Prime Minister Keir Starmer took aim at outspoken Nigel Farage after he savaged the new UK-EU deal yet was not present in the chamber during the PM’s statement on the agreement
The Prime Minister has humiliated Nigel Farage in the Commons as he pointed to a major unanswered question – where is the Reform UK leader.
Keir Starmer took aim at the outspoken politician after he savaged the new UK-EU deal yet was not present in the chamber during the PM’s statement on the agreement. Mr Starmer said Mr Farage has shown his party “simply do not care”. He also slammed Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey.
Speaking in the Commons, Conservative leader Ms Badenoch said the deals with the US, India and European Union were “own goals” and said the Government had failed to improve terms agreed by the Tories. Yesterday Mr Farage branded the new EU deal a “betrayal of Brexit”, while Sir Ed a deal with “more ambition” could have been “ten times greater”.
Mr Starmer said a series of recent trade deals with countries around the world signal Britain is “back on the world stage”. He added: “This Government can and this Government will, because we stay in the room, we fight for the national interest, and we put the British people first.”
READ MORE: Keir Starmer has savage dig at absent Nigel Farage during EU reset speech – watch live
The Prime Minister criticised political leaders of opposition parties for their lack of support of the UK-EU trade deal, telling the Commons: “I wonder whether that long list of businesses coming out to support this deal will temper the reaction of the Leader of the Opposition (Kemi Badenoch) in her response.
“But then again, for weeks now, she has been dismissive of the benefits of any trade deal, in defiance, frankly, of her party’s history.
“But it’s not just them. It’s also the member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) – who is not here – the member for Kingston (Sir Ed Davey), who have both shown in their own ways, that their parties simply do not care. And if your whole approach to our allies is about striking a pose, then you don’t get to strike a deal.
“And what that means in a world like ours, where deals are ever more the currency of security and justice is that you don’t get to make a difference, and you don’t get to deliver for Britain.
“That is what this partnership means. And for years, we were told it couldn’t be done. What they meant was they couldn’t do it.”
The EU deal includes a range of changes to improve Brits’ relations with the bloc. They include plans for British holidaymakers to be able to use e-gates and for checks on animal and plant products to be ditched to bring down food prices in supermarkets.
Businesses will be able to sell burgers and sausages to the EU again – ending a ban on UK exports of chilled meats which has been in place since 2021. Pet passports will be introduced for UK cats and dogs, so owners no longer have to get an animal health certificate for every trip.
No10 said the deal would fire up the economy by nearly £9billion by 2040. It also paves the way for a return of the UK to the Erasmus university exchange programme, and the creation of a youth mobility scheme.
But the PM was accused of surrendering to Brussels and selling out Britain’s fishermen. Mr Starmer faced fury after accepting a trade-off to give European boats access to British waters for another 12 years.
Ms Badenoch and Mr Farage were furious about the matter – even before it was announced. But Labour accused the Tories of hypocrisy for moaning about fishing arrangements that Boris Johnson agreed in 2020, which had been due to expire next year.
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