Keir Starmer has slammed the ‘scaremongering’ tactics of Reform UK and the Tories and said he is rolling up his sleeves to make a genuine difference to British families’ lives
Keir Starmer has slammed the “scaremongering” tactics of Reform UK and the Tories and said he is rolling up his sleeves to make a genuine difference to British families’ lives.
As Parliament returns from summer recess today, the Prime Minister said Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch ’s parties “talk down the country at every turn” as he promised he was focused on real change.
In his first comments since Mr Farage unveiled draconian plans for mass deportations, he told The Mirror: “While Reform and the Tories talk down the country at every turn, we’re doing the work to make people’s lives better. I’m not interested in scaremongering from the sidelines. I’m rolling up my sleeves to deliver change that makes a difference to you and your family.”
It comes as Mr Farage was this weekend accused of skipping the return of Parliament this week to badmouth Britain in the US and help Donald Trump’s White House meddle in our politics.
READ MORE: KEIR STARMER: ‘Reform UK are talking down our country – I’m giving kids a brighter future’
The Prime Minister will be looking to reset the narrative after Mr Farage dominated headlines over the summer recess with his controversial immigration plans and “Lawless Britain” campaign. The Reform UK leader faced accusations of stoking tensions and fanning the flames of hate over the summer break as he staged a number of events linking migration to crime.
But Mr Starmer is starting the new parliamentary term with an upbeat message to the nation as he battles to steer away from a gloomy summer mired by protests and a testing court battle over asylum hotels.
Writing for The Mirror, Mr Starmer hailed the Labour government’s policies to improve young people’s futures. He said he wants “every parent to know that there is a bright future ahead for their children” as he pointed to the Government’s major expansion of free childcare that comes into force today.
Kickstarting Labour’s Best Start In Life campaign, Mr Starmer also listed the Government’s announcements to expand free school meals, cut uniform costs for parents and for an £88million investment in extracurricular activities.
“We’re putting more money in Mirror readers’ pockets, giving parents some much needed time back, and setting children up to do their best in the classroom and beyond,” he said.
A shake-up in Downing Street last week, with a focus on delivering policies, highlighted Mr Starmer’s focus on showing voters he is making a difference to their lives. The PM is also said to be considering bringing in veteran troubleshooter and crossbench peer Baroness Louise Casey to No10 to help drive reform.
On Sunday, Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson said Mr Farage’s party aren’t focused on genuine solutions when it comes to areas like migration but instead think “whipping up anger” serves its political interests.
Speaking about asylum hotels, she told Sky News: “I understand the frustration that people feel, because I understand when they see, for example, asylum hotels and big numbers of people in their community, I understand how that can make people feel. Of course, there can be no excuse for what is rightful protest, overstepping the mark.
“But Nigel Farage and Reform, they don’t actually want to sort this problem. It’s in their interests… he thinks their political interests are served by whipping up anger rather than fixing problems.”
In the face of Reform surging in the polls, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will seek to take the small boats crisis head on Monday as she sets out the Government’s practical solutions for tackling the issue.
It comes after Mr Farage last week faced a wave of fury after he unveiled a hard-right blueprint for mass deportations including plans to pay the Taliban to take back migrants. The Reform UK leader gave little detail on his plans and, when scrutinised, joked the costs were accurate because his colleague Zia Yusuf is “really good at maths”.
Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle branded his proposals “back-of-the-fag packet plans without the substance on delivery”.
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