Nigel Farage has accused Keir Starmer of being “completely obsessed with me” in a new jibe at the government.
His remarks come after technology secretary Peter Kyle hit back at Reform UK for saying they would repeal the Online Safety Act – and alleged Farage would have been on the same side as Jimmy Savile, the late prolific sexual predator.
The Reform UK leader has subsequently called for an apology from the government over the claim.
Speaking about the incident again on LBC today, he said it was all “absolutely appalling” – and suggested Labour were “completely obsessed” with him.
The MP for Clacton-on-Sea said: “I thought [the Savile comment] was incredibly badly judged.”
He pointed out that Labour was outraged when ex-Tory prime minister Boris Johnson attacked Starmer in 2022 by saying he failed to prosecute Savile when he was the director of public prosecutions – although there was no evidence to support Johnson’s claim at the time.
Still, Farage said: “The levels of moral indignation that we got from Labour on this, ‘how dare Johnson do this’ – and yet they use this Savile analogy.”
The LBC presenter said: “The papers are all reporting it was authorised by No.10, that line. Can you believe that?”
Farage paused, then replied: “I think they’re losing the plot in every way, yes, and I think we’re at a place where, the PM in particular, and others, they’ve become completely obsessed with me.”
Labour have repeatedly pivoted to treating Reform UK as their main competitors instead of the Tories, who are the second largest party in parliament and the official opposition.
After Reform secured hundreds of council seats in May’s local elections, Labour’s political director Claire Reynolds told the party’s MPs: “Reform voters are not necessarily right wing. They are our people and they are pissed off.”
Starmer himself told his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney that they should be targeting Reform UK as the “real opposition” that same month.
And the party has been consistently leading in the polls, even securing a record nine-point lead over Labour in June according to Ipsos.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – who is trying to set up his own party –even told Novara Media: “The Labour government is here to appease Reform.”
But insiders shrugged off Farage’s remark, suggesting what he really meant was he does not like scrutiny.
The Labour Party has declined to comment.