Zia Yusuf clashed with a BBC Breakfast presenter after Sir Keir Starmer branded a Reform UK immigration policy as “racist”. Reform’s head of policy argued that the Prime Minister was smearing supporters of the insurgent party’s plan to scrap indefinite leave to remain for migrants.

But BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay highlighted that Sir Keir was “talking very clearly about the policy being immoral and racist” and “wasn’t calling people racist”.

Asked about Sir Keir’s comments, Mr Yusuf told the programme: “I think the British people are sick and tired of having their concerns dismissed, having their concerns sneered at and having the political elite, of which Keir Starmer is the shining example of, basically insult them for having perfectly legitimate concerns about immigration.

“The British people, election after election after election, voted for less immigration and instead they got mass, untrammelled, insane amounts of immigration.

“The cost of that is enormous. Last year alone, the British taxpayer as they go to work, a portion of their work today is going to pay for the £9 billion of universal credit payments going to foreign nationals.

“If you stand up and say we’re not too happy about that actually, people like Keir Starmer call you racist.”

The BBC presenter said: “He didn’t.”

He went on: “Let’s just stay with your policy and what he said about it because he was talking very clearly about the policy being immoral and racist.

“He specified that he doesn’t think voters are racist if they back it, he says he understands their frustrations, he gets it and wants to deal with it. He wasn’t calling people racist.”

Mr Yusuf replied: “I think people watching this programme at home can draw their own conclusions.

“If they believe as we just announced that UK taxpayers should not fund benefit and welfare for foreign nationals, Britain can ill-afford to be a food bank for the world into perpetuity, if they believe we should have a secure border, if they believe the boats should stop.”