Starmer assaults Farage at PMQs as Labour MPs panic over Reform ballot surge and demand more durable motion on immigration – however left-wingers dismiss calls as ‘fascism mild’

Keir Starmer went on the attack against Nigel Farage at PMQs today as panicking MPs demand action to counter the Reform surge.

The premier was teed up by one of his own backbenchers to berate Mr Farage over his previous views on the NHS.

The Labour rank-and-file also shouted down a question from the ex-MEP in the chamber – before Sir Keir swiped that he had yet to ‘find’ his Clacton constituency.

The scenes underline the deepening anxiety over the threat from Reform, with polls suggesting the parties are now neck and neck.

Some of the nearly 90 Labour MPs where the insurgent party came second at the election have been pressuring Sir Keir to respond.

They are said to want tougher measures to bring down legal and illegal immigration, including deporting more people. 

However, the calls have drawn anger from left-wingers, with warnings that Labour joining a ‘race to the bottom’ and offering ‘fascism light’ will only boost Mr Farage.

Labour has been struggling to find an effective strategy against Reform, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently directly attacking Mr Farage. 

Senior figures believe that the Brexit champion’s previous stance on watering down the NHS could be a weak point.

In the Commons, Labour MP John Slinger claimed Reform wanted to introduce an insurance-based system for using the health service.

Sir Keir vowed that the NHS would stay free at the point of delivery – something Mr Farage said he also supported. 

The Reform leader dismissed the criticism as ‘panic’ as he condemned the government over the deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. 

But the PM replied: ‘He talks of panic, the only panic is people using the NHS who know that under his policy he wants to charge them for using the NHS.

‘What he should say to the people of Clacton – when he finally finds Clacton – is that they should vote Labour because we are stabilising the economy.’

Nerves were heightened by a YouGov poll putting Reform top on 25 per cent, up two points in a week.

Labour was down three points on 24 per cent, while the Tories were in third on 21 per cent, down a point. 

One MP involved in the informal pressure group told the Guardian: ‘There is a major focus now on how to beat Reform. 

‘Various groups have been set up and we have been talking to Downing Street about what works. 

‘One of our main messages to the leadership is we need to do more on illegal migration especially.’ 

Another MP suggested Sir Keir needed to ‘shout louder’ about policies on legal and illegal immigration. 

But former frontbencher Clive Lewis warned that such a shift would not ‘stem the tide’. 

‘Labour MPs calling for tougher immigration policies to counter Reform UK are missing the point,’ he said.

‘Without a fundamental shift in who the economy and society work for, this approach won’t stem the tide.

‘Instead, it risks handing a future election to the most right-wing government in modern British history.’ 

Mr Lewis said the ‘real battle is over who offers meaningful change’ and ‘right now, too many feel that answer isn’t Labour’.

‘The answer isn’t chasing the right’s framing—it’s delivering real change,’ he said,  pointing to Corbynite policies such as public ownership of water suppliers. 

In his social media post – retweeted by former shadow chancellor John McDonnell – Mr Lewis said he backed ‘responsible, practical controls on migration and a humane asylum policy’. 

‘I just don’t think competing with Reform UK in a race to the bottom is one we can ever win. And actually, nor should we wish to,’ he added.

‘Look at the wrecked shells of European legacy social-democratic parties across Europe that tried ‘fascism-light.’ It doesn’t work and never will. 

‘Why have Diet Coke when you can have the real thing?’