Liz Truss’s short-lived premiership is remembered fondly by few in British politics. But one group who certainly never miss a chance to mention it are Labour MPs sent out on broadcast duty. Having successful used the ex-PM as a two-word stick to hammer the Tories, now Keir Starmer is trying to use the same trick on Nigel Farage. The Prime Minister used an engagement at a business manufacturer in the north-west of England to test his party’s latest attack lines on Reform UK.
The striking thing about Starmer’s comments is how they echo the Tory critique of Farage
His remarks focused on those industries affected by the tariffs Donald Trump has slapped on the UK. The Labour leader claimed ‘We protected those jobs. Would Nigel Farage have done the same? Absolutely not. And that’s the question to have to ask… can you trust him?’ Turning his attention to the veteran Brexiteer’s speech on Tuesday, Starmer claimed that Reform’s plans contain ‘billions upon billions of completely unfunded spending – precisely the sort of irresponsible splurge that sent your mortgage costs, your bills and the cost of living through the roof. It’s Liz Truss all over again.’
The Prime Minister’s attack is by no means surprising. Reform’s poll numbers have hit the magic 30-point mark, at which they can win a majority in parliament. Labour’s, meanwhile, have slid, continuously down to the low 20s, since its landslide win ten months ago. Initially, Starmer ignored Farage in parliament, ducking the opportunity to confront him directly at PMQs. Now, amid rising panic on his backbenches, he has bowed to the inevitable and opted to fight.
The striking thing about Starmer’s comments is how they echo the Tory critique of Farage. Mel Stride, the Shadow Chancellor, has repeatedly attacked Reform’s ‘fantasy economics’ in recent weeks and plans a big speech on this theme. During the Tory years, The Spectator ran several covers, whenever a politician was under a major assault. In 2017 it was ‘Get Boris!’, in 2023, it was ‘Get Rishi!’ Now, in 2025, the theme of this week’s politics appears to be ‘Get Nigel!’
Farage, of course, has faced such criticisms before. His retort on Tuesday was that, with the national debt running at almost £3 trillion, what gives the other parties the right to criticise his plans? He will likely dismiss Starmer’s warnings as a rehash of the same Remainer critiques from 2016: nothing more than Project Fear 2.0. Yet, with borrowing costs rising, expect any additional spend to come in for a barrage of criticism from the likes of the IFS too.
Today’s attack from the Prime Minister will likely be the first of many. But it is perhaps telling that Starmer is now choosing to emphasise fiscal credibility. Previous Labour attacks have focused on Farage’s past comments on the NHS and Russia. Many of these are now a decade old; after the Runcorn by-election, some within Labour suggested that these criticisms had now lost their potency with voters. It remains to be seen whether the new focus on ‘fantasy economics’, will have more luck in dissuading Reform defectors – or less.
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