British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday called on the Labour Party to stop "self-indulgent self-examination" and unite against the Reform UK party, accusing the rising populist party of planning a "racist policy" of mass deportation if it comes to power.
Labour is significantly lagging behind Reform UK in opinion polls, and Starmer, at the Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool, urged members to direct their anger at Reform UK, led by Brexiteer Nigel Farage, rather than at his (Starmer's) leadership.
"We have the fight of our lives ahead of us, because we have to stand up to Reform UK. We have to defeat them, and so now is not the time for introspection or self-indulgent questioning. We have to go into that fight united," he told the BBC.
Prime Minister defends efforts to combat illegal immigration
The next general election is not due until 2029, but as Reform UK sees a surge in popularity, Starmer is seeking to build a positive narrative after a difficult few weeks in which his deputy and ambassador to the United States (US) were forced to resign, Reuters reports.
The conference gives him a chance to rally Labour and redirect the frustrations of critics who want his removal, including Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Still, the fight is hard.
Starmer and his finance minister, Rachel Reeves, are under pressure from within the party to increase spending and relax self-imposed fiscal rules, which require current spending to be balanced with tax revenue by 2029. However, the government is expected to raise taxes on November 26 to comply with those rules.
"The budget is an absolutely critical moment to see if the direction will change. We should stop going in circles and do it (change fiscal rules). If the budget is essentially nothing... I think we will have a serious problem, because without money for change - nothing will change," said Sharon Graham, head of the Unite union, one of the largest in Britain, Reuters reports.
Criticism of Starmer from the left and right
While left-wing members of the party criticize Starmer for failing to improve living standards, as he promised in last year's election, centrists fear that markets could punish the government if it increases spending.
The central policy of the Reform UK party is to restrict immigration, which is one of the main issues for voters.
Starmer directed criticism at Farage's party.
"It's one thing to say we're going to remove illegal immigrants, people who have no right to be here. I agree with that. But it's a completely different thing to say we're going to go after people who are here legally and start removing them... I think that's a racist policy, I think that's immoral," he said.
According to a survey by the Ipsos agency, only 13 percent of voters are satisfied with Starmer, while 79 percent are dissatisfied – the worst result for a prime minister since the data has been tracked since 1977.
Starmer said he was not ignoring criticism and that his work would be judged on three things: improving living standards, better public services and citizens feeling safe in their homes.
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