Penny Mordaunt has branded Nigel Farage as a “Labour enabler” warning that a vote for Reform UK will hand Sir Keir Starmer the keys to Number 10 in a heated TV debate.
But the right-wing stalwart has argued the opposite, saying that a vote for the Conservatives will now strengthen a Labour government after Reform UK overtook the Tories for the first time in a major poll during the election campaign.
A YouGov survey commissioned by the Times newspaper had Reform at 19 per cent to the Conservatives’ 18 per cent of voting intention, in a crossover moment which could push the Tories further away from a return to Government.
Mr Farage lauded the poll and presented his party as now being the "opposition to Labour" for voters, as he and other leading political figures took part in a seven-way ITV debate.
In a flip of Conservative campaign rhetoric, he also claimed that voting for the Tories over Reform would actually enable a Labour government.
Labour sits in the lead at 37 per cent of voting intention, according to YouGov, with the Liberal Democrats at 14 per cent, the Greens at seven per cent, the SNP at three per cent, Plaid Cymru at one per cent and others at two per cent.
The poll was conducted on a sample size of 2,211 adults in Britain between June 12 and 13.
Mr Farage took aim at Conservative frontbencher Penny Mordaunt during the ITV debate, pointing to rising net migration despite Tory promises to control it.
"Why on earth should anybody believe the fifth manifesto that promises cuts to net migration?" he asked.
Ms Mordaunt was laughed at by the audience as she replied: "Because of the record of this Prime Minister."
She warned: "Nigel is a Labour enabler. He is enabling no cap, no target, and no plan."
But Mr Farage responded that he did not believe Ms Mordaunt, adding: "As for being a Labour enabler, we are now ahead of you in the national polls. A vote for you is actually now a vote for Labour."
The Reform UK leader celebrated the poll as the debate began, saying: "Just before we came on air we overtook the Conservatives in the national opinion polls. We are now the opposition to Labour."
The debate, which fell three weeks before Britain will head to the polls on July 4, stretched over a wide range of issues including Brexit, the cost of living crisis and migration.
When asked if they believed immigration was too high four out of seven of the senior politicians raised their hands, with Mr Farage raising both his hands.
Ms Mordaunt, the Liberal Democrats' Daisy Cooper and Labour's Angela Rayner all said immigration was too high, leading the SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn accused them of playing into "the Westminster status quo".
Mr Flynn could later be heard calling out "shameful" when Ms Rayner suggested Labour would not seek to rejoin the EU if it wins power.
He later added that his party would "yes absolutely" seek to rejoin, as did the Greens, Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru.
Ms Mordaunt suggested a Labour government would "take you back in, they will tie you on defence, on migration, on regulation, without any of the benefits of membership".
Mr Farage also rejected the prospect of rejoining, adding: "Unfortunately we are governed incompetently, but at least they are our mistakes and not somebody else's."
Away from the airwaves, Rishi Sunak spoke at the G7 summit in Italy on Thursday while Labour launched its manifesto in Manchester.
At the launch, Sir Keir said Labour had a plan to turn the country around after 14 years of Tory "chaos" but cautioned that there would be "no quick fix" if he becomes Prime Minister.
Launching a manifesto which contained no new policy announcements, Sir Keir denied he was being overly cautious in his efforts to put his party back in power for the first time since 2010.
