Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed repeatedly shouted that people voted for Brexit “because they were lied to”.
It was another embarrassing PMQs for Nigel Farage today.
Farage’s question to the prime minister began with laughs and shouts of “here here” from other MPs, coming moments after Keir Starmer had vowed to go after “fraudsters, grifters and con artists” who exploited Covid support schemes.
Yesterday, former Reform MP James McMurdock announced that he would permanently sit as an independent MP after a Sunday Times investigation into government-backed Covid loans he took out for two of his companies.
After the Speaker intervened to restore order in the House, Farage began: “The main reason this country wisely voted for Brexit back in 2016…”, but was swiftly interrupted by Iqbal Mohamed, the MP for Dewsbury and Batley, who shouted twice: “Because they were lied to”.
Farage continued: “That included millions of Labour supporters”, to which Mohamed repeated “because they were lied to”.
Farage added: “Is because we wanted to take back control of our borders. So we and we alone can decide who comes and settles in our country.”
Mohamed continued to heckle the Reform UK leader, prompting Lee Anderson to respond: “Will you shut up?” Fellow Reform MP Sarah Pochin also interjected, saying: “Don’t be so disrespectful. So disrespectful.”
“Does the PM understand that demand today is even more than it was in 2016 and the country demands that you say to the French president that ‘We will not accept undocumented males across the English channel and that you are not dictated to by an increasingly arrogant anti-Brexit French leader.’”
Farage’s dig at Emmanuel Macron came after Reform deputy leader Richard Tice expressed outrage at the French President deciding not to meet with Reform during his visit to the UK.
Tice said yesterday: “This is an outrageous and deliberate snub.”
“Reform is polling higher than all of the other parties, and by denying Nigel a meeting with Macron, the Establishment is shutting its eyes to the lights of the Reform train that is coming.”
In his response to Farage, prime minister Keir Starmer tore apart the Reform UK leader.
Starmer accused Farage of sticking “two fingers” up to the UK’s neighbours and expecting that to solve the problem.
He added: “We are fixing the mess that we inherited. We are working with other countries to ensure that we take the measures necessary to stop people crossing the Channel,” the PM said.
“His proposal for 10 years, wagging the Tory dog, has been to break everything and claim that’s how you fix things, to stick two fingers up at your neighbours and then expect them to work with us.
“And he votes against the Borders bill, which gives more powers and law enforcement to deal with security. The reason for that is he has no interest in fixing the problem because he wants to milk it and exploit it. That’s the truth about him and his party.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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