Keir Starmer had the House of Commons in hysterics after delivering a gag about Nigel Farage during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions.
During the session, Reform MP Lee Anderson stood up to ask the prime minister about how many people deported from the UK by the government were failed small boat asylum seekers.
After saying he was “very proud” that his government had “removed 24,000 people from the country, Starmer highlighted other measures Labour were taking.
Then, he took aim at Anderson’s boss Farage, and his recent excursion to France.
Starmer quipped to Anderson: “It’s very good he’s standing in for the member for Clacton I have to say, there was no sign of him yesterday – he was the first through the e-gates, somewhere in the south of France!”
The gag prompted guffaws of laughter from MPs, including from Anderson and his Reform colleague Richard Tice.
Starmer added: “Nice work if you can get it!”
Starmer’s gag comes the day after he shut down Mark Francois after he criticised the Brexit ‘reset’ deal.
Related: Keir Starmer’s Brexit reset did not go far enough, Lib Dems say