David Lammy took aim at Nigel Farage during Prime Minister’s Questions as the Reform leader made a rare appearance.
On Wednesday, Lammy faced shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge at PMQs, as the pair filled in for Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch.
During the session, backbench Labour MP Tristan Osborne asked a question about Reform’s chaotic governance of Kent County Council.
READ NEXT: Chaos! Reform has lost 5% of all councillors elected just six months ago
Osborne asked the deputy PM how he would ensure that higher standards are delivered in local government.
This prompted Lammy to note that Farage was in attendance in the Commons, joking that this was “maybe the first time I’ve seen him” at PMQs.
The Labour minister went on to say that Reform were simply “delivering on the chaos they promised in Kent.”
He also condemned Reform MP Sarah Pochin for her “disgraceful racist language” used last week, when she complained about TV adverts being “full of black and Asian people.”
Lammy said this sort of language “belongs in the dark ages.”
Elsewhere during PMQs, Lammy was repeatedly asked by Cartlidge if any other asylum seeker offenders had been released from prison.
Lammy did not answer. It was later announced by the Met that a 24-year-old Algerian man had mistakenly been released from HMP Wandsworth last week, however he is not an asylum seeker, according to the Guardian’s Pippa Crerar.
Cartlidge asked Lammy if he was aware of this when he was asking him about the issue. Lammy declined to respond.
In a statement, a Met Police spokesperson said a 24-year-old Algerian man had been released in error on Wednesday, October 29, but police were only made aware shortly after 1pm on Tuesday, 4 November.
“Officers are carrying out urgent enquiries in an effort to locate him and return him to custody,” they said.