Sir Keir Starmer sidestepped calls to say whether he will scrap the two-child benefit cap as he was accused of presiding over “chaos, chaos, chaos”.
The Prime Minister said he is “absolutely determined” to “drive down” child poverty, although he declined to give further details ahead of the publication of the Government’s strategy on the issue.
His remarks came as Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch pressed Sir Keir to say how many pensioners would have their winter fuel payments restored and asked about the future of the two-child benefit cap amid “U-turn after U-turn” from the Prime Minister.
The cap was introduced in 2015 by then-Conservative chancellor George Osborne and restricts child welfare payments to the first two children born to most families.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs Badenoch said Sir Keir has “not stabilised the economy” before adding: “He has no clear answers on what he’s doing, it’s just chaos, chaos, chaos. He’s making announcements with no detail.
“So let’s move to another area of confusion. Can we get a simple answer: will the Government keep the two-child benefit cap?”
Sir Keir replied: “I am absolutely determined that we will drive down child poverty, that’s one of the proudest things of the last Labour government, that’s why we’ve got a taskforce, that’s why we’ve got a strategy, and we’ll set out that strategy in due course.
“But we drive child poverty down. Under them, poverty always goes up.”
Mrs Badenoch countered: “I didn’t ask him about a taskforce, I asked him if he’ll keep the two-child benefit cap, and he doesn’t know.
“It’s just chaos and uncertainty. He has no details, he is briefing something and causing a lot of confusion to the people out there.
“But on that two-child benefit cap I’ll tell him this: I believe in family, but I also believe in fairness. On this side of the House, we believe that people on benefits should have to make the same choices on having children as everyone else.
“What does the Prime Minister believe?”
Sir Keir replied: “I believe profoundly in driving down poverty and child poverty, that’s why we’ll put a strategy in place.”
The Prime Minister then noted Mrs Badenoch has been “praised this week by the Russian embassy”, adding: “If she carries on echoing Kremlin talking points like this, Reform is going to be sending her an application form for membership.”
Mrs Badenoch said she asked Sir Keir what he believes in, adding: “He had to look in his folder to find the answer. His MPs behind him know what they believe in, he doesn’t know.”
The Tory leader went on to claim “it’s only going to get harder” for Sir Keir in Government, adding: “He has to ask (Downing Street chief of staff) Morgan McSweeney what it is that he believes in, but the fact is the chaos is being felt in the economy.”
Mrs Badenoch said Chancellor Rachel Reeves claims she “would not be coming back with new tax rises but she will have to pay for all of these U-turns” announced by the Prime Minister.
Sir Keir opted to read out Mrs Badenoch’s suggestion that Ukraine is fighting a “proxy war” on behalf of western Europe against Russia.
He said: “That was certainly noticed in the Russian embassy because they put out a statement saying the Leader of the Opposition has ‘finally called a spade a spade, Ukraine is indeed fighting a proxy war against Russia on behalf of Western interests’.
“They went on to say: ‘The illegitimate Kiev regime, created, financed and armed by the West, has been at it since 2014.'”
Sir Keir added: “She asked me what I believe in; I believe in standing by Ukraine and calling out Russia as the aggressor.”
Mrs Badenoch’s spokesman later told reporters that “for the Prime Minister to read out tweets written in the Kremlin as some sort of political ‘gotcha’ is quite despicable and we are calling on him to apologise”.
Mrs Badenoch defended the Conservative Party’s record in government in supporting Ukraine, adding Sir Keir “doesn’t have any answers” and is “saying everything he can to distract from the mess he is making of our economy”.
She said: “Two weeks ago he was crowing about his historic trade deal and how he got 0% tariffs on steel, now the steel industry will face 25% tariffs unless he does exactly what President Trump tells him to.
“It’s chaos, chaos, chaos, and isn’t the root of the chaos that it is about this Prime Minister, his decisions and his judgment?”
Sir Keir replied: “She gets up on a Wednesday morning, scrolls through social media, never does any of the detail.
“We’re the only country in the world that isn’t paying the 50% tax on steel and that will be coming down, we’re working on it to bring it down to zero, that is going to happen.”
