February 27, (THEWILL) – UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has dismissed claims by opposition leader Kemi Badenoch that she influenced his decision to cut the country’s aid budget, describing her as a “self-appointed saviour of Western civilisation” in desperate need of relevance.

Badenoch, the British-Nigerian MP representing North West Essex, had alleged that Starmer acted on her recommendation to slash aid spending while questioning inconsistencies in the government’s defence budget figures.

“Over the weekend, I suggested to the Prime Minister that he cut the aid budget, and I am pleased that he accepted my advice. It’s the fastest response I’ve ever had from the Prime Minister. However, he announced £13.4 billion of additional defence spending yesterday. This morning, his Defence Secretary said the uplift is only £6bn. Which is the correct figure?” she queried.

However, speaking during a plenary session on Wednesday, Starmer dismissed Badenoch’s assertion, making it clear that her input had no bearing on his decision.

“I’m going to have to let the leader of the opposition down gently. She didn’t feature in my thinking at all. I was so busy over the weekend I didn’t even see her proposal,” he stated.

Taking a further swipe at Badenoch, the Prime Minister ridiculed her perceived grandstanding.

“She’s appointed herself, I think, the saviour of Western civilisation. It’s a desperate search for relevance. If you take the numbers for this financial year and then the numbers for financial year 27/28, that’s a £13.4bn increase—the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War,” he declared.