The former prime minister – who committed the UK to ending carbon emissions by 2050 when she was in No.10 – warned her successor that “there’s a cost to not doing something”.
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That was a clear dig at Badenoch’s criticism of Net Zero, which she said “tied us in red tape, loaded us with costs, and did nothing to cut global emissions”.
Badenoch announced the Conservatives were no longer committed to Net Zero in a major policy shift in October.
“We want to leave a cleaner environment for our children, but not by bankrupting the country,” she said.
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But appearing on Radio 4′s Today programme on Wednesday, May made clear her unhappiness at the move, suggesting that Badenoch was not thinking about the “longer term” impacts for the planet of her decision.
She said: “One of the challenges in government is always to remember that yes, you need to be concerned about the here and now, but you do also have to think about the longer term as well.
“Obviously when I was prime minister we put through the legislation to put Net Zero by 2050 into law, the first major country to do so, was to set that target so people would start to innovate. And we have seen huge innovations, and we still see innovations taking place.
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“You always hope that whatever you put into government is going to stay there forever, and people talk about the cost of doing something. There’s a cost to not doing something as well – we always have to remember that.”
A Conservative peer has offered up a surprise boost for Keir Starmer as he would still vote for Labour despite the government’s difficult time in office.
Lord Rose, the chairman of Asda, told LBC that there is widespread frustration with Labour – but suggested that’s still better than the alternatives.
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“We’re in a situation now where I think many people in this country would be disappointed with the government they have elected,” Rose told LBC.
“We’ve now got a situation where I don’t believe the Conservatives can make a recovery in time for the next election.
“So let’s assume it’s the election after that.
“You are now going to find yourself in a very difficult situation in 2027, ’28, ’29, where if Labour don’t start delivering some [economic] growth, the Conservatives haven’t recovered in time, and you’ve got the other option – what are you going to vote for?
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“Are you going to vote for Reform or are you going to vote for a second government?”
He said: “I would vote for another Labour government, but I would want some change in the meantime.”
Asked why he would vote for another round of Labour, he said: “It’s a question of degrees of pain, isn’t it?
“If I can’t have a resurgent Conservative Party, and they’ve got a lot of work to do to make themselves re-electable – or I’ve got the alternative, which, frankly, is supping with the devil.”
Asked what Kemi Badenoch has to do to secure the Tory peer’s vote again, he said: “She’s got to be doing more of what she’s begun now, I think, but I just think, it does, in all these things, require time, and I’m not sure time is on their side.”
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The prime minister has been under pressure to explain the role Downing Street played after the case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry collapsed last month.
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They were charged with collecting and communicating information which could be “useful to an enemy” between December 2021 and February 2023. They denied all the accusations.
Stephen Parkinson, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said his team had tried “over many months” to get the evidence it needed against the two alleged spies, but it had not been forthcoming from the government.
Starmer has insisted that because the alleged offences took place under the previous Conservative government, that administration’s refusal to describe China as a “threat” meant his hands were tied.
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At prime minister’s questions, the PM announced that the government will publish all of the evidence it submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Badenoch said Starmer had been “dragged” to this position and added: “It is simply unbelievable that he is trying to say the last government did not classify China as a threat.”
The Tory leader said Cash and Berry “were charged under a Conservative government – they were let off under Labour”.
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She added: “What is the point of us having a lawyer rather than a leader as prime minister when he can’t even get the law right on a matter of national security?”
But Starmer hit back: “She’s clearly not a lawyer or a leader. The problem for her is that I do actually know the law, I know what’s got to be proven.”
