PMQs live: Starmer and Badenoch clash on winter fuel and India trade deal in first debate post local elections

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey hits out at the approach to dealing with Trump noting that “now he is coming after our world leading film industry!”

Sir Ed asks if Sir Keir Starmer agrees that if you “pick a fight with James Bond, Bridget Jones and Paddington Bear you will lose?”

But the prime minister strangely does not seem to agree with the Lib Dem leader.

He repeated that it is a “false choice” to try to choose between the US and EU and argued that “the sectors the right honourable gentlemen are trying to champion want us to negotiate that trade deal” with the US.

The Lib Dem leader though is hitting a chord with people over the growing anxiety over Trump’s tariffs and foreign policy.

The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

Keir Starmer was visibly angry as he hit out at what he said was the Tories “incoherent nonsense” in the row over the UK-India trade deal.

He challenged Kemi Badenoch if she was planning to “tear up” deals with 50 other countries in the argument over ‘double taxation’.

A row erupted after opposition politicians, including Tories and those from Nigel Farage’s Reform, criticised part of the deal that exempts some temporary Indian workers from national insurance payments.

The move is under what is known as the “double contribution convention”, which is designed to stop workers and employers paying the tax twice, once in each country.

Kemi Badenoch has branded Labour’s winter fuel policy a “disaster”.

She told the Commons that “everyone knows it, adding: “Why should we all suffer because he won’t admit he’s got this wrong?’

Keir Starmer has accused the Tories of taking “eight years fiddling around” and ending with “absolutely nothing” in attempts to get a UK-India trade deal.

The PM told the Commons Kemi Badenoch “should be welcoming” his government’s newly-struck agreement.

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:

Kemi Badenoch needs to have a strong performance today with Tory MPs now discussing her future as leader amid concerns that the party could be all but destroyed if it does not turn things around in a year.

With Reform now replacing them in their heartlands, the Tories know that they need to step up.

There has been a lot of criticism of Ms Badenoch over her performances at PMQs.

Ms Badenoch went after a problematic area for the PM over winter fuel payments for pensioners being removed.

But her demeanour today was subdued and the cheers behind her from the Conservatives slightly forced.

Worse still the PM mocking her over her apparent U-turn in opposing a trade deal with India which she as business and trade secretary failed to deliver.

Today’s efforts will not have secured her position.

The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Kemi Badenoch has piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to restore winter fuel payments to all pensioners, asking if he will “listen to his own party and change course”.

Amid growing pressure from Labour MPs to row back on the cuts, the Tory leader asked if the PM will “now admit that he was wrong to remove the winter fuel payment from millions of pensioners”.

Responding, the prime minister said “the number one job of this government was to put our finances back in order after the last government lost control and to deal with the £22bn black hole that they left”.

Sir Keir added: “All the parties opposite, would take this country back to where it was a few years ago. Broken public finances, interest rates through the roof, NHS waiting lists at all time.”

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:

Sir Keir Starmer starts PMQs boasting of his “huge win” for Britain in landing a trade deal with India.

The issue is already becoming a thorny one with the Tories and Reform complaining about Indians having tax breaks with it.

Ironically it is the Brexiteers who said leaving the EU would give the UK great trade deals who are now complaining.

But at a time of trade turbulence internationally and instability as well as a thumping in last week’s elections this announcement has given Starmer the boost he needs.

Keir Starmer has defended winter fuel payment cuts as he was accused of digging himself a “black hole”.

Kemi Badenoch asked the prime minister at PMQs: Does the prime minister now admit he was wrong to remove winter fuel payments from millions of pesnisoners?”

The PM responded that his government’s “number one priority was putting the country’s finances back in order”, repeating his party’s claim that it had to plug the “£22 billion black hole” in the UK’s finances left by previous Conservative governments.

Ms Badenoch responded: “The only black hole is the one the prime minister digging.”

Keir Starmer has hailed the UK-India trade deal as the “biggest trade deal for the UK since leaving the EU”.

Speaking at PMQs today, the prime minister called the “landmark” agreement a “huge win for working people in the country”.

Keir Starmer is facing Kemi Badenoch at PMQs after Labour insisted the UK’s new trade deal with India does not undercut British workers.

It also marks the first session since both Labour and the Tories endured heavy losses in last week’s local elections.