Laura Kuenssberg Skewers Top Tory Over Humiliating By-Election Result

Posted on 21/06/2026 by Boris Clair

Laura Kuenssberg put a top Conservative under the microscope on Sunday with a brutal reminder of just how poorly the party did in the Makerfield by-election.

Labour’s Andy Burnham secured the north-west seat on Thursday with 54.8% of the vote while Reform UK’s Rob Kenyon came in second, with 34.5%.

The rising far-right group Restore Britain secured 6.8%, equal to 3,111 votes while the Conservatives’ Michael Winstanley came in fourth with just 997 votes – 2.2% of the vote share.

That means the official opposition lost their £500 deposit, as they secured less than 5% of the vote.

On her BBC show, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the presenter asked shadow chancellor Mel Stride to defend the shocking performance.

But the Conservative MP deflected by talking about the Aberdeen South by-election result, where the Tories took a seat from the SNP last Thursday.

“First win in a by-election in Scotland since 1967,” he said. “It shows what good, clear, policy offering can deliver.”

He continued: “In Makerfield, that has been a Labour stronghold for about 100, 120, years. I think the big story was actually the weakness of Reform in the face of that challenge…”

“But in 2019, you got 34% of the vote in Makerfield,” Kuenssberg reminded him. “This time you got 2%.

“In those kinds of parts of the country, that suggests you’ve gone way back.

“A leader like Boris Johnson had a hope in those in kind of constituencies.

“Under Kemi Badenoch, it doesn’t seem like you do.”

He replied: “In 2019, we swept away a number of red wall seats and that was not one of them. That has been historically Labour and solidly Labour for a very long time.”

“So it’s OK that you got 997 voters, then?” Kuenssberg said.

But Stride replied by once again referring to Reform UK’s performance, insisting they were coming down in the polls.

“They’re not surging [in popularity] the way they were last year, but you don’t look competitive yet,” she replied.

#bbclaurak: In Makerfield you got 997 votes, not even a 1000

Mel Stride(Tory MP): Aberdeen South… Makerfield is a Labour stronghold..

LK: You say you never had a hope in Makerfield, but in 2019 you got 34% of the vote & this time you got 2%.. 👀 pic.twitter.com/2vTCRD1u40

— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) June 21, 2026

Nigel Farage’s party has long tried to position itself as the real opposition to the government by displacing the Conservatives.

But Reform UK struggled to compete against Burnham in Makerfield, making it the third straight by-election loss for the party after separate contests in Gorton and Denton, and Caerphilly.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

‘You Have No Idea!’ Kemi Badenoch Hits Back At Laura Kuenssberg Over Tories’ Dreadful Polling

Posted on 05/10/2025 by Boris Clair

Kemi Badenoch angrily hit back at Laura Kuenssberg this morning over the Tories’ poor performance in the polls.

According to YouGov research from mid-September, just 16% of the public said they would be willing to vote Conservative – a shocking decline from a party that were in power 15 months ago.

There’s also been an exodus of former Tory ministers joining Reform, including one of Badenoch’s own frontbenchers in the shadow cabinet, Danny Kruger.

But, speaking on the first day of the Conservatives’ annual conference in Manchester, Badenoch tried to downplay criticism that she needed to do more to help her party.

The BBC’s Kuenssberg tried to bring up the topic by saying: “While you have been working out exactly what you wanted to do, the Conservative Party’s position – which was already dreadful – has got worse –”

But Badenoch cut in: “Laura. Polls are not elections.

“If I had rushed out and said all those things right at the beginning, people would have said, ‘Why should we believe you? Why have you suddenly changed?’

“Simply saying something doesn’t mean you’re going to be fine in the polls.

“What you’re saying is a counterfactual. You don’t know that if I had rushed out all of those things right at the beginning that we would be doing well. You have no idea.

“What I’m doing is being very consistent. I’m saying, vote for me, we will get through this, we’re going to have very clear credible plans, they’re not going to fall apart the minute someone asks a question like you get with Reform.”

During the same interview, Badenoch did actually refuse to many detailed questions about her new plan to control the country’s borders by removing 150,000 people with “no right” to be in the UK per year.

When Kuenssberg asked where these so-called illegal migrants would be deported, the Tory leader said: “I am tired of answering these irrelevant questions about where they should go. They will go back to where they should be or another country, but they should not be here!”

The MP for North West Essex also used her time on air to lay into Labour, claiming: “We’re not going to waste our time in opposition – like Labour did, they had 14 years in opposition, and they’ve got nothing.”

But the Tory leader has been heavily criticised herself for taking such a long time to come up with many firm policies, despite winning the leadership contest last November.

