Keir Starmer mocked Nigel Farage after the Reform UK leader dodged parliament to go on holiday.
The prime minister even had Farage’s own party colleagues laughing at his jibe at the globe-trotting right-winger.
Farage was dubbed “a part-time leader” on Tuesday after confirming that he was on a foreign holiday, despite the Commons going into a week-long recess on Friday.
Starmer could not resist having a dig of his own after being asked a question by Reform UK MP Lee Anderson.
The Ashfield MP said: “This prime minister keeps telling his gullible backbenchers – those people over there – that he has deported 24,000 people from this country since the election, but he won’t say who these people are.”
He asked: “How many people he has deported are failed asylum seekers that come on small boats or on the back of lorries? Answer the question.”
“I am very proud that we have deported over 24,000 people, the highest record for nearly 10 years,” Starmer replied, while also pointing to the government’s Borders’ Bill.
“They don’t want to fix this problem because it benefits them, it benefits them not to fix it, party before country,” the prime minister said.
“It’s very good he is standing in for the member for Clacton [Farage], I have to say, there was no sign of him yesterday at the EU [statement].
“He was the first through the e-gates somewhere to the south of France,” Starmer concluded, sparking a wave of laughter through the Commons – including from Anderson and his Reform UK colleagues.
That was a reference to the deal the government struck with the EU on Monday, which will allow British holidaymakers to use e-gates at European airports.
Brexit meant UK tourists could no longer use e-gates when entering passport control in most European airports, and had to join a separate – usually longer – queue.
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