Nigel Farage clashed with Sir Keir Starmer in a heated Prime Minister’s Questions today. The Reform UK leader asked the Prime Minister about closing three migrant hotels in an area with a council led by his insurgent party during the Commons session.
But Sir Keir, who is facing questions over his leadership, accused the Clacton MP of being “spineless” after he failed to condemn a comment made by a Cambridgeshire councillor. Reform councillor Andy Osborn told Cambridgeshire County Council in a meeting that some children in care are “not just naughty children, they can be downright evil” as they discussed the council’s overspend on care placements.
During PMQs, Labour MP Darren Paffey called on the Prime Minister to condemn Reform’s “vile rhetoric”.
Responding, Sir Keir said: “The comments about children in care being evil are utterly appalling, and now the Member for Clacton has heard them, I’m sure he’ll want to condemn them right now.”
Mr Farage was then called for his question, which he used to ask about asylum seeker hotels.
The Clacton MP said: “No, I’ve only got 30 seconds. The Prime Minister has stated very clearly that he wants to close the migrant hotels by the end of this Parliament.
“Well, the Reform-led West Northamptonshire Council, brilliantly led Council, will be issuing foreclosure notices on three migrant hotels within the next few days in response to grave public concern about the safety of women and girls on the streets of West Northamptonshire.
“Would the Prime Minister approve of us speeding up the closure of the migrant hotels?”
Sir Keir replied: “We will grip the mess we inherited and close every hotel. Under the previous Government, there were 400 hotels, now there are only 200 remaining.
“But he says he doesn’t have time to condemn the comments calling children in care evil.
“He’s also not had the time, it appears, to condemn the racist comments of his own MP. Utterly spineless.”