🚨 NEW: Kemi Badenoch asks Keir Starmer \"what’s the point of us having a lawyer rather than a leader\" as PM if he \"can’t get the law right\" on national security
Starmer: \"She’s clearly not a lawyer or a leader. The problem for her is I do actually understand the law\" #PMQspic.twitter.com/cRiu73szqs
","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Politics UK","author_url":"https://twitter.com/PolitlcsUK","cache_age":86400,"description":"🚨 NEW: Kemi Badenoch asks Keir Starmer \"what’s the point of us having a lawyer rather than a leader\" as PM if he \"can’t get the law right\" on national security Starmer: \"She’s clearly not a lawyer or a leader. The problem for her is I do actually understand the law\" #PMQs pic.twitter.com/cRiu73szqs— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) October 15, 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":730,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1978422063619563520/img/en3VgWDrukw78DLK.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1318,"title":"Politics UK on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1978422842862477691","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isMobile":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"68ef82cfe4b03d2464051cd7","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/shes-not-a-lawyer-or-a-leader-starmer-roasts-badenoch-over-china-spy-row_uk_68ef82cfe4b03d2464051cd7","entryTagsList":"keir-starmer,china,kemi-badenoch,@ai_seo_headline","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"isShopping":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"16b0ecc6-802c-4120-845f-e90629812c4d","clickToPlayPlayer":"823ac03a-0f7e-4bcb-8521-a5b091ae948d","videoPagePlayer":"05041ada-93f7-4e86-9208-e03a5b19311b","defaultPlaylist":"2e062669-71b4-41df-b17a-df6b1616bc8f"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":3},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"68ef82cfe4b03d2464051cd7","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"keir starmer","slug":"keir-starmer","links":{"relativeLink":"news/keir-starmer","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/keir-starmer","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/keir-starmer"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/keir-starmer/"},{"name":"China","slug":"china","links":{"relativeLink":"news/china","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/china","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/china"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/china/"},{"name":"kemi badenoch","slug":"kemi-badenoch","links":{"relativeLink":"news/kemi-badenoch","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/kemi-badenoch","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/kemi-badenoch"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/kemi-badenoch/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"backfillRelatedArticles":[],"cetUnit":"buzz_body","enableIncontentPlayer":false,"bodyAds":["
🚨 NEW: Kemi Badenoch asks Keir Starmer “what’s the point of us having a lawyer rather than a leader” as PM if he “can’t get the law right” on national security
Starmer: “She’s clearly not a lawyer or a leader. The problem for her is I do actually understand the law” #PMQspic.twitter.com/cRiu73szqs
The Tory leader also pledged to overturn Labour’s decision to add VAT to private school fees and scrap the changes to inheritance tax which have angered farmers.
She unveiled the eye-catching policies in a better-than-expected speech closing the Conservative conference which should be enough to see off any imminent threats to her leadership.
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But the main problem for the party’s leader is that no one truly believes that she will ever be in a position to deliver any of those policies.
Unfortunately for Badenoch, that is not a rogue poll. According to YouGov, just 20% of the public believe she has done well since becoming Tory leader last November, while only 11% believe the Tories are ready for government.
An almost identical number – 49% – do not believe she will still be in post the next time the country goes to the polls.
And even among those who voted for her to be party leader last year, 30% believe Badenoch should be replaced before the next general election.
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As if to emphasise the desperate state of the Tories’ popularity, a new poll by More in Common this morning gave Reform UK a 13-point lead over Labour, with the Tories a further point behind on just 19%.
Gideon Skinner, senior UK director at Ipsos ,said: “Kemi Badenoch clearly needs to do more to establish herself as a credible alternative to the current Labour government.
“It’s also the case that Keir Starmer certainly has his own problems in public opinion.
“But so far, it is Reform and Nigel Farage who seem to be benefiting from this more than Kemi Badenoch, while the biggest question still facing the Conservatives is how they can rebuild trust with voters who are still very critical of their legacy, so that they will listen to what they have to say in the first place.”
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Like Starmer following last week’s Labour conference, Badenoch will be mightily relieved that this week has gone well for her – despite the noises off about plots to replace her with Robert Jenrick.
However, both leaders still face a date with destiny on May 7 next year, when elections will take place for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and in councils across England.
If the opinion polls are even remotely accurate, Labour and the Tories are on course for a disastrous set of results which would in all likelihood seal Starmer and Badenoch’s respective fates.
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More in Common’s Luke Tryl said: “Conference speeches rarely in of themselves move the dial. And lots of commentators thought Starmer gave a good speech last week and Reform’s lead grew.
“But I think in this case it will be a good test of whether anyone is still listening. If there’s no shift at all hard to see how anything other than major event gets them back in the game.”
The Tory leader’s policy blitz of the past few days – including a pledge to quit the European Convention on Human Rights – may well by her valuable breathing space.
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But the chances of her ever being in position to implement them in government are virtually non-existent.
In her closing speech at the annual Tory conference in Manchester, the party leader insisted that she had a plan to fix Britain’s “broken model” – including the housing market.
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“Young people trapped in the pain of working,” she said.
“Pensioners wanting to downsize. Stamp duty is a bad tax. We must go further. We must free up our housing market’I have looked at the stamp duty thresholds to see where we can change them. I have decided that we can’t. That simply will not be enough.
“Conference, the next Conservative government will abolish stamp duty on your home. It will be gone.”
Stamp duty is a tax property or land buyers have to buy if purchasing a property over a certain price in England and Northern Ireland.
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Badenoch claimed she would be able to afford to do this by introducing a “golden economic rule” where “every pound we save will go to work, at least half will go towards cutting the deficit, because living within our means is our first priority.”
She continued: “And with the rest, we will get Britain growing and bring down the taxes which are stifling our economy.”
Although the Tories have consistently polled at less than 20% in recent months, Badenoch also listed all of the tax hikes Labour has already implemented and called them “shameful”.
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“The tax burden is so high it is making Britain poorer because business is giving up, business is leaving,” the MP for North West Essex said.
