Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to make a major intervention this week, pledging a progressive fightback against the rise of the far right, warning that the UK is 'at a crossroads'. The speech, to be delivered alongside other progressive world leaders, aims to counter the 'decline and division' fuelled by Nigel Farage's Reform UK party.
The move comes amid increasing pressure from within the Labour Party, where even senior loyalists have expressed fears that Starmer has not mounted a passionate enough attack on Reform and rising racism. The address is intended to calm concerns that Labour's rebuttal has been based on workability of proposals rather than moral objection.
A Downing Street source said it would be a 'fatal flaw' for social democrats to ignore public concerns about immigration. The source stressed that the government needs to provide answers to these questions, otherwise people will look elsewhere. Starmer is also focused on building an international coalition of centre-left leaders to tackle right-wing populism and form a united front on issues such as Ukraine and Gaza.
Criticism of Reform's policies has grown within the party. Labour MP Sarah Owen called the party's plan to scrap indefinite leave to remain 'morally abhorrent and economic madness', while Charlotte Nichols labelled it 'obscene'. Starmer's spokesperson framed the choice as between 'national renewal' and 'the path of division and decline' that Reform wants to take the country.
The prime minister has been spending more time taking soundings from MPs after a fortnight of turmoil, including scandals involving Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and US Ambassador Peter Mandelson. This week's speech is seen as a shift in strategy, setting the tone for Labour's conference and building on Starmer's argument that there is a 'struggle for the heart and soul of our nation'.