Kuenssberg concluded their interview by asking Badenoch: “What if the problem is you?”

She replied: “I was elected to do exactly what I am doing now. And I think Conservative Party members are going to keep their faith in me.”

She refused to say she would resign if the Tories performed poorly in the May local elections.

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🚨🎥 WATCH: Kemi Badenoch hits back at claims her slow policy rollout hurt the Tories’ polling

\"What you’re saying is counterfactual. You don’t know that if I had rushed out all those things right at the beginning that we would be doing well, you have no idea\" pic.twitter.com/pBt6Wr1vpy

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) October 5, 2025

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You don’t know that if I had rushed out all those things right at the beginning that we would be doing well, you have no idea\" pic.twitter.com/pBt6Wr1vpy— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) October 5, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":614,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1974761474930212864/img/SzAX8EQuHwWKDK9Y.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1108,"title":"Politics UK on Twitter / 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🚨🎥 WATCH: Kemi Badenoch hits back at claims her slow policy rollout hurt the Tories’ polling

“What you’re saying is counterfactual. You don’t know that if I had rushed out all those things right at the beginning that we would be doing well, you have no idea” pic.twitter.com/pBt6Wr1vpy

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) October 5, 2025

Labour Is Promising To Reduce Sewage Leaks – But Haven’t We Heard All This Before?

Posted on 20/07/2025 by Boris Clair

Steve Reed tried to make a splash this morning by promising to halve unauthorised sewage leaks in waterways within five years – or offering to resign.

“I’m making an absolute commitment and I’m committed to delivering it,” he said, arguing his job as environment secretary “should” be on the line.

He claimed this is halfway towards Labour’s goal to eliminate them altogether within a decade and announced £104 billion of private investment to help tackle the problem.

The government say this is the first time ministers have set a clear target to reduce sewage pollution, which has skyrocketed in recent years despite public outrage.

Labour also wants to cut phosphorus, which causes harmful algae blooms, in half by 2028.

So Reed stuck by his pledge to leave the role if he doesn’t meet this self-imposed targets.

“Politicians come here and say we are going to do things. Of course our jobs should be on the line if we don’t,” Reed told the BBC.

That sounded like a major commitment from a senior minister offering to finally fix the problem polluting our waterways.

But, as BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg pointed out, ministers have been promising to address the problem for years – and Reed’s promise to halve the leaks also only takes the number down to the levels seen in 2019.

The Guardian found water companies in England had discharged raw sewage into rivers on more than 200,000 occasions that year.

There have also been six different environment secretaries in the last six years (which rather diminishes Reed’s offer to step down, considering the turnover).

While five of those ministers were Conservative MPs, Labour have been in power for a year now – and the Environment Agency found serious water pollution incidents rose by 60% last year in England.

Successive ministers keep promising to reduce waste in our waterways, but those vows are clearly yet to have any kind of impact as sewage spills just keep rising.

So it’s no wonder Lib Dem leader Ed Davey called Labour’s latest vows to implement change “empty promises”.

He said: “We need to see far more ambition from this government with an end to all sewage dumping in bathing waters by 2030.”

Reed’s pledge also came shortly before the publication of the Independent Water Commission, which will be released on Monday – and which may advise the government scrap water regulator Ofwat altogether.

But Davey warned: “This report must not be used as an excuse to kick the can down the road on immediate reforms.

“We need to see action now including replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator to end this national scandal.

“For years water companies have paid out millions in dividends and bonuses. It would be deeply unfair if customers are now made to pick up the tab for this scandal through higher bills.”

Meanwhile, the Tory shadow secretary for levelling up, Kevin Hollinrake, welcomed Reed’s plans, but compared them to “shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic”.

“It’s really important the regulation is effective,” he said. “We put in a lot of measures to give Ofwat more powers to regulate the water industry. And the lot of those things were very effective, nevertheless, there’s a lot more to do.

“I welcome what’s been announced today, ‘halve the number of sewage outflows by 2030.’

“All those things are possible because the measures we put in place. But clearly more needs to be done.”

Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage had a more radical suggestion, saying Labour should let the water companies “go bust” so the shareholders “lose all their money”.

He told Sky News: “We need fresh investment in, complete re-capitalisation of it and we’re going to have to accept that bills are going to go up. I don’t see any other way around it.”

Either way, it’s clear patience is running out for Labour to take action – and our rivers are only getting more polluted by the day…

‘Cack-Handed’: Laura Kuenssberg Slams Labour’s U-Turn Over Winter Fuel Payments

Posted on 25/05/2025 by Boris Clair

The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg tore into Angela Rayner and her colleagues this morning over their handling of their U-turn over winter fuel payments.

