Keir Starmer launches blistering attack on 'unpatriotic' Nigel Farage - 'it's a disgrace'

Keir Starmer has launched a blistering attack on shameless Nigel Farage, who has headed to the US to "badmouth" Britain rather than do his day job.

The PM branded the Reform leader "unpatriotic" and labeled his actions "a disgrace". Mr Farage is expected to call on the White House to put sanctions on countries that restrict free speech - and will claim the UK has "lost its way".

It means that Mr Farage was not in his seat for Prime Minister's Questions, having jetted off despite Parliament returning from the summer break. Mr Starmer told the Commons: "The honorable member for Clacton (Mr Farage) is not here representing his constituents in the House that he was elected to. No, he's flown to America to badmouth and talk down our country.

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"And worse than that Mr Speaker, if you can believe it, I do believe he's gone there to lobby the Americans to impose sanctions on this country, which will harm working people. You cannot get more unpatriotic than that. It's a disgrace."

He was responding to a question from Labour backbencher Lola McEvoy, who attacked Mr Farage over online safety. The Reform leader has vowed to tear up the Online Safety Act, which includes a string of measures to protect children.

Ms McEvoy said: "Are they (Reform) with us, parents and child protectors, or are they with the predators harming our children online?"

Addressing her question the Prime Minister said: "On the question of the Online Safety Act, that protects children from material on suicide or self-harm, from online predators and Reform say they would scrap it. When their leader (Mr Farage) was asked about what would you replace it with, his answer that needs to be a tech answer, I don't know what that is.

"Well, you can't run a country on 'don't know' answers." Mr Farage is expected to say Britain has become an "authoritarian censorship regime" after the arrest of Irish writer Graham Linehan.

He is also expected to raise the case of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed after admitting inciting racial hatred. Mr Farage is set to urge the US government to lobby Britain for American companies to be exempted from UK regulators.

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