‘They cheered Starmer after stabbing him 400 times,’ Badenoch attacks Labour

Leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has launched a blistering attack on the governing Labour Party, accusing its MPs of betraying Prime Minister Keir Starmer while publicly applauding him in Parliament.

In a strongly worded statement following Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), Badenoch claimed Labour lawmakers had “cheered so loudly” for Starmer in the House of Commons despite, in her words, having already “stuck 400 knives in his back.”

“If Labour’s record in government is so fantastic, why is Starmer resigning?” Badenoch wrote on social media, using the metaphor of “400 knives” to portray what she described as widespread internal disloyalty towards the Prime Minister.

The comments came alongside a campaign graphic in which the Conservative leader argued that Starmer’s political troubles extend beyond his own leadership.

She acknowledged that the Prime Minister had made “many mistakes” but insisted he had also been undermined by members of his own government and parliamentary party.

According to Badenoch, Starmer had been “let down” by an Energy Secretary “who is killing industry,” a Chancellor “who is killing jobs,” and Labour backbenchers whom she accused of failing to understand the difficult choices required in government.

“He turned again and again and again to appease them and now they’ve abandoned him,” Badenoch said.

She further argued that Labour’s problems are systemic rather than centred on a single individual, declaring: “Isn’t it the truth that whoever is in charge, the real problem is the Labour Party?”

The Conservative leader’s remarks seek to frame Labour’s internal divisions as evidence of broader instability within the governing party, suggesting that changing leadership would not resolve what she described as fundamental failures in policy and governance.

Her “400 knives” analogy echoes the language often used in British politics to describe leadership challenges and internal party revolts, portraying Starmer as a leader who has lost the confidence of significant sections of his own party despite outward displays of unity.