Oral Answers to Questions

Kemi Badenoch Excerpts

Wednesday 4th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Leader of the Opposition.

[Mrs Kemi Badenoch (North West Essex) (Con)]

I pay tribute to our brave servicemen and women in the middle east during this very difficult period. Our bases in Cyprus and Bahrain have now been attacked. The US has taken offensive action to destroy missile launch sites to defend British territory. Why will the Prime Minister not allow the RAF to do the same?

[The Prime Minister]

This is obviously an extremely serious situation, and I know the whole country is worried about the potential for escalation. People are worried about the impact on their lives, particularly when they see what is happening with energy. The family and friends of those who are caught in the region will be worried sick about them, and of course we have civilians and military personnel at risk in the region. We need to act, therefore, with clarity, with purpose, and with a cool head. The protection of UK nationals is our No. 1 priority, and we are taking action to reduce the threat—planes in the sky in the region intercepting incoming strikes, deploying more capability to Cyprus, and allowing US planes to use UK bases to take out Iran’s capability to strike. What I was not prepared to do on Saturday was for the UK to join a war unless I was satisfied there was a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan. That remains my position.

[Mrs Badenoch]

That was not the question I asked the Prime Minister. Nobody wants to see an escalation. The fact is—[Interruption.] In case Labour MPs do not realise, the fact is that our bases have already been attacked. Iran is trying to kill our servicemen and women, and the Prime Minister is catching arrows rather than stopping the archer. That is what we are talking about. Why is he asking our allies to do what we should be doing ourselves? I say to Labour MPs that we are in this war whether they like it or not. What is the Prime Minister waiting for?

[The Prime Minister]

Let me give a little more detail. For a number of weeks now, we have been pre-deploying our capabilities to the region. In doing so, we have been liaising very closely with the United States, as the House would have expected. Therefore, radar systems were pre-deployed, ground-based air defence was pre-deployed, counter-drone systems were pre-deployed, and F-35 jets were pre-deployed. That is why since Saturday morning, multiple F-35s and Typhoons have been in operation, not just in the middle east but across Cyprus. Further missions were flown overnight, with Typhoons defending Qatar, in particular, and F-35s defending other regional parties. We are resupplying our air defence missiles today, Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities will be in Cyprus this week, HMS Dragon will be deployed to the Mediterranean, and of course, in agreement with the US, they are using our bases to conduct the operations to strike Iranian missiles and launchers. That is the action we are taking; that is the agreement we have reached with the United States to protect our nationals.

[Mrs Badenoch]

The Prime Minister has read out a long list—it is not enough. He says that we are pre-deploying; the one ship that we are sending, HMS Dragon, is still in Portsmouth. The fact is that the Type 45s cannot take out incoming missiles. This is not enough—he has read out a long list, but the people who understand know that it is not enough. He should be doing more.

Yesterday, the Chancellor could have given more money to defence. [Interruption.] I do not know why Labour MPs are laughing—I do not know why that is funny. It is not funny. Yesterday, the Chancellor could have given more money to defence; instead, she gave more money for welfare. Their priorities are all wrong—[Interruption.] They can chunter as much as they like. The fact of the matter is that the war in Iran is happening now—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Mr Bailey, I do not like that, and I do not think it becomes you. From an officer and a gentleman, I expect more.

[Mrs Badenoch]

The fact of the matter is that the war—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I can lipread as well. Please learn something: if not, you will learn the way out.

[Mrs Badenoch]

The country will not be distracted by Labour MPs moaning. The fact of the matter is that the war in Iran is happening now, but the Office for Budget Responsibility says that the Government will not hit 3% on defence for five years. The war is happening now. There is no urgency from the Prime Minister. Why is he leaving the job of funding our armed forces to the next Government?

[The Prime Minister]

I will not take lectures on defence from the Conservatives. They came into office and what did they do? They cut the defence budget—[Interruption.]

[The Prime Minister]

Not only did they cut the defence budget, but they missed Army recruitment targets every year for 14 years. They left morale in our armed forces at an all-time low, and our forces “hollowed out”, in the words of Ben Wallace, the former Defence Secretary. Labour, by contrast, is delivering the biggest boost to defence spending since the cold war—£270 billion over this Parliament—and we are doing that because we are focused on what matters.

