Kemi Badenoch presses Andy Burnham on surging borrowing costs in fiery PMQs debut

Kemi Badenoch has pressed Andy Burnham on how much the UK pays to borrow money at his first Prime Minister's Questions since taking office

This marks a high-stakes political clash at Westminster as Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch goes head-to-head with Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham during his inaugural Prime Minister's Questions.

Badenoch zeroed in on government fiscal policy, pressing the newly minted Prime Minister over surging borrowing costs, bond market jitters, and the credibility of public spending plans.

The fiery exchange sets the tone for the new parliamentary era, with the opposition framing economic management as an early vulnerability for the administration.

Asked how he plans to tackle rising debt costs, Burnham blames the "turbulence on global markets" on the previous Tory government - and says "we are turning that corner"

Badenoch says the markets are worried about a PM who "wants to say yes to everyone" and asks if he plans to raise taxes; Burnham says his first moves were to "cut tax"

The cost of borrowing nudged higher earlier, reaching a new 18-year high - after rising sharply in recent weeks

As per latest report, UK is already forecast to pay £135bn on debt interest in 2026/27-that's 50% more than on defence.