Moment furious row erupts on BBC Laura Kuenssberg in humiliating Starmer blow ‘Appalling!’
A furious row erupted just minutes into Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
The Labour MP addressed her plans to become the party’s new deputy leader following the departure of Angela Rayner but things quickly turned awkward with show host Laura Kuenssberg. The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson appeared on the BBC show Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg but immediately shut down the presenter over past comments she was claimed to have made about her rival candidate Lucy Powell, who is also vying for the deputy position. Their exchange became heated after Laura delivered a humiliating blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.
Sitting down with the presenter, Laura quizzed: “But a lot of people in the party think that you are… because you’re in the Cabinet and you’ve been doing this job. Therefore it would be impossible for you to be a candidate, therefore it would be impossible for you to say to the prime minister, ‘hang on, you’re getting that completely wrong.’
BBC Laura Kuenssberg row erupts with host in humiliating blow to Starmer (Image: BBC)
Laura continued: “Also, you have accused your rival in this race, Lucy Powell, of being divisive. That she might be divisive in that job. Do you agree with the briefing from your camp that she couldn’t be trusted to not brief or leak?
“The News Statesman magazine was told, ‘the idea she would be welcomed back is laughable.”
On 5 September 2025, Powell was dismissed from her position as Leader of the House of Commons as part of a cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of then Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
She has now emerged as a candidate for those in the party who want a change in direction.
Bridget Phillipson got into a heated exchange with the BBC host (Image: BBC)
But Phillipson immediately shut down Laura’s claims.
Looking stony-faced the MP fired back: “I don’t know about that and I don’t know where that came from. What I can say, is that we have had in recent times is Angela Rayner in government as deputy leader when we were last in government…
Laura interjected: “Well, hang on… I wanted to ask you about that…,” but neither would let either finish as Phillipson spoke over the host, “No, no, no,” while raising her hand.
The pair then began speaking over one another as both tried to get their point across at the same time.
Phillipson further attempted to make her point as she dubbed Angela Rayner an “amazing leader”. The MP added she herself had “fought tooth and nail” as education secretary and for voters to focus on her record.
Viewers reacted to the on-air exchange as one person fumed: “The worst thing about weekends is the appalling #laurakuenssberg spouting her bile about Labour . Don’t recall her ever doing the same about the last dire Tory government.”
Another remarked: “Really??”
Laura then quizzed a slightly flustered MP on whether she would resign if the government wouldn’t lift the limit on bigger families getting benefits – which is something Phillipson is urging for.
She concluded: “I’m confident this government will do the right thing by children growing up in poverty in this country.”
