Panicked Keir Starmer furiously attacks Nigel Farage in BBC grilling | Politics | News
Sir Keir Starmer claimed Reform UK would “tear our country apart” in a blistering attack on Nigel Farage. The Prime Minister also said the insurgent party’s pledge to abolish migrant rights to qualify for indefinite leave to remain is “racist”.
Sir Keir took aim at Mr Farage’s political outfit as polls suggested it could secure an outright win at the next general election election. In an interview on the first day of Labour’s conference in Liverpool, he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “I was arguing against Reform because Reform do not believe in that country, they want to tear that country apart.
“What was said last week about deporting migrants who are lawfully here, who’ve been here for years, working in our hospitals and our schools, running businesses, our neighbours, and Reform says they want to deport them – that would tear our country apart.
“We are, at the moment, a leading member of the Coalition of the Willing, corralling and bringing together European countries to fight the aggression of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.
“Imagine if Reform came in and they were cosying up to Putin – the impact that would have on our security and defence.”
Sir Keir added that Reform’s pledge to scrap ILR “needs to be called out for what it is”.
He said: “Well, I do think that it is a racist policy. I do think it is immoral. It needs to be called out for what it is.”
Asked if Reform are trying to appeal to racists, Sir Keir said: “No, I think there are plenty of people who either vote Reform or are thinking of voting Reform who are frustrated.
“They had 14 years of failure under the Conservatives, they want us to change things.
“They may have voted Labour a year ago, and they want the change to come more quickly. I actually do understand that.”
It comes as the latest polling has tipped Mr Farage as the most likely politician to be the next prime minister, with Reform currently on track to win the most parliamentary seats if an election were held, according to both YouGov and More in Common.
