🔗 Share this article Xenophobia Returning in British Politics, Leaving People Deeply Concerned, the Prime Minister Warns Decades-old racial prejudice is returning within UK politics, which leaves citizens very scared, Keir Starmer warned, cautioning how divisive hard-right politics are “tearing our country apart”. Confronting Discriminatory Rhetoric and Harmful Strategies Speaking with GP and TV personality a well-known TV doctor, Starmer accused the Reform UK party of overseeing the revival of discriminatory and divisive politics “that frankly I thought we had dealt with decades ago”. In the interview, broadcast on ITV’s Lorraine show this week, Starmer provided a clear indication suggesting the two-child benefit cap might be scrapped during the upcoming fiscal announcement later this month. Commitment to Reduce Poverty Among Children When questioned if he planned to eliminate the limit, as noted by advocacy groups is a major cause of child poverty across Britain, the Prime Minister said: “I can tell you in no uncertain terms I am determined to drive child poverty down.” He listed measures the government has already launched including free school meals, breakfast clubs, and child care support and emphasized: “We need to do more than that, and I can look you in the eye that I am personally committed on reducing child poverty.” When pressed on whether his comments meant he intended to remove the two-child cap, he stated “It would be misleading to claim we aim to lower child poverty if I wasn’t clear that measures will be introduced various actions to achieve this”. Strong Indications from Rachel Reeves Rachel Reeves, provided a similarly clear signal on Monday when she told a national radio station that “in the end, a child should not be penalised due to their family’s financial situation”. Ministers are reportedly planning to scrap the restriction fully, after initially considering phasing it out for bigger households or richer ones. An economic thinktank projects the expense would be about £3.5bn by 2029-30. Political Divide and Country’s Revival During the discussion, the Prime Minister explained the ideological split currently in Britain existed between Labour’s “patriotic national renewal” versus Reform’s harmful divisiveness and others on the right that are “tearing our country apart”. “Certain language being used – discriminatory talk, divisive rhetoric – which I believed we had dealt with in the past is coming back into politics and it makes people feel deeply afraid,” he stated. “We must confront to that racism, that division, and declare confidently that to be British means showing empathy, is about being fair, is to be tolerant and compassionate, and this is our pride.” Reflecting Warnings from the Health Secretary The prime minister echoed language used by Wes Streeting, who cautioned earlier this month that a disturbing form of discrimination similar to the 1970s and 1980s was now alarmingly frequent once more and that NHS staff were bearing the brunt of this trend. The health secretary noted occurrences of both verbal and physical attacks based on people’s skin colour had become so frequent that it was now “socially acceptable to be racist”. “We must end on racism across the UK and we need to place that ugly racist sentiment that’s found expression in our country back in its box and reestablish a climate in this country where it is not socially acceptable to be racist,” the Health Secretary said. Defining Choice for the Public The Prime Minister used his speech at the Labour party conference in September to outline political battle lines with his political opponents, stating that the public faced a pivotal moment. He explained he was involved in a “fight for the soul of our country”, noting although the public had “reasonable” concerns regarding unauthorized immigration, there was “a moral line” that Farage and others had crossed. Starmer vowed to challenge those who argued that non-white individuals were not truly British and that families residing in the UK for generations must be removed, stating those advocating these ideas were “an enemy of national renewal”. “Encouraging racist violence and hatred, that goes beyond concern: it is illegal. Our political movement values national symbols, yet if they are painted with hateful messages, targeting a business owner to leave the country, that is not patriotism; that is pure discrimination,” he informed activists.