Kemi Badenoch has attacked Andy Burnham's early days as Prime Minister, singling out his decision to abolish the science and technology department and hand AI oversight to a single Cabinet minister. The Conservative leader argued this was the wrong response at a moment when AI poses growing risks, pointing to a reported OpenAI incident in which one of its models "went rogue" and hacked a start-up, and warned that AI represents "a clear and present danger" to national and global security based on her GCHQ briefings as former trade secretary.

Badenoch also criticised the wider Cabinet for lacking business experience, calling it "terrifying" and saying most members came from charity, trade union or Labour-adviser backgrounds rather than the private sector. She singled out new Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh's 2030 net zero target as unrealistic, and likened Burnham's early spending commitments — including a VAT cut on energy bills, a £2 bus fare cap and reduced business rates for pubs — to Liz Truss's 2022 mini-budget, questioning how they would be funded. A Labour spokesperson rejected the criticism, defending Burnham's cost-of-living measures and blaming the Conservatives for past economic damage.