Prime Minister Keir Starmer has launched a scathing attack on Nigel Farage's Reform UK, branding it a 'laundry service of disgraced Tory politicians' following the latest high-profile defection from the Conservative Party.
PMQs Clash Over Defections
The barb was delivered during a tense Prime Minister's Questions session on Wednesday, 14th January 2026, where Starmer baited Conservative Party figure Kemi Badenoch. The Prime Minister quipped that Conservative 'nuts' were defecting to Reform, referencing the party's recent recruitment drive.
This comes after former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi announced his switch to Reform UK on Monday. Zahawi had previously quit the Tory government amidst a major controversy over his tax affairs. His move marks him as the 23rd former Tory MP to join Farage's party.
Starmer's Scornful Jibes
Starmer did not hold back in his criticism, weaving the defection into a series of pointed jokes. Referring to a recent visit to an IKEA store in Croydon to promote paternity leave changes, he said: 'Whilst we were there at Ikea, they showed me the new prototype, the Ikea shadow cabinet. The trouble is, nobody wants to buy it. It's mainly constructed from dead wood and every time you lose a nut it defects to Reform.'
He then turned his fire directly on the Clacton MP, Nigel Farage, and his new recruit. 'I understand, Mr. Speaker, that she's taking advice on change,' Starmer said of Badenoch. 'She had Nadhim Zahawi in to ask his advice, how to change and how to save her party. Please don't tell me she listened to his accountant. The next day after the advice he jumped ship to Reform.'
The Prime Minister concluded this line of attack with a damning summary: 'I don't know which is more pitiful - the flood of former Tory MPs deserting her sinking ship or the Reform Party so desperate to launder any old failed Tory politician.'
Reform's Roster Under Fire
Starmer also took aim at other prominent figures within Reform UK, highlighting what he portrayed as a pattern of incongruity. He pointedly noted that the party now boasts:
- A London mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, who 'doesn't like London'.
- A new Tory recruit in Zahawi who 'struggled to pay his taxes in this country'.
- A leader in Nigel Farage who 'spends more time in France than in his constituency'.
In response to Starmer's onslaught, Kemi Badenoch offered a brief retort, stating: 'The Prime Minister doesn't need to worry about me, I'm alright.' The exchange underscores the ongoing political realignment and the increasing pressure on the Conservative Party as it faces challenges from both the governing Labour Party and the insurgent Reform UK.
