Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has sharply criticized Prime Minister Andy Burnham over his approach to European Union relations, accusing him of weak negotiation skills and a lack of fresh economic direction.
Speaking ahead of the party's annual conference in Birmingham, Badenoch targeted Burnham's recent announcement to re-examine Britain's relationship with Brussels.
She argued that his public declarations have undermined the country's position in potential international discussions.
"He has not had to do a single international trade negotiation.
As a former trade secretary, I can tell you that he has already ruined his negotiation hand by telling the EU everything that he wants to do.
So he doesn’t even know how to negotiate. He’s not going to get Margaret Thatcher’s rebate back," Badenoch said.
The opposition leader pushed back against Burnham's statements in Liverpool and during a subsequent BBC interview where he suggested the UK could move toward rejoining the EU.
"Andy Burnham is living in the past. I wasn’t even an MP when we voted to leave the European Union.
I voted Leave. The country voted Leave.
And what they want politicians to do is make it work rather than still trying to go back into the EU," she said.
Badenoch emphasized that her party intends to focus strictly on future governance rather than revisiting previous constitutional debates.
"It is lazy.
It is lazy thinking from somebody who has run out of ideas and wants to refight the battles of the past," she said.
She reaffirmed the finality of the nation's departure from the European trade bloc.
"We’ve left the European Union. End of story," Badenoch added.
Pension and Welfare Clash
The disagreement extends beyond trade to domestic entitlement policy, specifically regarding government proposals to alter the pension triple lock by 2030 to finance social care reform.
"My thinking has not changed.
The triple lock was brought in because in 2010 the coalition government saw a lot of pensioner poverty.
If we were growing at two or three per cent, nobody would even be talking about the triple lock," Badenoch said.
Addressing national economic growth, Badenoch framed the issue around labor market participation rather than entitlement cuts.
"It is a symptom of something more fundamental, which is that our economy is not growing. So I want to deal with the root cause, not the symptom.
The root cause is people who can work are not working.
Our economy is being sluggish and unproductive – those are the things that I want to tackle," she said.
Badenoch challenged the financial feasibility of the administration's plan to fund a national care system through pension restructuring.
"I think the fact that Andy Burnham’s words are already being clarified shows that he hasn’t thought them through.
He claims that he wants to use that money to set up the national care system. It won’t even touch the sides," she said.
She noted that projected savings from the triple lock would not offset broader welfare expenditures.
"The amount that he will get from the triple lock between now and 2050 is less than what he would get from sorting out welfare in this parliament.
Welfare is going to be increased during this parliament far more than the triple lock bill up till 2050.
But either way, what he is saying shows that his sums don’t add up," Badenoch said.
Foreign Policy and Security Concerns
On diplomatic matters, the Conservative leader criticized the government's recent diplomatic engagement with Iranian officials and its security stance regarding Middle Eastern allies.
"I’m very worried about the security relationship. Israel is one of our closest security allies.
They save lives, and the Government pretends that doesn’t happen," she said.
She expressed concern over the government's handling of regional threats to national security.
"What worries me more is that it’s one thing to not want to be close to Israel.
It is another thing to ignore the threat from Iran," Badenoch said.
Badenoch highlighted reported security threats involving foreign states on domestic soil.
"This is a country that has made threats to the UK.
The government has just talked about how the RAF Fairford plot was actually something that the Iranians were organising," she said.
She concluded by questioning the Foreign Secretary's diplomatic protocols with Iranian representatives.
"Why was our Foreign Secretary shaking hands with the Iranian foreign minister like they were best buddies? I think that that’s wrong.
No readout has been given of any serious conversation that happened there. That’s not how they should be conducting foreign policy," Badenoch said.