“Britain is being held back by a broken model,” Badenoch claimed. “To fix our country, we must reverse Labour’s broken measures.
“So, we will cancel their vindictive tax on education,” she said, alluding to Labour’s decision to drop the VAT exemption on private schools.
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“We will scrap their tax on family farms,” she added, pointing to the government’s decision to tax inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m at 20%.
“We will scrap their tax on family businesses,” Badenoch noted, after Labour introduced a cap on business property relief.
“We will reverse the terrible measures in Angela Rayner’s Unemployment bill, written by the unions, for the unions,” she claimed, attacking the Employment Rights Bill meant to update workers’ rights.
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She also announced that “together we would build something better.”
In her speech, Badenoch insisted that “only the Tory Party can deliver the stronger economy and stronger borders that will give people a more prosperous future,” while claiming Starmer is “utterly useless and weak”.
Her remarks come after her shadow chancellor Mel Stride alarmed fellow Tories by admitting he would raise income tax if he were Rachel Reeves and facing a huge fiscal black hole in the government’s finances.
He said this would be “the cleanest thing to do”, because hiking VAT would be inflationary.
His comments sparked immediate backlash from fellow Tories – including from Tory peer David Frost and shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith, who could not hide his astonishment at Stride’s comments yesterday.
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Stride also pledged to save £47bn a year, by cutting welfare, civil service and foreign aid.
This policy blitz comes after a quiet period from the Tories, who – ever since Badenoch was appointed as leader last November – have refrained from unveiling any substantial plans for government, until now.
Over the last week, Badenoch has also vowed to cut the civil service to 2016 numbers, promised to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights, deport 150,000 illegal migrants each year, and repeal the Climate Change Act.
The number of delegates attending key events at the Conservative Party conference seems to be depressingly low, judging by photos of the main hall.
It’s the party’s first annual gathering since Kemi Badenoch won the leadership contest last November and the atmosphere appears to be particularly flat.
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While it’s not too surprising – considering the Tories’ historic loss at the 2024 general election and how they are currently polling at just 16% according to YouGov – it’s a bleak reminder of just how much has changed for the party who were in government only 15 months ago.
Sky News’ Amanda Akass noted that it was “not exactly a packed hall” for the shadow chancellor Mel Stride’s speech today – and attached a photo of a room which appeared to be about two-thirds empty.
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GB News also said it was the “quietest” Tory conference seen in the last nine years in an interview with Stride – although he tried to pass this year’s gathering off as a “turning point” for the party.
Ellie Costello asks the Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, whether the poor attendance at the Conservative Party conference is a sign that the Tories are ‘dying’.
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Ellie Costello asks the Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, whether the poor attendance at the Conservative Party conference is a sign that the Tories are ‘dying’.
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Naturally, Labour took a pop too, comparing Stride’s claim that the Tories are the “party of hope” and “the party of the future” to the small audience size…
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 –”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.
🚨🎥 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
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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
Kemi Badenoch has launched a fresh foul-mouthed blast at Nigel Farage as the pair’s feud exploded once again.
The Tory leader described the Reform UK boss as a “bullshit artist” and even claimed that his friendship with Donald Trump is fake.
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In an interview with the Sunday Times, Badenoch said she “used to really respect” Farage, but that her view of him changed after details of a private conversation between them ended up in the Telegraph.
“I thought, this is bullshit,” she said. “And that was the moment that it changed for me, that this is a bullshit artist, so that is how I treat him.”
Farage is reportedly heading to America this week to give evidence to a US Congress inquiry into free speech in Britain.
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According to the Telegraph, he will tell allies of Donald Trump about Lucy Connolly, the Tory councillor’s wife who was released from prison last week after serving more than a year for a tweet she posted during the Southport riots calling for asylum seekers’ hotels to be burned down.
But Badenoch insisted that Farage’s well-publicised friendship with the US president is fake.
She said: “I’ve been told by many people that it’s all puff.”
The Tory leader’s comments come as her party continues to trail well behin Reform UK in the opinion polls.
Her attack also echoed similar comments she made about Farage at the Local Government Association’s annual conference last month.
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According to The Spectator, she said: “Nigel Farage is a bullshitter, a bullshitter. The difference between liars and bullshit is that bullshitters don’t care whether what they’re saying is true or false. They just say whatever. We are not liars and we don’t do bullshit. We tell the truth. That is what my leadership is about.”
The Tory leader’s remarks come amid growing concerns that people in the Palestinian territory are facing mass starvation due Israel’s blockade of relief.
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More than 100 non-governmental organisations issued a statement this week saying the “Israeli government’s siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families”.
Israel did announce over the weekend that it would allow airdrops of relief into the Palestinian territory, and promised it would implement a “tactical pause” in its military operation in three parts of Gaza to help ease the humanitarian crisis.
