Prime Minister Andy Burnham took questions from leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch and other MPs at PMQs today. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Manchester City charges
Conservative Jerome Mayhew asked Burnham if anyone from Manchester City or his team raised the charges the club was facing from the Premier League. Burnham said the club did not raise that issue with him. He said he has released information about his contacts with the club.
Response to Badenoch's criticism
Badenoch said she met a beauty salon owner yesterday struggling with taxes. She said: "That is the brutal reality for tens of thousands of small business owners." Badenoch said Burnham promised the biggest change for 40 years when he became PM, but now he is promising a no change budget. Burnham said he used his conference speech to address difficult decisions. But he ended praising Badenoch for what she said in her conference speech criticising ethnonationalism: "I'm going to commend her for drawing a line on a decade of division where she drew a line with the party over [Reform UK] there for suggesting that her children weren't British. That is wrong in every single respect. She was brave and she was right to call it out. That is what I want to see more of in the next decade as we go forward."
Welfare and defence
Badenoch said she met Milburn and he told her the report would be published before the budget. Now it is coming after the budget, she said. She said the PM should cut welfare to fund higher defence spending. Burnham said the government would honour its commitments on defence spending. He went on to taunt Badenoch over her party conference "Iron Dome" interviews: "I recall an interview recently about the Conservatives' plans for an Iron Dome. And then she said it isn't our plan. And then it emerged that it was briefed by her team, which doesn't sound like she's in control of her own policy on defence. And then under questioning on LBC for [Nick] Ferrari, she said you've got to speak to a defence expert about exactly how it will work. Well, obviously we worked out in that interview she wasn't a defence expert."
Energy and Ukraine
Badenoch moved on to the Jackdow and Rosebank gas and oilfield applications. She said: "The fact is this prime minister will say anything instead of dealing with the tough decisions that only he can take, like on Britain's energy security. In July, he said he would approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea. What's he waiting for? If he'd approved them back then, we would have British gas warming British homes this winter." Burnham said the government has had to take time making a decision because the decisions taken by the last Tory government were overturned in court. They messed it up, he said.
MI5 and Russia
Badenoch claims that yesterday the head of MI5 had to slap down Burnham over his Russia comment. She claims she has never heard that before. Burnham dismissed this claim. He also defended his comment saying Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum. Burnham said the UK will increase supply of anti-drone missiles to Ukraine, ahead of PMQs and Zelenskyy meeting.
Other news
Reform UK hit back at Badenoch in the Chagos Islands row, accusing her of upsetting Washington. Obama in Belfast said the Good Friday agreement shows how peace and democracy are "not inevitable", and "have to be chosen". Farage said charities that help asylum seekers get to the UK should be prosecuted. Lib Dem MPs' meeting was "mostly show of strength" for Ed Davey, an MP said.