Farewell PMQs mixed tribute, Ukraine, and a run-down on the government’s record

The clearest thread through the exchanges was Mrs Badenoch’s farewell as Leader of the Opposition. She began by praising the Prime Minister’s response to the murder of Ann Widdecombe, before using her remaining questions to challenge him on the political future and his own record in office. She said the country needed politicians to “set out your plans”, and later asked whether his successor should stay and answer questions rather than “scurrying away for the summer”.

The Prime Minister answered those questions in a notably reflective tone. On Widdecombe, he said he had already phoned the Opposition Leader and Reform’s leadership to express condolences and act “in a cross-party manner”. On Ukraine, he thanked Mrs Badenoch for her remarks and said, “We have stood united on Ukraine in this House,” adding that after President Zelensky’s difficult visit to the White House he invited him straight to Downing Street and told him, “in this country, we will stand with him and Ukraine.”

Mrs Badenoch then turned to the broader question of what she said the country needed from its leaders. She joked that while the Prime Minister might not be emulating Harold Wilson in elections, he might yet do so in another way if England won the World Cup. She pressed him on whether the public deserved a televised debate between Nigel Farage and Count Binface, and later asked if he had any advice for his successor. The Prime Minister replied with a line aimed at Reform: “Reform intends to spend the summer arguing with a bin. My advice to everyone is: put your vote in the Bin!” He then pivoted to workers at Jaguar Land Rover and said the people in the Gallery were “always in my mind’s eye.”

On his own record, Mrs Badenoch asked why he had once said that when he “pulled the levers, nothing happened.” The Prime Minister rejected that framing. “We did pull the levers,” he said, listing economic stabilisation, falling NHS waiting lists, action on child poverty, higher defence spending, and new protections for children online. When she later suggested that no sitting Labour MP could beat him, she ended by paying a warm tribute to his wife and children. He responded that this was his “last question” from her, thanked her for private kindness during a family crisis, and said the two had had “robust exchanges” but that “the kindnesses that sit behind it privately are often just as powerful.” He then set out his own summary of office, saying he was “proud to leave this country in a better shape than I found it.”

Several of Mrs Badenoch’s questions were framed as sign-offs. She asked about the prime minister’s future and whether his successor should come to Parliament, and she twice returned to the personal tone of the day, noting that “changing Prime Minister is not a silver bullet” and that Labour’s troubles might only just be beginning. The Prime Minister replied by stressing the scale of his PMQs record—“over 60 sessions” and “2,800 times” answering questions—and by talking instead about specific people in the Gallery: Billie, whose breast cancer is in remission, and Pooja, who campaigned for Ronan’s law after her son was murdered. He said he had promised Pooja he would campaign with her, and thanked her for helping to drive the law through.

The other party leaders took the chance to widen the session beyond the Conservative-Labour exchanges. Sir Ed Davey paid tribute to Ann Widdecombe, said he supported a memorial to her in the Chamber, and then moved to the economy and public service. He joked about Count Binface and asked whether the Prime Minister shared his fear that Andy Burnham’s plan on debt was “to infinity and beyond”. The Prime Minister answered in lighter vein, suggesting Davey was “clearly angling to go on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’” and saying his family could save nearly £20 at Chessington World of Adventures this summer. When Davey then praised the Prime Minister’s public service and asked him to speak up for family carers, the Prime Minister agreed and invited him to Chessington: “I will. Can I suggest 12 noon on the first Wednesday in September?”

Backbench interventions focused on security, social cohesion and personal stories. Matt Turmaine raised antisemitic graffiti on a Jewish-owned shop and attacks on mosques in Watford; the Prime Minister said antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred were “a poison” and pointed to a record £250 million for Jewish community protection and new powers against the IRGC. Melanie Onn pressed him on violence against women and girls and asked him to stick to the pledge to halve it over a decade. He said “Yes I do” and promised to keep campaigning for it. Other contributions from the Gallery and the floor brought personal stories of cancer, bereavement, online harm and family care into the Chamber, with the Prime Minister repeatedly using them to underline his case that policy should be judged by its effect on “the people who matter.”

AI-assisted recap of the official Hansard record. Quotes are verbatim — follow the links in the live feed to check each against Hansard. Spotted an error? Let us know.