UK politics live: Davey accuses Badenoch of ‘cheerleading’ for Trump after Starmer snubs her call for apology
Lib Dems leader Ed Davey has Kemi Badenoch ‘s support for Trump shows she doesn’t reflect British values
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Your support makes all the difference.Lib Dems leader Ed Davey has accused Kemi Badenoch of “cheerleading” for US president-elect Donald Trump during PMQs after Keir Starmer snubbed emphatic calls from the new Tories leader to apologise over a minister’s inflammatory comments.
Mr Davey took to X to say her overt support of Trump showed she didn’t reflect values connected with human rights and the rule of law, while Downing Street said the prime minister would welcome a future Donald Trump visit after congratulating him on his victory.
Earlier, an energised Badenoch seized on Trump’s victory to haul Sir Keir over foreign secretary David Lammy’s previous comments that Trump was “neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”.
But the Prime Minister dodged the opposition leader’s demand to apologise, assuring his relationship with Trump was strong, and sidestepped a question about whether he would invite the Republican to speak in parliament.
But Labour is divided over the impending presidency, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s congratulations and celebration of close US ties coming up against comments from former Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry, who has labelled Trump a racist and a predator.
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Majority of Brits are upset about Trump win, YouGov finds
A snap poll has revealed that most Brits are upset about Donald Trump’s re-election, with just one in five happy about the former president’s return.
Pollster YouGov said almost seven in 10 British women are unhappy with the American election result, compared with half of Britain’s men.
Meanwhile more than half of the country believe Mr Trump’s second term will be bad for Britain.
Younger Britons are most likely to think that Trump’s election will impact their life, with 43 per cent of 18-24 year olds believing his return to Washington D.C. will have at least a fair amount of impact on them, compared to only 22 per cent of over-65s.
Labour preparing for ‘different eventualities’ over US trade relationship
Reeves said the government would hedge its bets ahead of foreign trade announcements by the president-elect, despite asserting Labour would make ‘strong representations’ over trade.
Asked by John Glen, a former Tory minister, if it was realistic to seek to influence Trump, the Chancellor replied: “We’ve got another couple of months before the inauguration.
“Obviously, you know, we will begin those conversations. We’ll prepare for different eventualities.”
She cautioned that she didn’t want to sound “sanguine” about the outlook. “On the other hand, I am optimistic about our ability to shape the global economic agenda, as we have under successive governments.”
Labour will make ‘strong representations’ to Trump over trade
Staying with Rachel Reeves, who is giving a high-level insight into the government’s thinking on the economics associated with a second Trumpy presidency.
The chancellor has told a parliamentary committee the government would make “strong representations” to Trump about the need to protect free trade.
“We’re not just a passive actor in this,” she said before the lower house Treasury committee this afternoon as the Labour government mulls the threat of massive import tariffs on British goods.
“It’s a trade relationship with the United States and we will make strong representations about the importance of free and open trade, not just between ourselves and the United States, but globally, and the US also benefit from those that access to free and open trade with us and other countries around the world, and it’s what makes us richer as societies to benefit from that.”
Reeves confident over US trade relationship
British chancellor Rachel Reeves says she believes trade flows between Britain and the United States would continue despite proposals by US president-elect Donald Trump to impose tariffs on US imports.
“President Trump has been president of the United States before and we continue to have a strong and healthy economic relationship, and we as a government will continue to make the case for free trade,” Reeves told the Treasury Committee in the lower house of Britain’s parliament on Wednesday.
“I’m confident that those trade flows will continue under the new president,” she said. Reeves said it was too early to consider any changes to forecasts for Britain’s economy after the U.S. elections.
Her comments follow threats by Trump to impose tariffs of up to 20 per cent on imports from countries including Britain as he pushes for manufacturing prowess in the US. He has also threatened to add a 60 per cent tariff on imports from China, which, if imposed, could have major flow-on effects for the UK.
Ed Davey accuses Kemi Badenoch of cheerleading for Trump
Lib Dems leader Ed Davey has accused Tory leader Kemi Badenoch of “cheerleading” for Donald Trump during PMQs and claimed it shows the opposition is out-of-touch with British values.
Ms Badenoch’s first outing as Conservatives leader in PMQs saw her demand prime minister Keir Starmer apologise for previous comments by his foreign secretary, David Lammy, who once called Trump a neo-Nazi sympathiser, and urge him to invite the president-elect to speak at parliament.
She also said Trump was right to urge other NATO countries, including the UK, to increase their defence spending.
Sir Ed, who earlier characterised Trump’s victory as a “dark, dark day” took to social media platform X after the debate to make his accusations against the new Tory leader.
“Kemi Badenoch’s cheerleading of Donald Trump at PMQs shows the Conservatives are totally out of touch with our values We should be standing up for human rights, the rule of law and international security - not rolling out the red carpet for Trump,” he posted.