Labour stripped around 10 million pensioners of their winter fuel allowances in its Autumn Budget.

The move sparked significant backlash, including from Labour backbenchers.

Prime minister Keir Starmer then announced this week that he wants to make sure more people will be eligible for the lump sum.

However, he has insisted that this can only happen when the economy is doing well enough – despite calls for him to U-turn sooner rather than later.

On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg this morning, the BBC presenter asked the deputy prime minister if the government would restore winter fuel to every pensioner if they have enough money.

Rayner replied that it depends on the state of the economy, and would only be announced as a fiscal event.

The BBC presenter pushed: “Can you guarantee that it will be done – whatever it is – whether you bring it into income tax for wealthier pensioners, or whether or not you set the threshold in a different place, can you guarantee to people watching – who really want to know whether or not they’re going to get their money – if it will done in time for this winter?”

Rayner said she could not announce that during an interview.

“You can’t even say it would be done in time for this winter? Isn’t this a bit cack-handed?” Kuenssberg noted.

“We have had Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves and you for months sticking to the collective line, saying, ’we are not going to change it, we are sticking to it.′

“This week, the prime minister says, ’oh actually we’re not sticking to it, but we’re not going to tell you for months who is going to get it back and when it’s going to happen.

“What we did, we had to do to secure the finances of this country,” Rayner replied, pointing to the alleged £22 billion black hole the Tories left behind in the public finances.

“Now the economy is showing signs of improvement, we’ve had the interest rates cuts, we’re the fastest growing economy in the G7, the prime minister has indicated that he would like to see movement on this.”

She said that the government was therefore being “very clear on the direction of travel”.

But Kuenssberg pointed out that still meant people might have to wait for months to get any clarity on what is going on this winter.

The Liberal Democrats also criticised the government’s slow response.

Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Millions of pensioners were plunged into uncertainty and financial turmoil last winter by the government’s callous decision to strip Winter Fuel Payments. They deserve clarity, not continued confusion and mixed messaging from the top.

“The Government needs to accept that this policy was doomed from the start and complete what is becoming the world’s slowest u-turn.”

Yvette Cooper Repeatedly Refuses To Say When Small Boat Crossings Will Fall

Posted on 15/12/2024 by Boris Clair

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has repeatedly failed to say when the number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats will come down.

Keir Starmer pledged to “smash the gangs” controlling the people smuggling operation before the election, but thousands more have made the dangerous journey since then.

On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC 1 this morning, Cooper said the number of crossings was “deeply damaging” and “puts lives at risk”.

Kuenssberg asked her: “The question that our viewers watching and listening to you have is when will they see a difference?

“People see the numbers continuing to go up. People see more hotels being used to house people without permission in their towns.

“So when can people expect to see a difference? When can you expect to see the numbers of small boats coming down if you’re approach is the right one?”

After the home secretary appeared to dodge the question, Kuenssberg said: “I do think the question that people want to know is when will we see a difference?

“This government now seems to be fond of giving us timelines and targets and milestones. So when can people expect to see a difference, to see the number of boat crossings coming down, to see the number of asylum hotels coming down too?”

Cooper said the government was cutting the existing backlog of asylum claims.

Trying a third time to get an answer, the presenter said: “I will ask you again. When can our viewers expect to see the numbers making small boat crossings – putting their lives at risk trying to get to the UK – when can they expect that to come down?

Cooper said: “Of course we want to see the boat crossings come down as rapidly as possible. What we’re not going to do is deal with this by slogans.”

Kuenssberg then told her: “But home secretary, this is not about slogans. When it comes to something like waiting lists and the NHS, the government is very happy to put targets on that and say ‘measure us by whether we hit those’.

“When it comes to kids’ education, the government’s been very happy to put a target on that and say ‘judge us by this measure’.

“When it comes to this issue, you won’t give us a yardstick by when people can expect a significant difference. Why not, because it makes it feel like it’s not a priority to the government in the way that some other issues are.”

But Cooper said: “We’ve made clear that border security is one of the foundational issues, before you get to any of the missions. We’ve been clear that we need to reduce both legal migration and illegal migration.

“There is a history of home secretaries and prime ministers making grand promises, but never actually having a proper plan. The approach we’re taking to this is step by step.

“We are putting in place the things that we need – the agreements with other countries, the stronger returns arrangements, much stronger law enforcement, the operations with Germany to go after the smuggler supply chains, the operations with Italy to go after the illicit finance.”

She added: “I think we’re being really clear and straight with people about the complexity of this because the gimmicks did not work.”

