Keir Starmer criticized Nigel Farage’s party for attracting former disgraced Conservative politicians in its latest defection. During a tense session of PMQs, the Prime Minister jokingly referred to Conservative members defecting to Reform as “nuts.” Former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, who left the Tory government amid a tax controversy, was the most recent defector.
Accusing Reform of having a mayoral candidate disliking London, a new Tory member struggling with tax payments, and a leader spending more time in France than in his constituency, Zahawi highlighted the party’s flaws. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister humorously mentioned a fictional IKEA shadow cabinet, comparing it to the Reform Party where “every time you lose a nut, it defects.”
Referencing the Reform Party as Nigel Farage’s “laundry service” for disgraced Tory politicians, the PM mocked the situation where even those seeking advice end up defecting. In response, Kemi Badenoch assured the Prime Minister not to worry about her allegiance. Farage, on the other hand, criticized Reform’s London mayoral candidate and the party’s association with former Tory members facing challenges.