Keir Starmer calls on Labour to unite in defining battle

LIVERPOOL: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged his Labour Party on Sunday to stop "navel gazing" and unite against Reform UK, accusing the rising populist party of planning a "racist policy" of mass deportation if it wins power.

Labour is well behind Reform in opinion polls, and Starmer kicked off its annual conference in the city of Liverpool by exhorting members to focus their anger on that party, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, not his own leadership.

"We have got the fight of our lives ahead of us, because we've got to take on Reform. We've got to beat them, and so now is not the time for introspection or navel gazing," he told BBC News. "We need to be in that fight united."


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The next national election is not due until 2029, but with Reform surging in popularity, Starmer is seeking a positive narrative after difficult weeks when his deputy leader and his ambassador to the U.S. were forced to quit.

The conference gives him a chance to rally Labour and redirect the frustrations of critics who want him replaced, including the mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham.

But it is a tough battle.

Starmer and his finance minister, Rachel Reeves, are under pressure inside the party to increase spending, and relax self-imposed fiscal rules that aim to balance day-to-day expenditure with tax revenue by 2029. But the government is expected to raise taxes in a budget on November 26 to adhere to the rules.

"The budget is an absolutely critical point of us knowing whether direction is going to change," said Sharon Graham, head of Unite, one of Britain's biggest trade unions.