Sir Keir Starmer threw off the gloves and set the tone for a vicious political battle with Reform UK, accusing Nigel Farage of “crossing a moral line” and inciting racism.
The Prime Minister used his speech to the Labour Party conference to redraw the battle lines with Farage’s party, warning that he will not tolerate the “thuggery” displayed by some on the hard right.
It signalled a marked shift in Starmer’s tone, with the Prime Minister taking a far more aggressive stance against Farage, whom he accused of stoking division and wanting Britain to fail.
The comments provoked a blistering response from the leader of Reform, who warned Starmer’s comments would incite violence against Reform campaigners.
Addressing the Labour faithful in Liverpool, the Prime Minister said there is a “a moral line, and it isn’t just Farage who crosses it”.
He added: “Controlling migration is a reasonable goal. But if you throw bricks and smash up private property that’s not legitimate – that’s thuggery.”
It comes after Reform vowed to deport people who have indefinite leave to remain in the UK if they fail to meet new visa requirements every five years.
Free speech was a “British value” but did not allow people to “incite racist violence and hatred”, Starmer warned.
Reform are 20 points ahead in the polls and the shift in tone comes after a recent revamp of advisers in No10. It also follows a conference in which several cabinet ministers have claimed Reform’s policies are racist in an indication that Labour view Farage’s party as the biggest threats at next year’s local elections, and the General Election likely in 2028 or 29.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives his speech during the Labour Party conference inLiverpool on Tuesday. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)Cabinet ministers and delegates also waves Union Jacks and St George’s Crosses in an apparent attempt to reclaim the flags following their use in anti-migrant protests.
And he continued “this party is proud of our flags”, but “if they are painted alongside graffiti telling a Chinese takeaway owner to ‘go home’, that’s not pride – that’s racism”.
And anyone who argues that “people who have lived here for generations” should now be deported is “an enemy of national renewal”, the Prime Minister added.
He said the “politics of grievance” – a term he has used repeatedly to attack Farage – was “the biggest threat we face because it attacks who we are”.
Reeves: Reform’s plans are frightening
He was backed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who later said Reform’s plan to deport people who are legally in this country is “pretty frightening to be honest… I do think it’s genuinely quite scary”.
“People who are thinking of voting Reform I think need to give it some serious thought whether that is really the sort of policy that they want our leaders to implement.”
The comments were widely welcomed by Labour MPs, who said the Prime Minister was now taking the fight to Farage.
Phil Brickell, MP for Bolton West, told The i Paper: “The gloves are off. Keir’s speech set out a vision of a more muscular state which puts people before profit and cohesion before division. He’s right to say Reform has no vision for a better Britain. Reform only want to talk Britain down.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reacts to the speech (James Manning/PA)Another Labour backbencher welcomed the tougher rhetoric on Farage, insisting the Prime Minister was not calling Reform supporters racist, but “was calling out those who were on the side of Tommy Robinson”.
But others sounded a note of caution over the decision to call Farage and his policies “racist”.
“We need to be a bit careful on that and I think Keir has gone a bit too far with it. Most people don’t pay attention to politics and there is a danger they may just get a sense that the Prime Minister is calling people racist for supporting Reform,” one MP said.
“But reclaiming the flag and the pride in Britain was exactly what we should be talking about.”
Starmer’s speech forced Farage to deliver a response live streamed online, in which he attacked the Prime Minister’s claims that his party’s policies were racist as a “disgrace”, warning it “will incite and encourage the radical left”.
The Reform UK leader said Sir Keir should feel “ashamed” of his comments, which he called an “absolute disgrace” in the wake of the fatal shooting of conservative US activist Charlie Kirk.
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Read MoreFarage said that by labelling his party’s policies as racist, “by implication, Reform supporters, Reform voters, Reform sympathisers are racist too”.
He added: “To accuse countless millions of being racist is a very, very low blow.”
Farage said that his party will “teach Starmer a lesson next May that British political history will never forget”.
“I am now, as a result of this week and the abuse that has been heaped upon our supporters and voters, more determined than ever. Don’t underestimate that.”
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