Kemi Badenoch’s first Prime Minister’s Questions this week was remarkable in many ways, not least because it was a rare moment where Keir Starmer didn’t stumble over who was actually in charge.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly referred to Rishi Sunak at these post-election sessions as “the prime minister” – an easy slip to make when the two spent more time with Sunak in power and Starmer in opposition, but also quite a telling one. Now, Badenoch is a break with that old dynamic. But that doesn’t mean Starmer and his party won’t slip into the habit of talking as though she’s the one in power.

Labour has been pretty energised by Badenoch’s election. She has that effect on people generally, whether or not they agree with her. Starmer’s colleagues who prepare him for PMQs knew the sessions would be more unpredictable with Badenoch as leader than if Robert Jenrick had won the Conservative leadership contest, and made the exchanges even more of a conversation between two pieces of cardboard.

Her unpredictability has also provided the Labour attack operation with plenty of ammunition. Does she believe maternity pay is “excessive”? Does she think the NHS deserves more........

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