The right hon. Lady is right that the war is happening now, and we have to focus on that. Across the country, people are worried about those who are trapped in the region, and that is why we are taking action. I can update the House that yesterday more than 1,000 British nationals arrived back in the UK on commercial flights from the UAE. A further eight flights are due to leave the UAE for the UK today. I can confirm that the first charter flight is expected to leave Oman later today and two more will leave in the coming days—[Interruption.] The country really does want to know this. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] Family and friends are worried sick about people who are caught up. [Interruption.] I will not be put off. I can announce that we will lay on additional charter flights in coming days. British Airways is laying on an extra flight from Oman, and the Foreign Secretary will have further discussions today. I urge all Members who have constituents who are caught in this to make sure that they register their presence so that we can do whatever we can to help them to get home safely.

[Mrs Badenoch]

I was not asking about evacuations; I was asking about defence spending. The Prime Minister needs to focus on the question he is being asked, not the statement that was prepared in the bunker. He stands there telling us that he is spending more money on defence—[Interruption.] No, he is not. In fact, the Government are cutting defence spending by £2.6 billion from the Ministry of Defence budget this year, and that is why there are no Royal Navy warships in the middle east—[Interruption.] He should ask his Defence Secretary for the numbers, because that is what is happening.

In June last year, the Government promised that their plan for funding our armed forces would be ready by autumn. In autumn, they promised it would be ready by the end of 2025. It is March 2026 and still nothing. Can the Prime Minister tell the House when his defence investment plan will finally be published?

[The Prime Minister]

I am sorry that the Leader of the Opposition is not interested in how people caught in the region will get home. For the vast majority of people watching this PMQs, that will be the single most important thing on their mind. The Conservatives cut defence spending: we are increasing it, and we are doing that because we have stabilised the economy. Yesterday, the Chancellor announced that inflation was down—interest rates, down; borrowing, down; debt, down; investment, living standards and growth, up.

I know that the Leader of the Opposition does not understand that. The shadow Chancellor clearly does not understand it, although I do have to thank him for—in what has been a very difficult week—providing some excellent unintended stand-up comedy in his response to the Chancellor yesterday.

[Mrs Badenoch]

The Prime Minister does not want to talk about the defence investment plan because he does not know. He does not know what is going on in respect of any policy, so he reads pre-prepared statements irrespective of the question, and the whole country can see it. The truth is that, because the Government spent money on welfare, there is no defence investment plan, and because there is no defence investment plan, they are not ordering enough missiles.

The fact is that this crisis goes beyond defence spending—[Interruption.] They can chant as much as they like. They are pathetic, spending money on welfare instead of defence. But they are not just pathetic; they are also weak. This crisis goes beyond defence spending; it is also about the cost of living. This war is interrupting the supply of oil and gas, which is dragging up the cost of petrol and making it more expensive to heat our homes, yet the Prime Minister is stopping drilling in the North sea while importing the same oil and gas from Norway. Does he think that, at a time of geopolitical crisis, it makes sense to kill our oil and gas industry and give up that ready supply of energy?

[The Prime Minister]

The question of energy supply right now is a serious one, and we are doing all we can, with allies, to make sure that it is preserved. It is vital that we keep trade flowing through the strait of Hormuz. The Energy Secretary met the International Energy Agency yesterday, and the Chancellor is meeting oil and gas companies today. We are keeping in close contact with our allies and key industry players. Again, I think the country wants to know what we are doing now in relation to what is happening in the coming days. Oil and gas will be part of our energy mix for many years to come, but if Ukraine and the last few days have taught us anything, it is that all the time we are on the international market, we are vulnerable to these changes. Renewable energy, where we have our independence and security, would take us off those markets and give us the security we need.

[Mrs Badenoch]

The Prime Minister, again, does not understand the energy transition. You do not need to stop drilling for oil and gas to get renewables. This is basic stuff. The Prime Minister does not understand his policy. He has a sea of orcs and goons who have no idea at all how anything is working. [Interruption.] They can complain all they like. The fact is that they are letting down the people—

--- Later in debate ---

[The Prime Minister]

rose—

[Mrs Badenoch]

Mr Speaker, I have not asked my question.

The situation in Iran shows that this Prime Minister has the wrong priorities. When it comes to defence, it is someone else’s job. When it comes to welfare, the Government find the money. When our bases are attacked, they call the lawyers. When our energy security is under threat, they stop drilling in the North sea. After last week’s by-election, is it not the truth—[Interruption.] They are going to hear it, whether they like it or not. Is it not the truth that the Prime Minister is prioritising his job security over our national security?

[The Prime Minister]

I have spent the week protecting British lives and our national interest. Moments like this define a Leader of the Opposition. They can either step up, act in the national interest and show that they are fit to be Prime Minister, or they can expose their utter irrelevance. The Leader of the Opposition has chosen the second.