🔗 Share this article Racism Resurfacing in British Politics, Making People Fearful, Starmer Says Long-standing racism is resurfacing to British the political arena, and it leaves citizens fearful, Keir Starmer has stated, alerting how divisive far-right political tactics was “dividing the nation”. Addressing Discriminatory Language and Harmful Strategies In conversation to GP and TV personality Amir Khan, the prime minister accused Nigel Farage’s Reform UK for enabling a return of discriminatory and divisive politics “that frankly I thought we had dealt with years back”. In the interview, broadcast on ITV’s Lorraine show on Tuesday, the PM provided his strongest signal that the two-child benefit cap might be scrapped in the budget later this month. Commitment to Combat Child Poverty When questioned if he would scrap this restriction, as noted by advocacy groups is the biggest driver of child poverty in the UK, Starmer responded: “I want to state unequivocally I am committed to drive child poverty down.” He outlined measures the government has already launched including no-cost school lunches, morning meal programs, and childcare but added: “We must go beyond these efforts, and I pledge that I will personally focus to driving down child poverty.” Pressed on whether his remarks meant he would lift the two-child cap, Starmer stated he “wouldn’t be telling you we plan to reduce child poverty without being sure that we will be taking a number of measures to achieve this”. Strong Indications from the Chancellor The Chancellor, provided an equally strong hint on Monday when she told a national radio station how finally, a child should not be penalised due to their family’s financial situation”. Ministers are understood to be preparing to lift the limit entirely, after initially considering ways to taper it either for very large families or richer ones. An economic thinktank has estimated this would cost roughly £3.5 billion by the end of the decade. Political Divide and Country’s Revival In the interview, the Prime Minister said the political divide currently in Britain existed between the government’s vision for renewal versus “the toxic division of Reform” and others on the right that are “splitting the UK”. “Some of the rhetoric currently circulating – racist rhetoric, divisive rhetoric – which I believed we had dealt with long ago is returning to politics and citizens are fearful,” he said. “It is essential to oppose such discrimination, that division, and we have to proudly say that British identity means showing empathy, is about being fair, is to be tolerant and compassionate, and we’re proud of that.” Echoing Concerns from Wes Streeting The prime minister mirrored sentiments used by Wes Streeting, who cautioned earlier this month how an “ugly” racism similar to the 1970s and 1980s was now worryingly commonplace again and that healthcare workers were facing the worst of this trend. Streeting said occurrences of verbal and physical abuse targeting individuals due to race now happened so often that it had become “socially acceptable to be racist”. “We’ve got to call time on racism in this country and we need to place that ugly racist sentiment that has emerged in our country back in its box and once again create an environment across Britain where it is not socially acceptable to be racist,” the Health Secretary said. Critical Decision for the Public The Prime Minister used his speech at the Labour party conference this autumn to draw political battle lines between himself and Farage, stating that voters confronted a “defining choice”. He said he was involved in a struggle for the nation’s identity, and argued that while voters expressed valid worries regarding unauthorized immigration, there was an ethical boundary which some politicians had overstepped. The PM pledged to challenge those who argued that non-white individuals did not belong and that families who had lived in Britain for years must be removed, saying people promoting such views were “an enemy of national renewal”. “Encouraging racist violence and hostility, that goes beyond concern: it is illegal. This party – this great party – is proud of our flags, but if they are displayed alongside graffiti, telling a Chinese takeaway owner to leave the country, that’s not pride; that is pure discrimination,” he told supporters.