Starmer and Badenoch share tributes at final PMQs session
Sir Keir Starmer marked his final PMQs on 15 July 2026 with tributes, football jokes, and a standing ovation as he faced Kemi Badenoch across the dispatch box for the last time before Andy Burnham succeeds him on Monday afternoon. The noon session capped nearly two years of weekly clashes and mixed sombre security concerns with rare Commons warmth.
Key Takeaways
- Starmer held his last PMQs at noon on 15 July, before resigning and handing over to Andy Burnham on Monday.
- Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle paid tribute to Starmer's public service and Ukraine leadership; MPs gave him a standing ovation.
- Conservative MP Graham Stuart drew laughs comparing Starmer's exit to an England red card; Starmer replied with a Jude Bellingham joke.
- Starmer thanked Badenoch for private support, praised Speaker Hoyle on MP safety, and called for stronger democracy safeguards after Ann Widdecombe's death.
- Ministers sent Starmer off with a farewell gift at his final cabinet meeting ahead of PMQs.
What happened at Starmer's final PMQs?
Sir Keir Starmer took the despatch box for the last time as prime minister at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday 15 July 2026. According to BBC News live coverage, the session paired the usual PMQs format with farewell moments unusual in day-to-day Commons combat.
Starmer entered the chamber to cheers. Lady Starmer watched from the public gallery with their two children. Chancellor Rachel Reeves appeared emotional sitting beside him.
The outgoing Labour leader is due to resign on Monday morning. Andy Burnham, the prime minister-in-waiting, is expected to be sworn in that afternoon after winning the party leadership race.
How did tributes and jokes shape the Badenoch encounter?
Starmer and Badenoch have traded sharp barbs at PMQs since Labour's 2024 election win. Their final encounter was framed differently.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle opened with a tribute to Starmer for his public service and international leadership, highlighting his steadfast support for Ukraine. Starmer, in turn, praised Hoyle's work defending MPs' safety and thanked Badenoch for private support during difficult periods, according to reporting on the session.
Humour came from veteran Conservative MP Graham Stuart, who likened Starmer's departure to a footballer shown a red card by "400 dodgy referees" and asked what advice he would give Burnham to avoid an early bath. Starmer said it was probably the first and last time he would be compared to Jude Bellingham, joked about pressure to adjust England's red card after Donald Trump intervened, and insisted he did not do so. He ended with wholehearted support for his successor and the England team.
MPs later gave Starmer a standing ovation. A Labour backbencher also paid a tearful tribute during the session.
Why did MP safety dominate part of the session?
The farewell PMQs unfolded amid renewed fears for politicians' security after the suspected murder of former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe, a senior Reform UK figure. Starmer called it chilling that three sitting or former MPs had been murdered during his 11 years in Parliament.
He said more must be done to defend democracy and tasked officials to identify mechanisms to strengthen those defences. Starmer suggested Widdecombe could be honoured with a plaque in the Commons chamber, similar to tributes for Jo Cox and Sir David Amess. Burnham has separately called for a serious review of parliamentary security.
What led up to Starmer's last Commons appearance?
Before PMQs, Starmer chaired a final cabinet meeting at Downing Street. Sky News reported he received a farewell gift from ministers ahead of the session, following farewell talks with senior colleagues involved in his departure timeline.
Starmer has spent his final days highlighting what he sees as his legacy, including Ukraine support and domestic campaigns such as the Hillsborough Law. Nominations for the Labour leadership closed on Wednesday as Burnham moved closer to No 10.
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