despise.”
Red Wall MP Marco Longhi said that Sir Keir Starmer’s attacks on Ms Badenoch shows he is “bereft” of any leadership instincts on the Post Office scandal.
“As a former DPP he would surely want for due process to be followed in all cases, so to attack her so much suggests that he either doesn’t like female MPs who stand their ground, or that he is scared of her.”
