Keir Starmer said Nigel Farage was not at the front of his mind when quizzed about the political threat he poses, claiming: “He’s not in my head.”
There is growing speculation that Mr Farage could play a pivotal role in the forthcoming general election, touted to be held this year.
Reform UK leader Richard Tice says he has been in discussions with the GB News host about a potential comeback.
A YouGov poll this week found that voters from across the political spectrum had more trust in Farage to sort out immigration when compared to Sir Keir and Rishi Sunak.
Around 28 percent of overall voters said they trust Mr Farage on immigration, compared to 26 percent of voters who trust the Labour leader and 19 percent who trust Mr Sunak.
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Sir Keir was asked about the looming threat during an ITV interview broadcast this evening.
The Labour leader dithered and tried to downplay the political challenge.
He accepted that British voters want immigration controls but he did not mention Mr Farage by name in his response.
He said: “To be honest, he’s not in my head in the same way as in the Prime Minister’s head.
“But I do recognise that I think the vast majority of people in the UK want to know that there are controls over who comes in and out of the country.”
The ITV special saw ITV News deputy political editor Anushka Asthana follow the Labour leader over three months
A focus group commissioned by ITV and carried out by Savanta had some dire reading for the Labour leader.
The focus group, which talked to 2019 Conservative Party voters – which Labour has to win back at the next election – was asked to sum up Sir Keir in one word.
The responses repeatedly called the Labour leader “boring,” while one person simply said: “Nothingness.”
When asked about being called boring, Sir Keir said: “Well, if in the end that is the only bit of mud left to sling, then I’m pretty comfortable with this.”
Despite this perception, Labour looks set to win the next election, according to the latest polls.
A YouGov poll released overnight, published by The Times, gave the party a resounding 27-point lead over the Conservatives.
It showed the Tories were backed by just 20 percent of voters, the lowest level of support for the party since former Conservative leader Liz Truss’ brief stint in Downing Street.
The Labour leader has even asked cabinet secretary Simon Case for so-called access talks between his party and the civil service, which were authorised last week by Rishi Sunak.
