Keir Starmer was asked by GB News’s Political Editor Christopher Hope whether Nigel Farage lives “rent free in his brain” after the Prime Minister used a speech in North West England to take a swipe at the Reform UK leader.

The Labour leader branded Farage’s ideas “Liz Truss 2.0”, saying they would leave Britain facing financial ruin.

His decision to take on Reform in a major speech in the first place is being seen by many as an indicator of how seriously he is taking the threat of the insurgent party.

Reform cemented its place as a major threat to the two-party orthodoxy of British politics after making huge gains at the local elections earlier this month.

Chopper grilled Starmer over whether Farage is 'living rent free in his brain'

“Nigel Farage has five MPs, you have 403. Are you panicking because Reform is so far ahead in the polls?”, asked Chopper.

“Is Reform living rent free in your brain? You went to a state school, your dad working in a factory, your mum worked in the NHS.

“So why is a public school educated former city trader got more in common with the Red Wall than you have?”

Starmer responded: “I’ve set out my divide. I think the single most important thing is making sure we stabilise our economy and build on that strong foundation.

Keir Starmer asked whether Nigel Farage can be trusted

“We are seeing the early signs of that, growth is up. It’s the highest in the G7 this year.

“Interest rates have come down four times. We are beginning to show what happens when you stabilise the economy.

“I want to protect working people from Nigel Farage because I want to protect them from what he will do which is the exact same as Liz Truss. It will have a direct impact on their lives.

“I don’t need lectures from Nigel Farage on what it means to be working and working people.

Nigel Farage is piling pressure on Labour

“I know what it means to work 10 hours a day in a factory five days a week. I know that because my dad did it every single working day of his life.

“That is what I grew up with, so I don’t need lessons from Nigel Farage on the issues that matter the most to working people in this country.”

In his speech, Starmer launched a fierce attack on the Reform leader’s economic proposals, branding them “fantasy economics”.

"Liz Truss bet the house and lost. £45 billion in unfunded tax cuts, with no means to pay for them”, he said.

“Markets reacted, the economy tanked and we're all still paying the price for mortgages, rents and bills that spiralled out of control.

"We were elected to fix that mess. Now in government, we are once again fighting the same fantasy - this time from Nigel Farage."

The Reform leader's flagship proposal to raise the income tax threshold to £20,000 could cost between £50bn and £80bn alone, according to economists' warnings.

This single policy change represents a substantial increase from the current threshold of £12,570.

Reform’s pledges include fully reinstating the winter fuel allowance, scrapping net zero and cutting funding to quangos.