Laura Kuenssberg Corners Minister Over Real-Life Impact Of Bus Fare Cap Hike

Posted on 17/11/2024 by Boris Clair

Laura Kuenssberg put the transport secretary on the spot this morning over Labour’s decision to increase the bus fare cap to £3 by reading out the real-life impact of the move.

The government decided in last month’s Budget that, to help fill the “black hole” the Tories supposedly left in the public finances, they would increase the cap from £2.

The department for transport has now announced £1bn of funding will go on delivering London-style buses nationwide, with an extra £151m going on funding the £3 cap outside of the capital until 2025.

But, as the presenter told Louise Haigh, this still means some people will be worse off.

On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC host began by asking: “Do you admit just it’s logical that will make it more expensive for people to get around?”

“The £2 fare cap was due to finish on 31 December, that was the funding settlement I inherited,” Haigh replied.

She said that Labour then “stepped in” to protect the cap at £3, adding: “That means for rural routes in particular where bus fares could have leapt back up to £13 or £14 in some instances, we are keeping it much lower at £3.”

Haigh also said the government has made sure some operators cannot raise fares more than in line with inflation, so that they would not expect all fares to raise to £3, that is just a maximum amount.

But Kuenssberg pushed: “Protecting the cap, as you put it, means increasing fares for lots of people.”

She then read out of an example from a viewer’s relative, who may now have to pay an extra £15 per week just to get to work as she has to get three buses in her commute.

“Where’s she meant to get the money from?” Kuenssberg asked.

Haigh said it would be more economical to buy a weekly card, but the presenter cut in: “OK, this is a real-life example.

“One of our viewers says in their family they’re going to have to find an extra £15 a week, and that’s money they don’t have. What are they meant to do?”

Haigh just said the government stepped in with £150m to protect the fare at £3, and said the fare should not go up to that full amount in urban areas.

The exchange comes a few weeks after health secretary Wes Streeting claimed the bus cap would have risen to £10 if Labour had not acted.

Haigh also refused to commit to extending the £3 cap beyond 2025, telling Times Radio this morning: “So the fare cap is funded until the 31st of December 2025 and over the next year.

“We’ll work to evaluate how that is having an impact and where the cap should land and what the best intervention is.

“We made the choice to step in and fund the cap at £3 after the 31st of December this year.

“But we’re also making the choice to fund £1 billion worth of local bus services today in this announcement because the major thing that keeps people off the buses is the total lack of reliability.”

Kemi Badenoch Says The Partygate Scandal Was ‘Overblown’

Posted on 03/11/2024 by Boris Clair

The partygate scandal was “overblown” and people should not have been given fixed penalty notices for breaking Covid rules, Kemi Badenoch has said.

The new Tory leader made the surprising comments in her first interview since beating Robert Jenrick in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak.

She also described Boris Johnson as “a great prime minister”, even though she was one of dozens of senior Conservatives who resigned from his government.

Johnson and Sunak were also among those who were fined for breaking the Covid rules their own government had drawn up.

Appearing on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC1, Badenoch said: “I resigned during the Boris Johnson government. I thought he was a great prime minister, but there were some serious issues that were not being resolved.

“I think that during that tenure the public thought we were no longer speaking for them or looking out for them, we were in it for ourselves.

“Some of them I think were perception issues. A lot of the stuff that happened around partygate was not why I resigned, I thought it was overblown. We should not have created fixed penalty notices, for example. That was us not going with our principles.

“And then we had the issue with the Chris Pincher scandal, when ministers were sent out to say things that were not true. That was when I decided things had gone too far.”

Asked by Kuenssberg if the public were “wrong to be upset about partygate”, Badenoch said: “No, they were not wrong to be upset about partygate.

“The problem was that we should not have criminalised everyday activities the way that we did. People going out for walks, all of them having fixed penalty notices. That ended up creating a trap for Boris Johnson.”

Kuenssberg then asked: “Wasn’t the problem that people in government didn’t obey the rules?”

Badenoch replied: “Yes that’s right, people in government didn’t obey the rules. But they were not MPs, they were often staffers, and I think that the way that we had created those regulations ended up entrapping …”

The presenter then interrupted her to say: “The prime minister and the chancellor both got fines, it wasn’t just people who worked for them.”

The Tory leader replied: “Indeed, but as we saw with those events, when people see the full story of what happened they understand that problems were created because of the way that we created the regulations.”

Labour chair Ellie Reeves said: “Listening to Kemi Badenoch dismiss partygate as ‘overblown’ will add insult to injury for families across Britain who followed the rules, missing loved one’s deaths and family funerals, whilst her colleagues partied in Downing Street.”

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “It’s clear the Conservative Party haven’t learnt anything from the years of sleaze and scandal under their watch.