But speaking to Sky News this morning, the Tory leader suggested her support for Israel had not wavered despite the international community’s fears.
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Presenter Trevor Phillips asked for Badenoch’s reaction to Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof’s claim that Israel has been “lying” about the food crisis in Gaza.
She said: “I disagree with that. What I am seeing is Israel allowing humanitarian aid to go in. This has been an unbelievably difficult situation, it’s been heartbreaking seeing some of those pictures, hearing some of those stories.
“What we allow want to see is this awful war coming to an end. And that will happen when those hostages are released and we get a ceasefire.”
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Phillips asked: “Have those pictures at all led your pretty much unwavering support for Israel to waver?”
“No, no. War is a difficult situation,” she replied. “What I see when I see Israel is a country that is trying to defend itself, mostly from Iran and a lot of its proxies – Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis. I think they’re in a very difficult situation.
“And what worries me is the length of time this war has been going on makes it very difficult for the people in Palestinian territories and also for Israel, we need to bring things to an end.”
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Phillips pointed out that polling suggests Brits are moving away from supporting Israel, to which the Tory leader said she is “somebody who believes in looking at what’s actually happening”.
“The right thing is for there to a ceasefire. A lot of people are suffering on both sides, but we must’n’t forget how this started,” she claimed.
“On October 7, a massacre occurred. It was an act of war. There are still people who are being held hostage and they need to be brought home.
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“All of this could be brought to an end, except that those territories are being run by a terrorist organisation. We cannot allow it to go on.”
Asked if there was anything Israel is doing which she would not support, the leader of the opposition said that Israel has a “responsibility to make sure aid gets through.”
But she noted: “I also know that allowing a terrorist organisation to win is not going to be safe, not just for Israel, but for the rest of the world.
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“This is how they get incubated. And then 10, 15, 20 years’ time, the rest of us suffer for it. We need to bring this sort of terrorism to an end.”
Existing tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians soared when Palestinian militants Hamas killed 1,200 people on Israeli soil and took a further 251 people hostage.
Israel declared war and imposed a blockade on Gaza while also launching missile strikes across the territory.
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According to the local Hamas-run health ministry, more than 61,000 people have died in Gaza since the conflict began.
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Labour minister James Murray also told Sky News that the UK would recognise a Palestine state, describing it as a case of “when not if”. However, he refused to put a clear timeline on it.
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It comes after French president Emmanuel Macron confirmed he would formally announce Palestine statehood in September.
Kemi Badenoch has been mocked over a Tory reshuffle that left nearly all of her senior frontbenchers in the same jobs.
The shake-up was prompted by the resignation of shadow health secretary Edward Argar for health reasons.
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While former foreign secretary and Tory leadership contender James Cleverly made a comeback as shadow housing secretary, the rest of the reshuffle was seriously underwhelming.
It was also a major U-turn after her spokesman insisted in January that there would be no reshuffle before the next election.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick – who Badenoch beat to become leader last November – is staying in the same job, as are shadow home secretary Chris Philp, shadow chancellor Mel Stride and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel.
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Kevin Hollinrake becomes the new Tory chairman – as revealed by HuffPost UK this morning – while Stuart Andrew replaces Argar in the health role.
Nigel Huddleston replaces Andrew as shadow culture secretary, while Richard Holden becomes shadow transport secretary and Julia Lopez has been appointed shadow science secretary.
Badenoch said: “The Conservative Party’s mission of renewal continues, and these changes demonstrate exactly that.
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“This new frontbench team reflects the rich experience within the party – from the tenacious campaigners fighting for Britain, to the experienced MPs who will keep holding this disastrous Labour government to account.
“Unlike Labour and Reform, the Conservative Party is unashamedly on the side of Britain’s makers: the people that work hard, do the right thing and want to get on in life.”
But Labour chair Ellie Reeves said: “No amount of deckchair shuffling can hide that the architects of 14 years of Tory failure still sit around Kemi Badenoch’s top table.
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“The Conservatives haven’t changed and they haven’t once apologised for the mess they left behind. Only Labour is focussed on delivering a fairer Britain.”
The Lib Dems also picked up on the Titanic theme, pointing out that Cleverly had called on Tory MPs not to oust Liz Truss as prime minister.
Sarah Olney, the party’s Cabinet Office spokesperson, said: “Kemi Badenoch has appointed the very man who said that replacing Liz Truss as prime minister would be a terrible idea. It’s like appointing an iceberg apologist to a role steering the Titanic.
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“The public won’t forgive this group of failed former Conservative ministers for the damage they did to our economy and NHS.”
But a former Tory cabinet member welcomed the reshuffle, telling HuffPost UK: “I think it’s positive and keeps us moving forward.”
Another former minister said: “There are some welcome moves which will hopefully bring some renewed energy to the frontbench.”
