Prime Minister Keir Starmer was cheered by MPs in the chamber when he mocked Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, whose party descended into civil war in recent weeks
PMQs: Starmer bites back at Lee Anderson over net zero question
Keir Starmer brutally ridiculed Nigel Farage’s troubles in leading a “party that fits in the back of a taxi” at PMQs.
The Prime Minister mocked the Reform UK leader, whose party descended into civil war in recent weeks. Mr Starmer slapped down Mr Farage in response to a question from Reform MP Lee Anderson, who asked the PM about the UK’s target to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The lively moment in the Commons began as Mr Anderson, a former Tory MP, was met with a roar of laughter as he started his question. “I come to this chamber every week to ask sensible questions,” he said, before MPs across the chamber burst out laughing.
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As groans from MPs continued, Mr Anderson went on: “And I expect sensible answers but all I get is glazed expressions and waffle from the opposite benches. I want to ask the PM a very simple question on behalf of all the Net Zero sceptics. If we became New Zero tomorrow, how much would it reduce the earth’s temperature by?”
Mr Starmer responded: “Net Zero is of course not easy but it’s a huge opportunity to boost our growth, our jobs and our economy. So he knows my views on that.” The PM then brutally added: “He complains – but they’d have better ideas if they stopped fawning over Putin and I understand the member for Clacton [Mr Farage] wants to be Prime Minister, he can’t even lead a party that fits in the back of a taxi.”
Reform UK currently only has four MPs – after its fifth MP Rupert Lowe was suspended. Mr Farage’s party reported the Great Yarmouth MP to the Metropolitan Police on March 6 over alleged threats of physical violence against Reform chairman Zia Yusuf. The party also made separate claims about complaints of “serious bullying” by Mr Lowe against staff. Mr Lowe has strongly denied the allegations made against him.
Addressing the row on Monday, Mr Farage said: “You might notice that we have been through a little bit of turbulence over the course of the past couple of weeks. We’ve been increasingly concerned about the behaviour of one of our Members of Parliament and when we found out that some serious complaints had gone in, we thought you know what, let’s just suspend the whip and let’s find out what the truth is.
“And we will wait, first we will get the report from the independent King’s Counsel who’s been appointed, I don’t know exactly when it’s going to be but some anticipation that it might happen during the course of this week, and later on perhaps it’ll take some time we’ll hear from the relevant parliamentary committee too.
“Has it caused some consternation? Of course it has. Any argument that’s seen to happen within the family does. But I can promise you that in terms of our progress and our planning, that upset is very much at the edges.”
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