'He's the first through the e-gates': Keir Starmer mocks no-show Nigel Farage as Reform leader enjoys foreign holiday instead of attending PMQs
Keir Starmer joked that Nigel Farage was the first person to take advantage of his new EU Brexit deal today as the Reform boss ducked Prime Minister's Questions in favour of a foreign holiday.
Mr Farage last night confirmed he was taking an overseas holiday, hours after he failed to appear in the Commons as the Prime Minister outlined an agreement bringing the UK closer to Brussels.
Once of the benefits to Brits Sir Keir was keen to shout about was UK tourists being allowed to use EU e-gates to speed up airport transit.
Mr Farage's absence was a surprise given his vocal leadership of the 2016 Leave cause in the referendum and his championing of the Brexiteer cause since.
And he was again a no-show in the chamber today as the PM faced his weekly grilling, leaving it to Reform chief whip Lee Anderson to ask a question about data on deported foreign nationals.
To laughter, including from the four Reform MPs present, the PM replied: 'It's very good he is standing in for the member of Clacton, I have to say.
'There was no sign of him yesterday at the EU statement - he was the first through the e-gates somewhere in the south of France.'
And punning on the name of the French Mediterranean city, he added: 'Nice work if you can get it.'
Mail Online can also reveal that while Mr Farage is on holiday the Reform leader and Clacton MP is still working hard on one of his outside money-spinners.
Data from the Cameo website, which allows celebrities to record bespoke videos for fans for money, showed Mr Farage was up at 7.30am this morning recording them, charging more than £70 a time.
Since he was elected last year he has made more than £130,000 from the site to top up his £92,000 MP salary.
Mr Farage has been fiercely critical of the PM's newly signed agreement with the EU, including Sir Keir's extension of access to UK fishing waters for European fleets.
But the Reform leader was not physically present in Parliament in order to challenge Sir Keir over the terms of his deal with Brussels.
After being quizzed over his whereabouts, Mr Farage issued a statement to reveal he was out the country 'having my first overseas break for three years'.
He added he would be back in Britain next week, although this is when MPs are on their week-long 'Whitsun' recess from Parliament.
The Tories swiped at the 'part-time' Reform leader over his absence, claiming 'he clearly doesn't have the stamina to stand up to Starmer'.
Data from the Cameo website, which allows celebrities to record bespoke videos for fans for money, showed Mr Farage was up at 7.30am this morning recording them, charging more than £70 a time.
Mr Farage said in his statement: 'There seems to be great consternation in the press that they have not seen me for 48 hours. Well, they will have to wait some time.
'After months of touring the UK in the run up to our hugely successful local election campaign I will resume travelling the country next week as Reform moves to the next stage.
'Meanwhile I am having my first overseas break for three years, the jungle excepted. Well I say break.. plenty of articles and fundraising calls!'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
24 minutes ago
- Telegraph
MoD plots £1.5bn radar upgrade as wind farms threaten to conceal attacks
Military chiefs are planning a £1.5bn upgrade of Britain's radar defences amid fears that the growing number of wind farms risks leaving the country blind to attacks. Under the Ministry of Defence's 'Njord' programme, named after the Norse god of sea and wind, seven air defence radar stations around the country will be replaced or improved to ensure they are not confused by interference from turbines. There are already 3,352 operational or under-construction wind turbines in UK waters, according to the Crown Estate, with another 1,000 at least set to be deployed by 2030 to meet the Government's net zero targets. Without measures to tackle the problem, military chiefs fear the interference will impede the ability of the Royal Air Force to detect enemy missiles and aircraft. Each radar station upgrade will be worth up to £210m and the Ministry of Defence opened the bidding process earlier this year, with several unnamed defence companies in the running. An industry source said: 'They are concerned that, without mitigation, you are going to see a deterioration of radar coverage if you build all the wind farms envisaged under the 2030 targets. 'That would potentially reduce the time you have to respond to threats, as well as the probability of detecting them, and so would leave the country more vulnerable to attacks.' 'A unique and detrimental impact' The interference problem occurs when turbine blades reflect the electromagnetic pulses pinged out by radar stations, generating unhelpful background noise for the system operators. Each blade on a turbine can generate a false return, creating the potential for massive disruption from some sites.
