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Ahead of the Labour party conference, the prime minister has issued a stark warning, asserting that Reform UK’s policies “will tear this country apart.”
Upon arriving in Liverpool on Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer denounced Reform UK’s proposals to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for legal migrants, calling it one of “the most shocking things” to emerge from Nigel Farage’s party.
Sir Keir stated that the conference would provide an opportunity to showcase Labour’s alternative to the “toxic divide and decline” allegedly offered by Reform.
He faces pressure amid recent opinion polls indicating Labour trailing Reform UK, alongside ongoing speculation that Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham could mount a leadership challenge.
Farage told the Telegraph that Sir Keir’s language “smacks, frankly, of total desperation,” following the prime minister’s description of Reform as an “enemy” in an interview with the Guardian.
“To call somebody in politics an enemy is language that is bordering on the inciteful,” he added.
Arriving at the conference centre in Liverpool, Sir Keir asserted that the event would be a “big opportunity to make our case to the country, and make it absolutely clear that patriotic national renewal is the way forwards – not the toxic divide and decline that we get with Reform.”
He continued his criticisms as the conference commenced, telling the Sunday Mirror that Farage was “grubby” and “unpatriotic” for purportedly feigning an ability to address voters’ concerns.
“Add to that that he spends more time grubbing around in America, trying to make money for himself than he does representing his constituents,” he said.
“He goes there not just to make money, but to talk our country down. The leader of a political party going to another country to talk his own country down. Grubby.”
Comparisons with Reform are expected to be a recurring theme throughout the conference, as Sir Keir aims to position his party as a patriotic alternative to Reform, who currently lead in opinion polls.
Last week, Reform announced plans to replace ILR with visas, requiring migrants to reapply every five years if the party wins the next election. This policy would affect hundreds of thousands of migrants currently residing in the UK.
Applicants would also need to satisfy specific criteria, including a higher salary threshold and proficiency in English. ILR serves as a crucial pathway to British citizenship and enables individuals to claim benefits.
According to a YouGov poll released on Saturday, the proposed abolition of indefinite leave to remain elicits divided public opinion, with 58% of Britons opposing its removal from current holders.
However, over 44% express support for ending ILR as a policy, while 43% oppose the idea.
During a visit to the Liverpool Echo newspaper office, Sir Keir stated: “These are people who have been in our country a long time, are contributing to our society, maybe working in, I don’t know, hospitals, schools, running businesses – our neighbours, and Reform says it wants to deport them in certain circumstances.”
“I think it is a real sign of just how divisive they are and that their politics and their policies will tear this country apart.”
In response, Reform UK claims that the British people have been “betrayed by both Labour and the Conservatives.”
While speaking to teenagers at the Liverpool Echo visit, Sir Keir also affirmed that the government would not legalize cannabis and defended his plans to lower the voting age to 16 in general elections.
“It already happens in Scotland, already happens in Wales, and the sky didn’t fall in,” he said.
Ahead of the Labour conference, backbench MPs and unions have renewed their calls to end the two-child benefit cap.
Several MPs from Liverpool were among those who wrote to Sir Keir prior to the conference, emphasizing that the cap “is one of the most significant drivers of child poverty in Britain today.”
Two MPs, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Apsana Begum, have had the whip restored after a year-long suspension for voting against the government on the cap.
McDonnell told the BBC: “If this is a signal the government is going to scrap the two-child limit I’m really pleased.”
The prime minister’s plans for a new digital ID system, unveiled on Friday, are also likely to face scrutiny at the conference.
Senior Labour figures are meanwhile expected to set out the details of a fresh tranche of “New Towns” at the event.
The chancellor calls for an ‘ambitious’ deal as she looks to boost growth ahead of the 26 November Budget.
Labour has softened its commitment to keeping the two-child benefit cap in recent months.
The prime minister believes a new digital ID scheme can help tackle illegal migration.
Keir Starmer says he wants the run up to the next election to be “on open fight between Labour and Reform”.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan discusses Andy Burnham’s recent criticism of the prime minister.
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