It was another embarrassing PMQs for the Reform UK leader
Keir Starmer ridiculed Nigel Farage during Prime Minister’s Questions for bringing in “wrecking ball” Liz Truss to advise Reform UK on how to challenge “the establishment blob”.
There have been reports that Farage enlisted Truss, who was prime minister for just 49 days, to advise the right-wing party on overhauling the state, ahead of the local elections.
Starmer taunted Farage on his questionable choice of advisor: “Now we hear Mr Speaker that he has recruited Liz Truss as his new top advisor as he was cheering on the mini-Budget.”
The prime minister added: “Let’s be clear what a vote for this party [Reform] means. It means a vote to charge for the NHS, it means a pro-Putin foreign policy, and a vote against voters’ rights.”
Starmer’s searing response came after Farage launched an attack on the number of small boat crossings so far this year.
Farage said: “To date so far this year, 10,000 young undocumented males have illegally crossed the English channel into our country.”
He added that “many [are] coming from cultures that are somewhat alien to ours” – prompting audible gasps of “oh my god” from MPs nearby.
The Reform UK leader went on to argue that the cost of housing migrants in hotels – which he said runs into the billions – is fuelling a sense of unfairness “bordering on resentment.”
Farage said that “in Runcorn alone there are 750 of these young men”, eliciting disagreement and headshakes from other MPs.
One MP said: “Maybe you can pay for it with your second job earnings.”
Farage went on to dismiss Labour’s “smash the gangs” policy as “nothing more than an election slogan,” and said it was time to declare “a national emergency”.
Starmer pointed out that Reform had voted against the government’s plans to tackle the crisis and had instead teamed up with the Tories to oppose Labour’s bill.
The PM told MPs: “We are passing a Borders Bill with extensive powers to smash the gangs. These are terrorist-like powers which give powers to the police to to intercept where they think the suspects are committing people smuggling, which is a vile trade.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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