Keir Starmer has been accused of ‘descending into the gutter’ after claiming Nigel Farage was an ‘enemy’ of Britain.
The Prime Minister triggered a bitter war of words when he used his speech at the Labour Party conference to repeatedly attack the Reform UK leader, questioning his patriotism just days after branding his immigration policies ‘racist’.
In a further sign that Labour risks importing the toxic political culture of the United States in its pursuit of poll-leading Reform, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy made a poisonous claim that Mr Farage had ‘flirted with the Hitler Youth’, which he was forced to withdraw.
Mr Farage, who already needs personal security following a string of death threats, accused Sir Keir of putting a target on his back and ‘inciting’ the ‘radical Left’ against him and his supporters, and invoked the murder of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Writing in Wednesday’s Daily Mail, he vowed to take revenge at the ballot box, pledging to ‘teach Keir Starmer a lesson’ in next May’s elections.
He said the string of slurs that have come his way since the conference began on Sunday were the mark of a man who was ‘unfit to be Prime Minister’.
Mr Farage accused the PM of resorting to a ‘desperate last throw of the dice’ in his keynote speech in Liverpool because ‘the Government are incapable of beating us on our arguments’.
‘As a result, Keir Starmer has decided to descend into the gutter – and bring all his Cabinet with him,’ he added.
Sir Keir Starmer triggered a bitter war of words when he used his speech at the Labour Party conference to repeatedly attack the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
Mr Farage accused the PM of resorting to a ‘desperate last throw of the dice’ in his keynote speech in Liverpool because ‘the Government are incapable of beating us on our arguments’
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy made a poisonous claim that Mr Farage had ‘flirted with the Hitler Youth’, which he was forced to withdraw
As speculation continued to swirl around his troubled leadership, Sir Keir:
- Admitted that Labour had ‘patronised’ voters over immigration for years, but insisted he would now take their concerns seriously;
- Issued a partial apology to business over last year’s huge tax raid, saying: ‘We asked a lot at the last Budget’;
- Hinted that Labour will scrap the two-child benefit cap, handing a huge payout to big families on the dole;
- Warned Britain faced years of ‘tough decisions’ to bring about ‘national renewal’;
- Wrapped himself in the flag following recent polling showing Labour is viewed as the least patriotic party.
With Labour trailing Reform in the polls, the PM used his speech in the conference main hall to launch a series of incendiary personal attacks on his rival.
Sir Keir described Mr Farage as an ‘enemy of national renewal’, saying his immigration policies would destroy communities.
The PM targeted Reform’s plans to prevent migrants claiming benefits in this country, which would involve deporting some people previously given leave to remain if they are not deemed to be contributing enough to the economy.
Sir Keir claimed that ‘snake oil salesman’ Mr Farage ‘doesn’t like Britain’ and was interested only in stoking ‘the politics of grievance’.
‘When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about Britain’s future?,’ he said.
‘He can’t. He doesn’t like Britain, wants you to doubt it just as much as he does. And so he resorts to grievance.
‘They all do it. They want to turn this country – this proud, self-reliant country – into a competition of victims.’
Sir Keir was joined on stage by his wife Victoria after delivering his address to activists today
The PM said Britain was at a ‘fork in the road’, with a choice between ‘decency and division’.
Mr Farage responded: ‘Starmer is right about one thing. We are indeed facing a big fork in the road. This country has had enough of a failing, gutless political class. It is crying out for the real change it was promised.’
Labour’s conference has been overshadowed by mounting panic at Reform’s surge in the polls ahead of critical elections in Scotland, Wales and English councils next May.
Some allies of Sir Keir fear he could even be forced to quit if Labour is thrashed as badly as it was in the much smaller round of local elections this year.
Cabinet ministers have lined up to demonise Mr Farage in the hope of curbing his support.
Sir Keir set the ball rolling on Sunday when he used his big pre-conference interview with the BBC to describe Reform’s new immigration policy as ‘racist and immoral’.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it was ‘hard to escape the conclusion’ that Mr Farage himself is a racist while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood claimed Mr Farage was ‘worse than racist’.
Mr Lammy was, however, the most extreme, claiming that the Reform leader had ‘flirted’ with the Hitler Youth, dragging up accusations first made more than a decade ago that Mr Farage has described as ‘complete baloney’.
In a humiliating climbdown, the Deputy Prime Minister last night admitted he had no evidence for the claim and withdrew it.
In a TV response just minutes after Sir Keir’s speech ended, Mr Farage said Labour appeared to be dangerously ‘obsessed’ with him, adding: ‘This language will incite and encourage the radical Left. It directly threatens the safety of our elected officials and our campaigners.
‘And, frankly, in the wake of the Charlie Kirk murder, I think this is an absolute disgrace.’
Sir Keir spent years in opposition claiming that Britain was ‘broken’, but on Tuesday, he disowned the claim, which has been picked up by Reform to hammer the record of both Labour and the Conservatives.
‘I just do not accept that Britain is broken,’ he said.
Despite savaging Reform’s focus on tackling immigration, Sir Keir acknowledged the need to take more action to strengthen Britain’s borders.
Ms Mahmood has this week unveiled her own plans to make it harder for migrants to claim indefinite leave to remain in this country – a status that gives access to the benefits system.
The PM said offering asylum to those genuinely fleeing persecution was ‘the mark of a decent, compassionate country’.
But he acknowledged that ‘controlling migration is a reasonable goal’ and vowed to end the Channel migrants crisis eventually.
The PM also made a pitch to reclaim the patriotic mantle, with delegates in Liverpool even handed flags to wave during his speech.
Sir Keir insisted that ‘Labour is the patriotic party’, telling his conference: ‘With the flag in our hands we will renew this country until we can say, with total conviction, that Britain is built for all.’