Prime Minister would welcome Trump UK visit: Downing Street
Prime Minister Keir Starmer would welcome Donald Trump visiting the UK, Downing Street says, but has stressed parliamentary invitations are up to the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Briefing reporters after a firey debate in PMQs that centred on Trump’s historic election victory, a spokesperson for the prime minister said that questions about the house were for the speaker, “but clearly the prime minister would of course welcome a visit from President-elect Trump to the UK in the future.”
Earlier, Sir Keir dodged demands from Kemi Badenoch to invite to Trump to address parliament on his next visit to the UK. Ms Badenoch called for the prime minister to show that “he and his government can be more than student politicians” and ask the Commons speaker to extend the invitation to the president elect, who swept to victory in the US election overnight.
The spokesperson also assured that foreign secretary David Lammy’s position was not in jeopardy following comments in the past branding Trump a neo-Nazi sympathiser”.
Sir Keir dodges a political apology and a promise to invite Trump to the UK
Returning to the main news from PMQs, where our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin and political correspondent Millie Cooke have reported in greater depth on Keir Starmer ducking Kemi Badenoch’s blows from across the chamber following Donald Trump’s election victory.
The prime minister sidestepped a call to apologise for his foreign secretary dubbing Donald Trump a “neo-Nazi sympathising’ sociopath”.
David Lammy made the comment in an article when he was a backbench MP in 2018. A year before he also tweeted: “Yes, if Trump comes to the UK I will be out protesting on the streets. He is a racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser.”
Mr Lammy has sought to build links with the Trump campaign since becoming foreign secretary, but the election result has shone a new spotlight on his comments, raising questions about his ability to work with the next US president.
Sir Keir also dodged demands from Kemi Badenoch to invite to Trump to address parliament on his next visit to the UK.
Ms Badenoch called for the prime minister to show that “he and his government can be more than student politicians” and ask the Commons speaker to extend the invitation to the president elect, who swept to victory in the US election overnight.
In response, the prime minister accused Ms Badenoch of “giving a masterclass in student politics”.
“We live in a more volatile world than we’ve lived in for recent decades”, he said.
Kemi Badenoch says Tories will reverse tax raid on farms
While Labour’s relationship with an incoming Trump administration occupied the main line of attack in Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s first PMQs facing off against the Prime Minister, she departed from the diplomatic theme to challenge Keir Starmer over the planned 20 per cent inheritance tax on farms, which has caused an uproar across the industry.
Ms Badenoch vowed in the chamber that her party would reverse the changes announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget last week, and urged the government to “reassure” farmers over their futures.
“What does he say to farmers who are facing uncertainty about their futures as a result of the increased taxes announced by the Chancellor?” she asked during PMQs.
Sir Keir responded: “I’m glad she’s raised farmers. Because the budget last week put £5 billion over the next two years into farming. That’s the single biggest increase, unlike the £300 million which was underspent under the last government.
“But when it comes to inheritance, the vast vast majority of farmers will be unaffected, as she well knows; as they well know.”
From April 2026, a tax of 20 per cent would be raised on the value of inherited farming assets above £1 million, triggering an uproar from farming community and an attack point for Conservative MPs.
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson ordered to apologise to parliament after swearing at security officer
Lee Anderson has been ordered to apologise to the Commons for bullying and harassment after a parliamentary watchdog found he twice swore at a security officer when his pass did not work.
The Reform UK MP allegedly told the guard “f*** off, everyone opens the door to me, you are the only one” when he was told he needed to have his pass checked at the gates to the Westminster estate.
A complaint about the incident on 3 November was upheld by parliament’s standards commissioner.
Mr Anderson initially appealed against the finding to the Independent Expert Panel, but the panel dismissed his case.
Braverman welcomes Trump victory and suggests he could force Chagos U-turn
Earlier, Conservative MP Suella Braverman welcomed Donald Trump’s election victory and said the Republican politician could force the Labour government to U-turn over the Chagos Islands.
It comes afterThe Independent revealed Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been attempting to persuade Trump to overturn the controversial deal that handed sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius mid fears the cluster, which commands a crucial strategic location in the Indian Ocean, may now be subject to influence from the Chinese government.
The former home secretary told Times Radio: “We’ve got to keep taking the fight to Labour, whether it’s on foreign policy and global security, interestingly on their surrender deal with Mauritius and the Chagos Islands. I wonder whether Trump will withdraw support for that, forcing a U-turn on the part of this Labour government.”
Welcoming Trump’s victory, she said: “I think it’s been an extraordinary campaign. Donald Trump nearly got murdered during the campaign and I think it does remind us that there is a real need for strong democracies around the. But I am overall relieved that we have someone who will stand up for peace and security.”
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