Sir Keir Starmer has accused the Conservatives of 'dancing to a tune' set by Nigel Farage, during a heated Prime Minister's Questions session. The Labour leader claimed the governing party is no longer 'the Tories your parents voted for' and has become the 'political wing of the Flat Earth Society'. He also mocked former prime minister Liz Truss for her recent comments in the US.
Rishi Sunak hit back by highlighting Labour's record on antisemitism ahead of the Rochdale by-election, where Labour withdrew support for its candidate Azhar Ali over comments about 'people in the media from certain Jewish quarters'. Sunak said: 'We expel antisemites, he makes them Labour candidates.'
Starmer pressed Sunak on whether Farage would join the Conservatives, after Truss described him as the 'man to restore the Tory Party'. Sunak did not answer directly, instead celebrating the party's diversity. Starmer countered: 'This diverse Tory Party just welcomed Nigel Farage.'
The Labour leader accused Sunak of being 'too scared to stand up' to Tory MPs who 'moonlight as GB News presenters' and questioned whether the Prime Minister thinks Farage shares the 'ideals and values' of the Conservative Party. Sunak replied by accusing Starmer of being 'utterly shameless' for standing by while antisemitism 'ran rife' in his party.
