🔗 Share this article Xenophobia Resurfacing in UK Politics, Leaving People Very Scared, the Prime Minister Says Historical racism is returning within British politics, which leaves citizens deeply uneasy, the Prime Minister warned, cautioning how divisive hard-right political tactics are “dividing the nation”. Addressing Racist Language and Divisive Politics Speaking to GP and TV personality a well-known TV doctor, Starmer pointed to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK for enabling a return to racist and divisive politics which many believed was resolved decades ago”. During the discussion, broadcast on a popular morning program on Tuesday, Starmer provided his strongest signal suggesting the limit on child benefits might be scrapped in the budget later this month. Promise to Combat Poverty Among Children Asked if he would scrap this restriction, which charities have said is a major cause of poverty for children in the UK, the Prime Minister responded: “I want to state unequivocally I am committed to reduce child poverty.” He outlined measures the government has already launched such as free school meals, breakfast clubs, and child care support and emphasized: “Further action is necessary, and I can look you in the eye that I am personally committed on reducing child poverty.” Pressed on whether his remarks indicated he would lift the two-child cap, he said “It would be misleading to claim we aim to lower poverty among children without being sure that we will be taking various actions to achieve this”. Strong Indications from the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, gave an equally strong hint on Monday when she told BBC Radio 5 Live that “in the end, no child should suffer due to their family’s financial situation”. Ministers are reportedly planning to remove the cap completely, after initially considering gradual removal for bigger households or wealthier families. The Resolution Foundation has estimated the expense would be about £3.5bn by the end of the decade. Political Divide and National Renewal During the discussion, the Prime Minister explained the ideological split currently in Britain existed between the government’s vision for renewal and “the toxic division of Reform” and others on the right who were “dividing the nation”. “Some of the rhetoric being used – racist rhetoric, polarizing language – that frankly I thought had been addressed long ago has reemerged in political debate and it makes people feel very scared,” he said. “We must confront such discrimination, that division, and we have to proudly say that to be British involves caring for others, is to be reasonable, entails tolerance and kindness, and this is our pride.” Echoing Concerns from Wes Streeting Starmer mirrored language used by the Health Secretary, who cautioned recently that a disturbing form of discrimination reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s was now worryingly commonplace again and that NHS staff were facing the worst of this trend. The health secretary said incidents of both verbal and physical attacks based on people’s skin colour now happened so often that it had become “tolerated to hold racist views”. “It is time to put a stop to discrimination across the UK and we need to place that ugly racist sentiment that has emerged in our country back in its box and once again create a climate across Britain that rejects racism to hold racist views,” the Health Secretary said. Critical Decision for Voters The Prime Minister spoke at the Labour party conference this autumn to draw clear divisions between himself and Farage, stating that voters confronted a “defining choice”. The prime minister explained he was involved in a “fight for the soul of our country”, and argued that while voters had “reasonable” concerns about illegal migration, there was an ethical boundary that Farage and others had overstepped. Starmer pledged to confront anyone claiming that non-white individuals did not belong and that families who had lived in the UK for generations must be removed, stating people promoting such views constituted “opposed to the country’s progress”. “If you incite racist violence and hatred, that goes beyond concern: it’s criminal. Our political movement is proud of our flags, but if they are displayed alongside graffiti, telling a Chinese takeaway owner to ‘go home’, that is not patriotism; that’s racism,” he informed activists.