“Kemi Badenoch’s comments are an insult to those who lost family members during the pandemic while Boris Johnson partied and lied.

“On day one of the job she’s already shown she’s completely out of touch with the public.”

BBC Scraps Boris Johnson Interview After Laura Kuenssberg Sends Him Her Notes In Advance

Posted on 03/10/2024 by Boris Clair

The highly-experienced presenter admitted the “embarrassing and disappointing” gaffe in a post on X on Wednesday night.

She said she had been intending to send her briefing notes for the interview to her team, but sent them to Johnson instead.

Johnson had been due to interviewed by Kuenssberg to coincide with the publication of the former prime minister’s memoir, ‘Unleashed’.

But in her statement, Kuenssberg said: “While prepping to interview Boris Johnson tomorrow, by mistake I sent our briefing notes to him in a message meant for my team.

“That obviously means it’s not right for the interview to go ahead. It’s very frustrating, and there’s no point pretending it’s anything other than embarrassing and disappointing, as there are plenty of important questions to be asked.

“But red faces aside, honesty is the best policy. See you on Sunday.”

‘Frankly It Stinks’: Angela Rayner Shown Voters’ Anger At Labour Freebies Row

Posted on 22/09/2024 by Boris Clair

Angela Rayner has been confronted with the extent of voters’ anger as the row over senior Labour figures accepting freebies including clothes, accommodation, and football and concert tickets continues.

The deputy prime minister has become personally embroiled in the row, with Labour being forced to announce on Friday that, along with Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, she would no longer accept donations for clothes.

The Sunday Times has also reported this morning that Rayner may have breached parliamentary rules over holiday accommodation in New York provided by millionaire Labour peer Lord Alli.

On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC1, Labour’s deputy leader was shown comments by viewers left furious by the ongoing controversy.

Kuenssberg said: “I want to let you know how angry some of our viewers have been over this last week.

“Wendy emailed to say ‘it’s been extraordinary behaviour to accept clothing donations when the government feels justified to remove winter fuel payments to pensioners’.

“Eilles said it’s ‘morally indefensible’ for politicians to be doing this. Peter called you ‘the goody party’ and Clive, who was a Labour Party member, said ‘I find it deeply disappointing that Labour seems no different from the Tories when it comes to freebies’.

“Are we expected to believe that the donors get nothing in return? Lord Alli gave you individually more than £20,000. What did you promise or give him in return?”

Rayner replied: “I promised nothing and gave him nothing in return. What the donors that have helped me in the past have done is seen someone who has come from a very working class background, and I say it how it is. I always try to fight for people.

“Since having the honour and privilege of being the deputy prime minister and the secretary of state for housing, I’ve got a significant number of bills in the King’s Speech because I want to improve people’s housing. I want to get on with the job of supporting people.

“However, a feature of our politics at the moment is for me to stand as the deputy leader … that’s why transparency is extremely important.”

Earlier this morning, education secretary Bridget Phillipson was forced to defend Lord Alli paying for her 40th birthday party last year, which was attended by journalists, trade unionists and education experts.

The prime minister has also been criticised for accepting more than £100,000 in hospitality over the last five years – far more than any other MP.

Laura Kuenssberg Tears Into Top Tory Who Says UK Is Still ‘Instinctively Conservative’

Posted on 07/07/2024 by Boris Clair

Tory MP Victoria Atkins has claimed that the UK is still “instinctively Conservative”, just days after the party endured a historic defeat at the polls.

On BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the former health secretary – who is widely expected to put herself forward as a contender to be the next Tory leader – said the Conservatives needs to “act on those values” in the party which voters support.

Alluding to the meagre 121 seats the Tories took in the election, Kuenssberg asked Atkins: “What went wrong with your values then?”

Atkins replied: “We know that the country, actually, is instinctively Conservative, if you look, people want lower taxes.”

“Do you think the country is still instinctively Conservative when they booted you out? You’ve got your worst defeat ever.” The BBC host hit back.

Atkins said: “In terms of their values, their instincts, they are, I believe, still instinctively Conservative.

“They want lower taxes, they want to build a better future for their children, they want to help them thrive in their personal lives, and in their livelihoods.”

“Those values are important to us all,” she added.

It’s worth noting that Conservatives took just 24% of the vote share overall on Thursday.

So Kuenssberg pushed: “What was it that went wrong, though?

“The country has dramatically kicked you out.

“This was not the standard defeat. Labour won a landslide. What was it that was wrong?”

Atkins said it was about “trust” with voters, but refused to outline what the party will actually do next, saying that the parliamentary party has not reconvened since the abysmal general election.

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