Sir Keir Starmer was dragged into a furious illegal migration row after Reform UK MP Lee Anderson demanded the Government deport every migrant who enters Britain unlawfully.
The explosive clash erupted during Prime Minister’s Questions as Mr Anderson raised the case of a convicted criminal in his Ashfield constituency, where he said an illegal migrant had been housed in a multiple-occupancy property before being jailed for the rape of a vulnerable young woman.
Calling the offender a “monster”, Mr Anderson challenged the Labour leader over his border policies and demanded tougher action.
He told the Commons: “One of these illegal migrants was a Pakistani national.
“He went on to rape a young girl, a vulnerable young girl, on a park in Ashfield. He’s now doing 14 years in prison.
“This was a monster allowed into this country by this awful Government. But if the Prime Minister is really serious about protecting young women and girls, does he agree with me and Reform UK that every single illegal migrant coming to this country should be detained, not allowed to claim asylum, and then deported?”
The Reform MP accused the Government of failing to protect communities and pressed Starmer on whether he would support a policy of automatic detention and removal for those arriving illegally.
But the Prime Minister hit back, claiming his Government had already made progress on immigration after inheriting what he described as a broken system.
Starmer said net migration had fallen by 82 per cent compared with the previous government, while claiming asylum backlogs were being reduced, removals were increasing and hotels used to house migrants were being closed.
Starmer said:“Now asylum decisions are made at record levels, the backlog is down, removals are up 41%, and we’re closing asylum hotels. They lost control of our borders, now small boat crossings are coming down, and we deported 70,000 people with no right to be here.
“He likes to ask questions. He should be asking some questions of the leader of his party sitting next to him. He received £5billion from a crypto billionaire and then privately lobbied the Bank of England on digital currencies.
“So did their leader carry out lobbying, paid, why did he keep his £5billion gift secret, and are they happy with their leader earning £20,000 an hour flogging gold bullion? They need to ask questions across their benches, but they never do.”
He also turned fire on Reform’s leadership, accusing the party of avoiding questions over donations, lobbying and outside interests.
The fiery exchange came during one of Starmer’s final appearances at the despatch box as Labour leader, with the Commons debate overshadowed by wider political battles over defence spending and the future direction of the country.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also attacked Starmer over a multi-billion-pound defence funding gap, accusing him of leaving behind a “total dereliction of duty”.
With migration, defence and public spending dominating the political agenda, the confrontation highlighted the growing pressure on Westminster as parties fight over who can restore public confidence.
The border battle is far from over — and with Reform pushing hard on migration, Starmer is facing a political fight on two fronts.
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