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Starmer faces demands for cast-iron vow to spend 3% of GDP on defence as he unveils plan to make Britain 'war-ready'
Keir Starmer is facing demands for a cast-iron commitment to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence today as he unveils a push to get Britain 'war-ready'. The PM is heralding a strategic review of the UK's military, promising investment in new submarines, munitions and personnel. He has warned that the mounting threat from Russia and allies such as Iran and North Korea means the country must ramp up preparations. Sir Keir argued this morning that being poised for conflict is the best way of avoiding it. But the blueprint is predicated on spending reaching 3 per cent in the next decade - with ministers sowing confusion over whether that will definitely happen. Yesterday Defence Secretary John Healey rowed back on a statement that the increase 'will' happen, stressing that it is an 'ambition'. The Treasury appears to be panicking over how to balance the books as the economy stalls. External authors of the report - expected to be accepted in full by Sir Keir - have suggested that reaching 3 per cent is 'vital' to its success. Key elements of the proposals include: Up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines will be built; A £1.5billion push to set up at least six munitions factories, supporting the procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons British fighter jets could soon carry nuclear weapons for the first time; Increasing the number of people in the armed forces, but not until the next Parliament; More than £1.5billion in extra funding will go to military homes in response to the review. Writing in The Telegraph, Labour former minister Lord Robertson, Russian expert Fiona Hill and General Sir Richard Barrons said the 'Government's important decision to raise Defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027-28 and, vitally, to 3 per cent in the next Parliament made an enormous difference'. They added: 'The decision established the affordability of our recommendations across a 10-year programme.' Sir Keir will launch the Government's Strategic Defence Review in Scotland, following many months of work and lobbying by military chiefs. But a Nato summit later this month is expected to push for members to hit 3.5 per cent by 2032, while US President Donald Trump has already called for a jump to 5 per cent within the alliance. Mr Healey told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show: 'We have a historic commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent in two years' time. We haven't hit that level since Labour was last in power in 2010. And an ambition to meet 3 per cent in the next Parliament.' Challenged that it was an 'just an ambition' rather than a 'guarantee', Mr Healey talked about being able to 'deliver the vision' of today's review. Defence minister Luke Pollard again refused to confirm the commitment this morning, telling Times Radio: 'Well, we've set out that we are spending 2.5 per cent by April 2027, with the ambition to spend 3 per cent in the next parliament, when economic conditions allow.' He added: 'Well I've got no doubt that we will get to 3 per cent in the next parliament, as I've said a number of times.' Mr Pollard said the strategic defence review was the 'biggest transformation of our armed forces in 100 years'. He said: 'It seeks to learn the lessons from the war in Ukraine, refresh our capabilities, invest in our people, and underscore that increased defence spending up to 2.5 per cent of our GDP by April 2027 is an engine for growth.' The Ministry of Defence has already announced plans to build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines to boost the Royal Navy's commitment to the Aukus Pacific defence partnership with Australia and the United States, while investing £15billion in warheads. But the first of these UK-built submarines is not expected to enter service before the late 2030s. It will also be for future Parliaments to honour the spending commitment. The Conservatives have seized on on Labour's muddle on defence, accusing Mr Healey of weakening UK security. Tory defence spokesman James Cartlidge told the Mail: 'These promises on submarines are a fantasy fleet without real money to back them up. 'The fact is, John Healey has been forced into a humiliating climb down by the Treasury after confirming, as recently as Thursday, that defence spending would definitely rise to 3 per cent. 'But by Sunday he was backtracking completely. John Healey has been badly let down by the Chancellor – so now he knows how the rest of us feel.'
Daily Mirror
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer to put UK on war footing amid 'new threats' in 'dangerous world'
Keir Starmer will this morning announce a huge expansion of the UK's submarine fleet as he warns the country needs to be on a war footing. A long-awaited strategic defence review will be published today, with the Government commiting to build 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines and invest £15billion in its warhead programme. Defence minister Luke Pollard told BBC Breakfast the world is now "more dangerous" and ominously stated: "We're certainly not at war at the moment, but it's also true that we're certainly not at peace." Mr Starmer will give a speech in Scotland at around 10am to outline the plans, which will be released this afternoon. Defence Secretary John Healey said last night that Britain "must act decisively to face down Russian aggression". Defence minister Luke Pollard has said the UK is "certainly not at war at the moment, but it's also true that we're certainly not at peace". He said action was needed to prevent conflict, telling BBC Breakfast: I think all your viewers will have seen the appalling scenes from Ukraine over recent years. They'll be aware that the world is more dangerous. They'll be aware that to secure our freedom and our economic prosperity, we have to invest in our national security. "It's the first duty of any government to keep our country safe, but it's also the first mission of this Labour Government to grow our economy by investing in defence. We're creating jobs in every single part of United Kingdom." He went on: "I don't want us to go to war. I want us to deter aggression. That is precisely what the defence review sets out to do today." In response to the Strategic Defence Review, the Government's commitments will include: Getting the armed forces to a stage where it would be ready to fight a war Boosting weapons and equipment stockpiles and making sure there is capacity to scale up production if needed in a crisis or war £1.5billion to set up at least six munitions factories Buying up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons in a move due to support 800 defence jobs Setting up a new cyber command and investing £1billion in digital capabilities More than £1.5billion of additional funding to repair and renew armed forces housing Boosting recruitment for Britain's armed forces - with the number of cadets increasing by 30% A minister has again refused to guarantee that the Government will spend 3% of the UK's economic output on defence in the next Parliament. Labour frontbencher Luke Pollard said the commitment would be dependent on the state of the ecomomy. It comes after Defence Secretary John Healey yesterday could not confirm that the Treasury would fund the plan to bring spending up to 3% of GDP by 2034. Asked on Monday morning whether the 3% commitment remained a guarantee, defence minister Luke Pollard told Times Radio: "Well, we've set out that we are spending 2.5% by April 2027, with the ambition to spend 3% in the next parliament, when economic conditions allow." Pressed about the commitment, Mr Pollard added: "Well I've got no doubt that we will get to 3% in the next parliament, as I've said a number of times." The defence minister said the strategic defence review, a wide-ranging investigation into the UK's defence being published on Monday, is the "biggest transformation of our armed forces in 100 years".He said: "It seeks to learn the lessons from the war in Ukraine, refresh our capabilities, invest in our people, and underscore that increased defence spending up to 2.5% of our GDP by April 2027 is an engine for growth." Keir Starmer will today announce major plans to almost double the UK's nuclear-powered submarine fleet. The Prime Minister will set out the building of 12 new attack submarines as part of the AUKUS programme, a security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US. He will also announce a major £15billion investment in the UK's nuclear warhead programme. The PM will make the announcements as he unveils the Government's new Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The externally-led review is expected to recommend the Armed Forces move to warfighting readiness to deter the growing threats faced by the UK. The UK currently has five Astute class attack submarines, which are on track to become a fleet of seven warships in the near future. These will be replaced one by one with the new SSN-AUKUS attack submarines from the late 2030s. A further five new submarines will take the total to 12. A major expansion of the industrial capabilities at Barrow and Raynesway, Derby, will see a new submarine built every 18 months in the future. These will all be built by the UK and operated by the Royal Navy. Click here for the full story
