Kemi Badenoch had a difficult PMQs on Wednesday. The Speaker had already rebuked her over the “400 knives” language and a Labour peer who usually praises her had called the performance “deeply unpleasant.” Then came the line about Burnham.
Describing the man poised to become the next prime minister, Badenoch said Labour had abandoned Keir Starmer – and for what? “A pair of eyelashes and a black t-shirt.”
It was clearly intended as a dismissive jibe at Burnham’s image – the Northern charm, the accessible style, the black t-shirt that has become something of a personal brand. The problem is that it landed as the kind of attack that tends to rebound. And Burnham’s response was swift, confident and rather more controlled than Badenoch’s PMQs had been.
The response
Burnham posted a video online. He looked at the camera. He glanced down at his t-shirt. He fluttered his eyelashes. He said: “It’s dark blue, actually.”
That was it. No lengthy rebuttal. No attempt to counter the substance. Just a casual correction of the colour, delivered with a slight smile, and the implicit message that a man confident enough to respond like that is not especially rattled by being described as a fashion choice.
The clip spread considerably faster than Badenoch’s original line.
Why it worked
There is a specific type of political attack that only works if the target takes it seriously. Describing a rival as “a pair of eyelashes and a black t-shirt” is an attempt to make them seem lightweight, image-driven, all style no substance. It is the kind of line that requires the target to get defensive to land properly – to start explaining their policies, their record, their seriousness.
Burnham did none of those things. He just corrected the colour. The effect is to suggest that the attack is so beneath him he cannot even be bothered to engage with its premise, only its factual inaccuracy. It is a remarkably effective political manoeuvre – and one that required almost no effort to execute.
Badenoch is not lacking in political intelligence, and her previous PMQs performances have drawn genuine praise. Wednesday was an off day from start to finish. The 400 knives language drew a Speaker rebuke and cross-party criticism, the eyelashes line has become a clip that plays to Burnham’s advantage, and he will not face her at the despatch box again until September – by which point he will be sitting on the other side of the chamber as prime minister.
What comes next
Burnham is expected to be confirmed as Labour leader and prime minister in early September, just after parliament returns from the summer recess. That means the first PMQs between Burnham and Badenoch will take place with him as the sitting prime minister defending a government, and her as the Leader of the Opposition holding him to account.
Wednesday’s exchange gives a small preview of how that dynamic might play out. Badenoch is combative and sharp. Burnham, at least in this early exchange, is relaxed enough to make lightness look like confidence. The eyelashes, it turns out, are dark blue. And the incoming prime minister is not losing sleep over the Conservative Party’s assessment of his wardrobe.
The reactions flooded in:
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