Kemi Badenoch accused Keir Starmer of avoiding PMQs and his A++ comeback was so brutal even Tories took his side

Sir Keir Starmer was back in the House of Commons today after his trip to Canada for the G7 summit and the historic Nato meeting in the Netherlands this week.

It meant he’s missed the last two PMQs and it was this – rather than the safety and security of the western world – that was on the mind of Conservative Party leader (at the time of writing) Kemi Badenoch who opened up by saying this.

“He has evaded Prime Minister’s Questions for two weeks, only to come back here to tell us what we already heard on the news”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch responds to Keir Starmer’s Commons statement on the G7 and Nato summitshttps://t.co/TjHX4y322k pic.twitter.com/UICzhys23a

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) June 26, 2025

And we’re bet Starmer was glad she did – in a way – because it was the parliamentary equivalent of a giant open goal into which he summarily hoofed the entire Tory party.

“To suggest at a time like this that the prime minister attending the G7 summit and the Nato summit is avoiding PMQs is unserious,” Keir Starmer says

“They used to once be serious about these issues,” the PM adds in response to Kemi Badenoch’s criticismhttps://t.co/AxvzaAqE0R pic.twitter.com/AqECOyd7Y9

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) June 26, 2025

Mega oof.

Kemi Badenoch: “He has evaded #PMQs for two weeks”

Keir Starmer: “To suggest that the Prime Minister attending the G7 & NATO summits is avoiding #PMQs… is unserious… just shows how irrelevant the party opposite has become..” pic.twitter.com/9LTxa87dMx

— Haggis_UK (@Haggis_UK) June 26, 2025

And just a few of the comments it prompted.

Absolutely .. complete buffoonery by @KemiBadenoch – every single other PM was at G7 and NATO including Trump and Badenough thinks he shouldn’t be there ? She’s not fit for public life let alone Leader of Opposition .. @Keir_Starmer @patmcfaddenmp

— Anne (@Anniepop2027) June 26, 2025

At least he didn’t lie to the (late) Queen to suspend parliament, to force through the biggest own goal in the history of the United Kingdom.
Every time Kemi speaks, I’m sure that all three of the remaining conservative supporters die a little inside.

— Anthony Gifford (@CalibanKenobi) June 26, 2025

No matter who you’re political allegiance are too that was an absolute pathetic thing to say .

— andrew bunch (@Andrewbunchlfc) June 26, 2025

Indeed, so much so that this Conservative MP came out in support of the prime minister.

Watch Mark Pritchard(Tory MP) rip into Kemi Badenoch for playing party politics with national security. pic.twitter.com/jLau9oS3sC

— Haggis_UK (@Haggis_UK) June 26, 2025

Perhaps Badenoch got the idea for her line of attack from her Conservative colleague Esther McVey, who was wanging on about something similar earlier today.

‘Never here Keir’ dodges PMQs again.
He’s got no answers and he’s running scared of his backbench MPs.
Over 120 of them have now signed an amendment to stop Starmer’s benefit changes. pic.twitter.com/gw7otlLGHJ

— Esther McVey (@EstherMcVey1) June 25, 2025

In which case, it’s even worse than we thought.